Concert Series Underwriter and  Fort Myers Community Concert Association Board Member Alexandra Bremner, Chip Cartisano and new Board Member Lynn Cartisano. PHOTO PROVIDED

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Five performances are returning for the 72nd concert series of the Fort Myers Community Concert Association at Barbara B. Mann Hall this January through March.

Community Concert Association President Mary Lee Mann said some of the artists from the 2021 season have returned this year, as last year’s entire season was cancelled.

Alexandra Bremner and her mother Eunice Bremner are the underwriters of the entire 2022 concert season. They are the niece of the late Berne Davis, who for many years was the underwriter of the series prior to his death in 2016.

“Berne was a program sponsor every year for 18 years and a member of the Community Concert Association for 68 years,” she said. “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 for them.”

Fort Myers Community Concert Association Board Member Frank Mann, Sr., and new Board Member Ellie Fox. PHOTO PROVIDED

The first performance, The Polish Wienlawski Philharmonic Orchestra will take the stage Jan. 17. Founded in 1944, the orchestra is making its first ever tour to the United States next year. The performance will include Brahm’s Variations on a Theme of Haydn, Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 and Schubert’s Symphony No. 9, The Great Symphony.

The British vocal ensemble VOCES8 will perform an a cappella concert on Feb. 17. The ensemble of eight will celebrate a diverse musical expression.

The Rodney Marsalis Philadelphia Big Brass, an internationally acclaimed brass ensemble, will perform March 3. The group preforms Handel, Sousa and New Orleans traditional. The ensemble has some of America’s top brass musicians, appearing on such stages as the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and the Boston Brass.

For the second time, Itzhak Perlman will return on March 5. In addition to the reigning virtuoso of the violin, Perlman will also highlight his personal remembrances of his career. He has been honored with more than 20 Grammy Awards, three Emmy Awards and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015.

Mann said they are thrilled to have Perlman for an intimate evening.

“We will not only get to hear him play, but he will be talking with the audience,” she said, adding that a video will be shown highlighting his life. “This is an evening, not just a concert, but a very special treat for us.”

“Swan Lake,” performed by the Russian National Ballet, was scheduled to take the stage on March 22 with music, lush scenery and romance, but the performance has since been cancelled.

Mann said the series is great for the community because the hall is the only place individuals can see these types of  performances in Fort Myers.

“We bring in the biggest ballets, biggest symphonies. If you want to see something spectacular in the classical world, you need to come to our series,” she said. “We are a volunteer organization, so we can make this kind of classical music available to everyone.”

The performances will take place at the Barbara B. Mann Hall, located on the campus of Florida SouthWestern College, at 7:30 p.m. All five concerts are included in one ticket price: $65 for upper balcony seats, $85 for lower balcony seats and $155 for orchestra seats.

“It’s a much better deal to buy the whole season,” Mann said. “We sold out every seat in 2019.”

Single tickets go on sale Dec. 1 and are $55 for orchestra/mezzanine seating, $35 for lower balcony seating and $25 for upper balcony seating. Single tickets for Itzhak Perlman are $70 each, or $80 for prime seating in the orchestra pit.

Tickets can be purchased by calling the box office at 239-481-4849, or by visiting www.bbmannpah.com.

Mann said they provide complimentary tickets to any Lee County school student. She said parents should call the box office after Dec. 1 to make arrangements.

“We love to have teachers bring classes, parents get together and bring a group,” Mann said.

She said with not all students being able to get to the hall to see the performances, they take one of the programs on the road to a school. Although a school has not yet been determined, one elementary and middle school will hear an age appropriate performance by the Rodney Marsalis Philadelphia Big Brass.

“They can’t believe they have these professional musicians play for them,” Mann said of the students. “The first year we did this, I had a parent tell me this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for my child.”