2025 – 2026 Concert Series

Gabriel Martins, cello

Brazilian-American cellist Gabriel Martins has established himself as one of the world’s most compelling young musicians. His artistry has already been recognized through an extensive list of accolades, including the Sphinx Competition Gold Medal, the David Popper International Cello Competition Gold Medal, and the Concert Artists Guild/Young Classical Artists Trust Grand Prize. Some of his recent high-profile debuts have included Carnegie, Merkin, and Wigmore Halls, The 92^nd Street Y, and the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory. The Strad magazine declared his all-Bach New York City recital debut as “flawlessly played … a deeply moving experience,” and Classic FM named him one of their “30 under 30” Rising Stars. In recital, his interpretations of the Bach Cello Suites and arrangements of the Violin Sonatas and Partitas have garnered particular recognition, and he is currently undertaking a project to record all of these works. He is a graduate of the USC Thornton School of Music and the New England Conservatory.

Cantus

Now entering its 31^st season, the “engaging” (New Yorker) low-voice vocal ensemble Cantus is widely known for its trademark warmth and blend, innovative programming and riveting performances of music ranging from the Renaissance to the 21^st century. The Washington Post has hailed the Cantus sound as having “exalting finesse” and “expressive power”, and the Philadelphia Inquirer called the group “nothing short of exquisite”. As one of the nation’s few full-time vocal ensembles, Cantus performs without a conductor; the members of Cantus rehearse and perform as chamber musicians, each contributing to the entirety of the artistic process. Cantus enjoys a vigorous schedule of national and international touring, from concerts in their home of Minneapolis-St. Paul to Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Tanglewood, and Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival.

Committed to the expansion of the vocal music repertoire, Cantus actively commissions new music and seeks to unearth rarely performed repertoire for low voices. Also passionate about music education, Cantus works with more than 5,000 students each year in masterclasses and workshop settings, and has been in residence in 31 Minnesota high schools, and hosts an annual Young and Emerging Composers Competition.

Christmas-by-the-Cove

An annual Naples holiday tradition! The church will ring with Christmas joy as the choir of Trinity-by-the-Cove presents Christmas Carols old and new, enhanced by local instrumental musicians from the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra at Artis Naples.

Echoing Air

Echoing Air is a chamber ensemble dedicated to exploring and presenting music featuring singers with Baroque instruments. Comprised primarily of two countertenors, two recorders, and basso continuo, the group’s name is inspired by “Hark, the Echoing Air,” a well-known song by Henry Purcell. While Echoing Air places a particular emphasis on music of the English Baroque, the ensemble’s repertoire encompasses music of many European countries spanning from Medieval times to the present.

Echoing Air’s founder and artistic director is Dr. Steven Rickards, who has received international acclaim as one of the finest American countertenors of his generation. He has performed internationally as a soloist of leading ensembles, including Joshua Rifkin’s Bach Ensemble, the American Bach Soloists, Apollo’s Fire, the Gabrieli Consort, and the Smithsonian Chamber Players.

Ensemble Altera

A chamber choir described by the BBC as “something extraordinary”, Ensemble Altera, in its short history, has already been identified as “a leading ensemble on the American choral scene” (Scherzo Magazine). Led by internationally celebrated countertenor Christopher Lowrey, the group has quickly become known for thoughtful programming, passionate performances, and tireless advocacy for the importance of ensemble singing in the broader music culture.

Their debut recording, The Lamb’s Journey, was hailed by Europadisc as “wonderfully refined and expertly blended, with that combination of radiance, power, and transparency that comes with the best chamber choirs. This recording also won the German Record Critics’ Award, which noted in its award citation that “no recent recording debut in this field has been as spectacular.” The ensemble has performed multiple times at Carnegie Hall and is a frequent collaborator with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. Ensemble Altera has a profound faith in the healing power of music and is proud to offer its complete recorded music library free of charge, in collaboration with select partners in music therapy.

Jason Vieaux, guitar

GRAMMY-winning guitarist Jason Vieaux, “among the elite of today’s classical guitarists” (Gramophone), is described by NPR  as “perhaps the most precise and soulful classical guitarist of his generation”. In appearances from New York’s Lincoln Center to Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and the Seoul Arts Center, Vieaux has cemented his reputation as an artist of brilliance and uncompromised mastery.

He has performed concertos with a long list of orchestras and boasts an extensive discography, of which his 2014 recording Play won the GRAMMY for Best Instrumental Classical Solo. Jason Vieaux co-founded the guitar department at the Curtis Institute of Music in 2011, and in addition, has taught at the Cleveland Institute of Music for 25 years.