PB Symphony Wins First Emmy Award

Carlos Lopez, Suncoast Regional
EMMY Award winner

(Press Release) West Palm Beach, Florida (February 3, 2026) – Let’s give Palm Beach Symphony a round of applause for winning its very first Emmy Award at the 49th Annual Suncoast Regional EMMY® Awards Gala. Audio producer Carlos Lopez won in the category of Audio Live or Post Production for the Symphony’s production of The Carnival of MORE Animals.

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“This EMMY win is a testament to the great work Palm Beach Symphony does in producing high-quality concerts, including performances specifically targeted to introduce children to orchestral music,” said David McClymont, CEO of Palm Beach Symphony. “The television broadcasts of our concerts allow our music to reach an even broader audience that extends beyond those who attend our shows in person. An EMMY Award is one of the highest honors in television. Congratulations to Carlos and all who contributed to the production. I am very proud to lead this great organization.”
 
Originally composed by Frenchman Camille Saint-Saëns for chamber orchestra in 1886, The Carnival of the Animals has been cherished by children and families ever since. Palm Beach Symphony's version, The Carnival of MORE Animals, conducted and arranged by Music Director Gerard Schwarz, is part of the Symphony’s Dale A. McNulty Children’s Concert Series and is airing on South Florida PBS through March 2026.
 
The unique production takes audiences on a symphonic safari through Florida featuring more than a dozen of the state’s indigenous animals. The new arrangement features an expansive array of instruments to accompany this reimagined multi-media presentation that incorporates video and photos filmed at Busch Wildlife Sanctuary and provided by Friends of Manatee Lagoon. Animal Planet host Forrest Galante narrates the work in an engaging, fact-based educational journey that integrates music with science topics related to conservation, the environment and the preservation of Florida’s native wildlife.
 
“Carlos made the recording of our concert sound phenomenal on television and truly deserves this award,” said Maestro Schwarz, who taught Lopez at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. “It was a pleasure working with him.”
 
The Suncoast Chapter of The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is the standard-bearer for excellence in the television industry and the gatekeeper of the prestigious regional EMMY® Awards in the Suncoast Region. The Suncoast Chapter represents the best and brightest television and media professionals from all disciplines of the industry and from all the Suncoast region’s television markets.
 
“I’m deeply honored to see The Carnival of MORE Animals recognized, and I couldn’t be prouder of the incredible team that made this production possible,” said Lopez. “Congratulations to Maestro Schwarz and everyone at Palm Beach Symphony for their artistry, dedication and collaborative spirit. It’s a joy to see our work celebrated at this level, and I’m sincerely grateful for the opportunity to have been part of it.”
 
Additionally, Alberto Bade, an assistant conductor for Palm Beach Symphony and current student of Maestro Schwarz at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, won a Suncoast Regional EMMY in the category of Special Event Coverage – Edited for hosting Miami Dade College-TV’s Video Game Concert 2025.