The Symphonia to Kick Off 21st Season

(Press Release) Boca Raton, FL (June 2, 2025)--The Symphonia, South Florida’s premier chamber orchestra, will kick off its 21st season in November, with six performances slated through April. Under the artistic direction of Principal Conductor Alastair Willis, the orchestra will welcome several new and returning guest artists throughout the season.
 

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“Our upcoming season is designed to captivate—from the first note to the final bow,” said Annabel Russell, Executive Director of The Symphonia. “If you’ve never seen The Symphonia live, this is the season to join us. We are especially thrilled to be playing the world premiere of “EBENUS,” a Concerto for Clarinet & Orchestra co-composed by Kinan Azmeh and Christophe Chagnard—specially commissioned by Virginia and Harvey Kimmel, long time generous supporters of The Symphonia.”
 
Artists joining the Symphonia in 2025-26 include Organist Timothy Brumfield, Conductor Jacomo Bairos, Clarinetist and Co-composer Kinan Azmeh, Co-composer Christophe Chagnard and Pianist Lindsay Garritson.
 
Each live concert includes a Pre-Concert Conversation, giving ticket holders an opportunity to interact directly with the celebrated conductors and featured artists while learning more about the program selections.
 
The Symphonia’s 2025-26 Concert Schedule:
 
Title: Mozart and Tim
Date: Sunday, November 23, 2025
Time: 3:00 p.m.
Location: St. Gregory’s Episcopal (100 NE Mizner Blvd, Boca Raton)
Featuring: Principal Conductor, Alastair Willis and Organ Soloist, Tim Brumfield 
 
The program includes:
KERNIS Musica Celestis
MOZART Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
POULENC Organ Concerto
 
Conductor: Alastair Willis is Music Director of the South Bend Symphony Orchestra, and Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of The Symphonia in Boca Raton. As a guest conductor, he has worked with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, the Seattle Symphony, the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, the Győr Philharmonic Orchestra, and Yo-Yo Ma’s Silkroad Ensemble. This season, he returns to the Chicago Symphony, Qatar Philharmonic, River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, and Seattle’s Music of Remembrance. His recording of Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges with the Nashville Symphony and Opera was GRAMMY nominated for Best Classical Album in 2009.
 
Soloist: Tim Brumfield has enjoyed a career as a performer, arranger, composer, and producer. He currently serves as Director of Music Ministry, Organist, and Choirmaster at St. Gregory's Episcopal in Boca Raton. Brumfield previously served as Cathedral Organist at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. He has been a member of the Grammy Award winning Paul Winter Consort since 1998 and received the award of Honorary Fellow from the National College of Music in London. 
Title: Holiday Pops with The Symphonia
Date: Saturday, December 6, 2025
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Mizner Park Amphitheater (590 Plaza Real, Boca Raton)
Featuring: Conductor, Jacomo Bairos, FAU Chamber Singers and Schola Cantorum of Florida Chorus Master, Patricia Fleitas. 
 
Conductor: Juilliard School graduate Jacomo Bairos is an esteemed Portuguese American conductor, producer, and podcaster. In 2015, Bairos co-founded Nu Deco Ensemble, Miami’s 21st century chamber orchestra. Since its inception, Nu Deco Ensemble has released numerous albums garnering over 10 million streams across streaming platforms like Apple Music and Spotify. Last season alone, Bairos conducted performances with Atlanta, Baltimore, and Hartford Symphonies, the Chicago Philharmonic, National Philharmonic Warsaw, and more. Additionally, Bairos has collaborated with several Grammy Award -winning artists, served as Music Director for the Amarillo Symphony, and served as Lead Wellness Director for the youth ensemble members of Nu Deco NXT. 
Title: Dvorak’s New World Premiere 
Date: Saturday, January 24, 2026; Sunday, January 25, 2026 
Time: Saturday, 7:00 p.m.; Sunday, 3:00 p.m.
Location: The Studio at Mizner Park (201 W Plaza Real, Boca Raton)
Featuring: Principal Conductor, Alastair Willis, Clarinet Soloist and Co-composer, Kinan Azmeh, and Co-composer Christophe Chagnard
 
The program includes:
EBENUS Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra by Kinan Azmeh and Christophe Chagnard
*World Premiere, commissioned by Virginia and Harvey Kimmel
DVORAK’S New World Symphony
*Chamber Orchestra version arranged by Jason Stephens and commissioned and premiered by River Oaks Chamber Orchestra
 
Soloist and Featured Co-composer: Hailed by critics and audiences alike, clarinetist and composer Kinan Azmeh has gained international recognition for his distinctive voice across diverse musical genres. He is a graduate of The Juilliard School and the Damascus High Institute of Music. Originally from Damascus, Syria, Kinan brings his music to all corners of the world, with performances at the Opera Bastille, Paris; Tchaikovsky Grand Hall, Moscow; Carnegie Hall and the UN General Assembly, New York, among many others. In addition to his own Arab-Jazz quartet, Kinan Azmeh and CityBand, and his Hewar trio, Kinan has also been performing with the Silkroad Ensemble since 2012, whose 2017 Grammy Award-winning album Sing Me Home features Kinan as a clarinetist and composer. Kinan Azmeh was appointed by President Biden to the United States National Council for the Arts. 
 
Featured Co-composer: Christophe Chagnard is a Grammy-nominated conductor, guitarist, recording artist, educator, and philanthropist. He received his musical training in composition and conducting from Berklee College of Music and New England Conservatory. Chagnard co-founded the Northwest Sinfonietta in 1991 and lead it to prominence until 2015, from 2015 to 2018, Chagnard served as Director of Outreach at Classical KING FM 98.1, and in 2020 he founded Earth Creative, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the creations of artists who use nature as their medium. As a composer, Chagnard’s music has addressed pressing global issues such as systemic racism, climate change, intolerance, and social injustice. He has been recognized with several awards and honors, including the 2006 ArtsFund Outstanding Achievement in the Arts Award. 
 
Title: Beethoven’s Emperor
Date: Sunday, March 8, 2026
Time: 3:00 p.m.
Location: St. Gregory’s Episcopal (100 NE Mizner Blvd, Boca Raton)
Featuring: Principal Conductor, Alastair Willis and Piano Soloist, Lindsay Garritson
 
The program includes:
RAVEL Le Tombeau de Couperin
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 5 “Emperor”
 
Soloist: Award-winning artist, Dr. Lindsay Garritson has performed throughout the United States and abroad since the age of four. She holds degrees from Principia College (B.A. in Music), Yale School of Music (M.M. and Artist Diploma), and the University of Miami (D.M.A.). She has appeared on esteemed stages such as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and Place des Arts (Montreal). An avid chamber musician, Lindsay has performed with Ani Kavafian, Elmar Oliveira, and Carter Brey, among many others. Additionally, Lindsay is a passionate advocate for new music; her Carnegie Hall solo recital debut featured the world premiere of Carl Vine's Piano Sonata No. 4, a work written for her. Concurrently, her second solo album titled “Aphorisms: Piano Music of Carl Vine” was released.
 
Title: Vienna’s Riches: A New Directions Concert 
Date: Saturday, April 11, 2026; Sunday, April 12, 2026
Time: Saturday, 7:00 p.m.; Sunday, 3:00 p.m.
Location: The Studio at Mizner Park 9 (201 W Plaza Real, Boca Raton)
Featuring: Principal Conductor, Alastair Willis 
 
Tickets:
Season subscriptions start at $205 per person, with several flex packages available. Individual concert tickets start at $58. Tickets and subscriptions can be purchased now at thesymphonia.org, by calling 561-414-5226 or by emailing [email protected]. ​
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