Event
Beethoven 9
Naples Philharmonic Masterworks
Naples Philharmonic
Alexander Shelley, artistic and music director
Karen Slack, soprano
Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano
Michael Spyres, tenor
TBD, baritone
Naples Philharmonic Chorus
Jeremy T. Warner, director
Jake Runestad — A Silence Haunts Me
Beethoven — Symphony No. 9
In the culminating program of the Naples Philharmonic’s concentrated Beethoven Festival, Artistic and Music Director Alexander Shelley leads the orchestra, the Naples Philharmonic Chorus and a quartet of vocalists in what many consider one of the most supreme achievements in music history. The program begins with Jake Runestad’s A Silence Haunts Me, a touching choral work dramatizing Beethoven’s struggle with deafness, setting the stage for his final symphony — a monumental masterpiece that shattered the traditional symphonic form as the first to feature soloists and chorus.
Prelude at 6:30pm
Join the conductor before the performance for an insightful 30-minute prelude discussion about the program.
Music and Museum
All Masterworks tickets include same-day admission to The Baker Museum. Museum hours on day of performance: 10am-7:30pm. In addition, the doors to Hayes Hall will open 90 minutes prior to this performance. Arrive early to enjoy the exhibitions and light fare available at Heidi's Place.
The Artistic and Music Director position is generously endowed by Sharon and Timothy Ubben.
Naples Philharmonic
Naples Philharmonic
Founded in 1982, the Naples Philharmonic normally performs over 140 orchestral and chamber concerts, as well as opera and ballet, education, community and special event concerts from September through June each year.
Meet the Musicians
Alexander Shelley
Artistic and Music Director Meet Alexander
Jack Everly
Principal Pops Conductor Meet Jack
James Ehnes
Artistic Partner Meet James
Manuel López-Gómez
Associate Conductor Meet Manuel
Alexander Shelley
Alexander Shelley
Sharon and Timothy Ubben Artistic and Music Director
Alexander Shelley was named Sharon and Timothy Ubben artistic and music director in April 2023. He begins his tenure in this role in the 2024-25 season following a successful designate year in 2023-24 and will continue in the role through the end of the decade. As artistic and music director of Artis—Naples, Alexander provides artistic leadership for the entire multidisciplinary organization, including The Baker Museum and the Naples Philharmonic.
This appointment marks Alexander’s first titled position in the U.S. In addition to his role with Artis—Naples, the 2026-27 season marks his first year as principal conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra Ireland and music director of the Pacific Symphony. He continues to serve as principle associate conductor of London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra — a position he has held since 2015.
Meet Alexander
Karen Slack
Karen Slack
Praised as “one of opera’s strongest voices at present—both as a singer and a shaper of its culture” (The Washington Post) and for her “sizeable voice that captured all of the vacillating emotions” (The New York Times), soprano Karen Slack is a recipient of the 2022 Sphinx Medal of Excellence and a 2025 MPower Artist Grant. A sought-after performer, curator and artistic advisor known for her fiery charisma and groundbreaking approach to engagement, Slack’s debut album, Beyond the Years: Unpublished Songs of Florence Price, won the 2025 Grammy Award for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album.
Recently, she completed a nationwide tour for her critically acclaimed African Queens, an evening-length vocal recital of new art songs celebrating the history and legacy of seven African queens and a world premiere of an orchestral version of it was presented by the Naples Philharmonic in 2025. She also appeared with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, Chamber Music Cincinnati and Spivey Hall, and she has presented selections from her Grammy-winning album Beyond the Years at Yale School of Music’s Oneppo Chamber Music Series and Amherst College.
Throughout her career, Slack has performed with various orchestras throughout the United States. Abroad, she has appeared with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic in celebration of the 80th birthday of conductor Yuri Temirkanov. Slack made her Carnegie Hall debut as Agnes Sorel in Tchaikovsky’s Maid of Orleans with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s.
Jennifer Johnson Cano
Jennifer Johnson Cano
After creating the role of Michele in the world premiere of Gregory Spears’ The Righteous with Santa Fe Opera in summer 2024, Jennifer Johnson Cano was invited back to sing the role of Mrs. Grose in Britten's The Turn of the Screw as well as Schwertleite in Wagner's Die Walküre in summer of 2025. Her recent engagements include performances with the Chicago Symphony, the San Francisco Symphony, the Colorado Symphony, the Seattle Symphony and The Apollo Orchestra. Tours included a project with Simone Dinnerstein and her ensemble Baroklyn as well as a week with the National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan's chamber music festival.
Each season, Cano undertakes a balance of orchestral, opera and chamber music performances. Recent highlights include the role of Hermia in Britten's A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Opera Theater of St. Louis and the role of Mistress Quickly in Falstaff at Houston Grand Opera. She has collaborated often with Franz Welser-Möst and The Cleveland Orchestra, Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and The Philadelphia Orchestra and Riccardo Muti with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Cano continues to sing a diverse selection of roles, and each season includes premieres and new works that challenge and delight her artistically while inspiring her to explore new vocal horizons.
Highlights of Cano’s operatic career have included performing the roles of Donna Elvira, Carmen and Offred with Boston Lyric Opera; The Fox in The Cunning Little Vixen with The Cleveland Orchestra; the Mother, Dragonfly and the Squirrel in L'enfant et les sortilèges with the San Francisco Symphony; performances of El Niño with John Adams and the London Symphony Orchestra; Carmen with New Orleans Opera; and Orphée with Des Moines Metro Opera and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. She has also appeared in more than 100 performances on the stage at The Metropolitan Opera since her debut in the 2009-10 season.
Michael Spyres
Michael Spyres
Michael Spyres is one of the most sought-after tenors of his generation and has been celebrated at many of the most prestigious international opera houses, festivals and concert halls. In the widest range of repertoire, his career has taken him from the genres of Baroque to Classical to 20th century, while firmly establishing himself as a specialist in the Bel Canto repertoire as well as Rossini and French Grand Opera.
Recently, he released his debut solo album, BariTenor, and on the opera stage, he performed Florestan in a new staging of Fidelio at the Opéra Comique de Paris and made his much anticipated role debut as Mozart’s Idomeneo at the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden. He also returned to the Houston Grand Opera as Roméo in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette and made his debut as Canio in Pagliacci with the OLOpera. On the concert platform, Spyres sang his first Tristan in the second act of Tristan und Isolde at the Opéra de Lyon, made his recital debut with Mathieu Pordoy at the Atelier Lyrique deTourcoing, Théâtre du Capitole Toulouse, Festival Les Volques, and performed two separate recitals in Paris.
Other career highlights are performances at the Teatro alla Scala, Salzburg Festival, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées of Paris and Carnegie Hall. In the studio, he has recorded Berlioz’s Les Troyens, Rossini’s La gazzetta, Otello, Le siège de Corinthe and Guillaume Tell, among others.
Naples Philharmonic Chorus
Naples Philharmonic Chorus
Founded in 1991, the Naples Philharmonic Chorus is made up of adult singers of all ages and backgrounds, and performs in both pops and classical concerts each season with the Naples Philharmonic, including the orchestra’s popular Holiday Pops and Patriotic Pops programs.
Naples Philharmonic Chorus
Jeremy T. Warner
Jeremy T. Warner
Jeremy T. Warner is a conductor and choral leader dedicated to building vibrant musical communities and creating performances that connect singers and audiences through shared purpose, craft and joy. Now proudly based in Naples, Florida, he is in his fourth year as director of the Naples Philharmonic Chorus, where he continues to shape an ambitious choral program and foster a culture of musical excellence and belonging. He most recently served as chorus director for Opera Naples’ Festival Under the Stars production of Puccini’s Turandot under the leadership of Ramón Tebar.
Former appointments include the Memphis Symphony Chorus, Memphis Men’s Chorale, Memphis Women’s Chorale, Memphis ChoralArts and the Salzburg College Chorale. Jeremy has prepared choirs for a wide range of choral-orchestral performances and touring productions, including The Legend of Zelda concert experience, and has led ensembles in performance tours throughout Germany and Austria.
Jeremy holds a Master of Music in choral conducting from the University of Memphis and a Bachelor of Music in theory and composition from Union University. He also completed three additional years of doctoral study in choral conducting and pursued further artistic development at the Mozarteum University Salzburg and the Eastman School of Music. He was selected to conduct in the National Conductor’s Symposium with the Vancouver Chamber Choir. He is especially passionate about imaginative, audience-centered programming and the power of choral music to foster connection across communities.
Meet Jeremy
