Community Concert Association Announces Series Underwriter; Elects New Board Member

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Nov. 7, 2017 - PRLog -- Alexandra Bremner and her mother Eunice Bremner have agreed to be the underwriters of the entire 2018 concert season of the Fort Myers Community Concert Association, Inc., it was announced Sunday.

Alexandra and Eunice are the niece and sister of the late Berne Davis, who was the series underwriter for many years prior to her death earlier this year.

"Berne was a program sponsor every year for 18 years and a member of the Community Concert Association for 68 years," said Community Concert Association President Mary Lee Mann. "This gracious gesture by her sister and niece ensure that Berne's memory will live on and make possible the continuation of the association for many years to come and we are eternally grateful to them."

Program sponsors include Rob and Ruth Diefenbach of Fort Myers, Sanibel-Captiva Community Bank, Madeleine Taeni of Cape Coral, and Friends of the late Barbara B. Mann.

Alyce Bochette of Bochette Dance Studio was elected as the newest member of the board of directors.

The announcements were made at the fall meeting of the Community Concert Association November 5 at FineMark National Bank & Trust Co.

The Community Concert Association also confirmed officers for 2018.  They are:

●  Mary Lee Mann, President (Alva) – community leader and long-time officer of the Community Concert Association;

●  Ian Mann, Vice-President (Fort Myers) – attorney

●  Kay Higgins, Secretary (Fort Myers)– community volunteer; and

●  David Hall, Treasurer (East Fort Myers)– Sanibel-Captiva Community Bank.

Other Board members are:

●  Alexandra Bremner (Fort Myers)– retired educator;

●  Frank Mann, Sr. (Alva)– Lee County Commissioner;

●  lan Mann (Fort Myers) - attorney;

●  Wiley Parker (Fort Myers) – architect with Parker/Mudgett/Smith Architects;

●  Barbara Shafer (Fort Myers) whose late husband, Judge Robert Shafer, was a long-time board member; and

●  Bobbi Stage (Fort Myers) – administrative staff of Paul Laurence Dunbar Middle School.

Mary Lee Mann reported to the Board that few series tickets remain for this year's 70^th Concert Series that begins in January with five concerts:

●          Piano Battle  – January 30, 2018.  Internationally accomplished pianists Andreas Kern and Paul Cibis go head-to-head in a piano duel featuring a variety of classical and contemporary music.  The audience will decide the winner in this unique concert experience.  The pianists also will perform a concert at the Paul Laurence Dunbar Middle School as part of the Community Concert Association's student outreach program.

●          Teatro Lirico D'Europa performing Puccini's Madama Butterfly – February 8, 2018.    Madama Butterfly is one of the world's most famous love stories, inspired by the sights and culture of Japan. Teatro Lirico D'Europa is the most successful opera touring company in Europe and the U.S. and travels with a full orchestra of 47 to 50 members and a chorus of 40 singers.

●          Lezginka State Dance Company  –February 20, 2018.  The Lezginka State Dance Company will perform a festival of fiery dances showcasing the folklore, national culture and traditions from their home, the Russian Republic of Dagestan.

●          Itzhak Perlman – February 27, 2018 – Perlman is the reigning virtuoso of the violin and is returning to the Community Concert series for a second time.  Perlman was born in Israel and gave his first recital at age 10 before moving to the United States to study at the Juilliard School. He has been honored with more than 20 Grammy Awards (including one for Lifetime Achievement in 2008), four Emmy Awards and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015.

●          National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba – March 25, 2018. Since its inception in 1960, The National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba has been instrumental in developing and introducing Cuban and Latin American music to the international classical music community, in addition to covering a vast symphonic and chamber repertoire ranging from baroque to contemporary music.

All performances will be at the Barbara B. Mann Hall on the Florida SouthWestern College campus in Fort Myers.  All five concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. and are included in one ticket price, which ranges from $155 for orchestra seats, $85 for lower balcony seating and just $65 for upper balcony.  Mezzanine seating already is sold out, Mann said.

For tickets, call the Barbara B. Mann Hall box office at 239- 489-4171.

For Community Concert Association membership information, visit www.fortmyerscommunityconcerts.org.

About the Fort Myers Community Concert Association

The Fort Myers Community Concert Association, now in its 69^th concert season, is an all-volunteer not-for-profit organization founded by the legendary Barbara B. Mann in 1949 to bring world-class entertainment to Southwest Florida at affordable prices.  The association consists of more than 1,700 members, underwriters and sponsors.  Performers brought to Fort Myers in the past by the association include The Israel Ballet, The Boston Brass, Minnesota Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Vienna Boys Choir, Flutist James Galway, Pianist Andre Watts, Violinist Joshua Bell with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and many others.