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The Daily Sun: New Punta Gorda Symphony conductor excited to be at helm
6/17/2023

 

REVIEW: Punta Gorda Symphony Presents Strings on the Lawn: From Bach to Broadway
February 23, 2022

OPENING NIGHT ONLINE – It was a perfect Florida winter day, about 80 degrees, low humidity, sunny, with a beautiful light breeze. As patrons assembled and musicians prepared for the concert, birds chirped, welcoming everyone from the gently swaying trees. The program began with a greeting and introduction from orchestra conductor and director Maestro Raffaele Livio Ponti. This event was held on Florida Southwestern State College Charlotte Campus lawn by the auditorium. (read more)

Punta Gorda Symphony presents perfect balance of modern & classics
February 22, 2022

PUNTA GORDA SUN GO! – Conductor Raffaele Livio Ponti will lead the Punta Gorda Symphony in a dynamic program on March 6 at the Charlotte Performing Arts Center in Punta Gorda. Highlighted selections on the program include Paul McCartney’s “Spiral” and Igor Stravinsky’s masterful score for “The Firebird.” Other appearances on the program celebrate the works of lauded American composers, including George Walker’s “Lyric for Strings,” Samuel Jones’ “Elegy” and Howard Hanson’s “Pan and the Priest.” (read more)

Punta Gorda Symphony returns outdoors to present Strings on the Lawn
February 15, 2022

PUNTA GORDA SUN GO! – Punta Gorda Symphony returns outdoors to present “Strings on the Lawn” at Florida SouthWestern State College Charlotte Campus lawn at 4 p.m. Feb. 20, featuring concertmaster Ming Gao along with his string and piano quartet set to perform the music of baroque composer Bach, American songwriter Michael McLean, selections from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Phantom of the Opera” and beyond. (read more)

Punta Gorda Symphony presents orchestra music of great ballets
February 1, 2022

PUNTA GORDA SUN GO! – Punta Gorda Symphony presents the music of the great ballets ‘Appalachian Spring & Scheherazade’ on Feb. 6 at the Charlotte Performing Arts Center in Punta Gorda.
The exciting array of pieces on the program will be conducted by Maestro Raffaele Livio Ponti, music director of Punta Gorda Symphony, and features an audience favorite, concertmaster Ming Gao on violin, in the hauntingly beautiful violin melodies of “Scheherazade.” (read more)

Punta Gorda Symphony at the Charlotte Performing Arts Center
January 15, 2022

OPENING NIGHT ONLINE REVIEW – Punta Gorda Symphony led by Maestro Raffaele Livio Ponti enthralled a packed house at the Charlotte Performing Arts Center. Guest soloist, award-winning, renowned, and gifted violinist Sirena Huang delivered a marvelous performance. Here’s an account of this delightful, exciting evening of musical joy that began before the orchestra entered the stage…(read more)

Punta Gorda Symphony kicks off 2022 with award-winning violinist Sirena Huang
January 11, 2022

Punta Gorda Symphony kicks off the new year on Jan. 16, featuring guest artist and award-winning violinist Sirena Huang on Dvořák’s Violin Concerto at the Charlotte Performing Arts Center in Punta Gorda. Huang will be accompanied by the Punta Gorda Symphony under the direction of Music Director and Conductor Maestro Raffaele Livio Ponti…(read more)

Punta Gorda Symphony survives pandemic, more to come
August 19, 2021

PUNTA GORDA (WSNN) – COVID-19 hit many entertainment venues, causing them to shut down temporarily. But some, got creative and are bouncing back this year with some pandemic adjustments. When the pandemic hit, Punta Gorda Symphony had to take a step back from performances. “It affected us all,” said Maestro of the Punta Gorda Symphony, Raffaele Livio Ponti… (read more)

Punta Gorda Symphony Presents August Summer Series
July 11, 2021

PUNTA GORDA / Sun Newspapers – Punta Gorda Symphony returns to the stage at Florida SouthWestern State College Charlotte Campus this August with a set of new indoor chamber music concerts. The organization’s 2020-21 outdoor chamber series proved so popular they added performances at the last minute to accommodate demand… (read more)

REVIEW: April 18 Harborside Brass
April 20, 2021

PUNTA GORDA / Sherry Campbell Bechtold – Florida weather cooperated nicely for the final outdoor performance produced by our own Punta Gorda Symphony. Once again, impeccably organized, and mindful of health safety precautions, the Symphony attracted a manageable audience for three identical concerts on Sunday afternoon, performed by the Harborside Brass, consisting of Symphony members Richard Stoelzel and Jeff Kaye on trumpet, Jennifer Miller on horn, Karla Rojas on trombone, and Todd Handley on tuba… (read more)

Punta Gorda Symphony completes season with Harborside Brass
April 7, 2021

SUN PORT CHARLOTTE – After seven successful outdoor and socially-distanced concerts this year, Punta Gorda Symphony will close its 20/21 season on April 11 with Harborside Brass, an outdoor concert featuring an eclectic array of music genres performed by Punta Gorda Symphony’s Brass Quintet… (read more)

Punta Gorda Symphony ends season on a high note
April 7, 2021

LET’S GO / PUNTA GORDA – After seven successful outdoor and socially-distanced concerts this year, Punta Gorda Symphony will close its 20/21 season on April 11 with Harborside Brass, an outdoor concert featuring an eclectic array of music genres performed by Punta Gorda Symphony’s Brass Quintet… (read more)

Punta Gorda Symphony adds new outdoor chamber concerts
February 25, 2021

Florida Weekly / CHARLOTTE COUNTY – After four successful outdoor concerts in December and February, select Punta Gorda Symphony musicians will perform newly added chamber concerts at two new locations in Punta Gorda: “Strings in the Garden: Baroque + Beatles + Wine” on March 14 at Peace River Botanical & Sculpture Gardens, 5827 Riverside Drive, Punta Gorda; and “Harborside Brass” on April 11 at Four Points by Sheraton Punta Gorda Harborside, 33 Taylor St., Punta Gorda… (read more)

REVIEW: Punta Gorda Symphony presents ‘Symphony on the Lawn’
February 15, 2021

SUN PUNTA GORDA — Love was in the air Feb. 6, thanks to Punta Gorda Symphony and the commitment and talent of its leadership, staff, volunteers, sponsors, musicians, and Maestro Raffaele Ponti. We all got a healthy dose of energy and optimism in the form of live music based on the theme of love…(read more)

Punta Gorda Symphony returns with Symphony on the Lawn
February 2, 2021

SUN Go! Things To Do This Week! / PUNTA GORDA — After two successful Holiday Pops Outdoors concerts in December, Punta Gorda Symphony returns outdoors on Feb. 6 to perform a concert inspired by romance, offering the music of well-known composers from Hollywood and Broadway that tells stories of love… (read more)

Punta Gorda Symphony to play romance-inspired concert at FSW
January 29, 2021

PUNTA GORDA / Punta Gorda Sun — The Punta Gorda Symphony returns to the Florida SouthWestern State College Charlotte Campus in February for a new outdoor concert event, “Symphony on the Lawn.”
The Feb. 6 concert is inspired by romance, offering the music of composers from Hollywood and Broadway that tell stories of love, according to a symphony press release…(read more)

Punta Gorda Symphony to perform outdoor concert
January 28, 2021

CHARLOTTE COUNTY / Florida Weekly – After two successful Holiday Pops Outdoors concerts in December, Punta Gorda Symphony returns outdoors on Feb. 6 to perform a concert inspired by romance, offering the music of well-known composers from Hollywood and Broadway that tells stories of love… (read more)

Punta Gorda Symphony presents ‘Holiday Pops Outdoors’
December 27, 2020

CHARLOTTE COUNTY / Charlotte Sun — Punta Gorda Symphony presented two Holiday Pops Outdoor concerts earlier this month at Florida SouthWestern State College… (read more)

Punta Gorda Symphony to hold outdoor concerts
December 19, 2020

SWFL / Happenings Magazine — Punta Gorda Symphony has plans for live and livestreamed programs. Making modifications due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, plans can move forward safely with two exciting programs for the 2020-2021 season: outdoor socially-distanced concerts and an online livestreamed lecture series… (read more)

Artist Profile – Right Direction
October Issue

GULFSHORE LIFE — When Raffaele Ponti stepped into the position of music director in Punta Gorda eight seasons ago, the then-named Charlotte Symphony Orchestra consisted of about 35 musicians. People would often confuse the group with the eponymous symphony in Charlotte, North Carolina. Sometimes, guests would mistakenly buy tickets for the wrong performances… (read more)

Performing arts groups reimagine and reinvent their upcoming seasons
October 20, 2020

HARBOR STYLE — The Punta Gorda Symphony was actually one of the lucky ones, having squeaked in their final performance of the 2019-2020 season on March 8, just days before COVID-19 was declared a pandemic. While other organizations in our community were trying to figure out how to reschedule canceled performances, they were able to look ahead to the future. The concerts originally planned for their 2020-2021 season have been moved to 2021-2022, and the leadership team “is actively working to reimagine how we’ll engage together this year … continuing to explore possibilities for programming.” (read more)

Punta Gorda Symphony announces plans for upcoming season
October 8, 2020

PUNTA GORDA / Sun Newspapers — After months of planning and listening to feedback from the community, Punta Gorda Symphony Executive Director Craig Badinger said the organization is planning for a safe upcoming season…(read more)

Survey says: People want the arts back in Southwest Florida
October 4, 2020

PUNTA GORDA / Sun Newspapers — Finding live music and other performing arts in Southwest Florida was never a problem before coronavirus. Music festivals, concerts, opera and comedy troupes, solo performers, and more filled area event calendars on a monthly basis. But then the lights went dark on stages around the country…(read more)

Local nonprofits receive help from education foundation
October 2, 2020

PUNTA GORDA / Sun Newspapers — The Punta Gorda Symphony and Habitat for Humanity Charlotte County have been selected to receive consulting to learn about making economically informed decisions for their programs…(read more)

Strategic decision-making consulting opportunity with regional nonprofits
September 15, 2020

SARASOTA & Bradenton / SRQ Media — The Patterson Foundation has selected six organizations in our region to receive 1:1 consulting to strengthen their efforts through their participation in Advancing Mission Thrivability, an opportunity for nonprofits to learn ways to make mission-focused, economically informed decisions for their programs, products and services…(read more)

Patterson Foundation shares consulting opportunity with regional nonprofits
September 10, 2020

SARASOTA / Herald-Tribune — The Patterson Foundation has selected six organizations in Southwest Florida to receive one-on-one consulting to strengthen their efforts through their participation in Advancing Mission Thrivability, an opportunity for nonprofits to learn ways to make mission-focused, economically informed decisions for their programs, products and services… (read more)

Punta Gorda Symphony partners with local youth services for virtual music camp
July 21, 2020

SARASOTA & BRADENTON / SRQ Media — Punta Gorda Symphony is pleased to report that its first Virtual Music Camp began last week, on Monday July 13, without a hitch! At 10:00am, the first session of online campers met their instructors and Camp Director Beth Morrison before being assigned to break-out sessions for small-group music lessons.. (read more)

Punta Gorda Symphony opens registration for a virtual music camp
June 9, 2020

PGSYMPH

PUNTA GORDA / Go! Things To Do This Week — Punta Gorda Symphony, in coordination with Hope Academy of Music, is now offering open registration for its first ever virtual music camp. The camp will run from July 13 through July 31, 2020. (read more)

Punta Gorda Symphony Will Host Virtual Music Camp
June 8, 2020

PGSYMPH

PUNTA GORDA / Sun Newspapers — Punta Gorda Symphony, in coordination with Hope Academy of Music, is now offering open registration for its first ever virtual music camp. The camp will run from July 13 through July 31, 2020.
(read more)

Punta Gorda Symphony Awarded A Selby Grant
May 19, 2020

SARASOTA & BRADENTON / SRQ Media — Punta Gorda Symphony is thrilled to announce a grant award from the William G. and Marie Selby Foundation. The grant of just under $12,000 was awarded in the fall of 2019, and the last of the purchases recently arrived at the PGSymphony offices. (read more)

Giving Challenge sets new record
May 6, 2020

ENGLEWOOD / Sun Newspapers — In just 24 hours, the 2020 Giving Challenge generated $18.4 million in gifts from 58,947 individual donors to 687 organizations in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and DeSoto counties. (read more)

Hope Academy of Music to keep beat in virtual classes
April 26, 2020

PUNTA GORDA / Sun Newspapers — Music can be a soothing outlet during stressful times, and leaders at the Punta Gorda Symphony are working to grow the Hope Academy of Music in Charlotte County schools. (read more)

Notes On The Arts — Get tickets for
Punta Gorda Symphony’s 2020-21 season
April 23, 2020

CHARLOTTE COUNTY / Florida Weekly — Punta Gorda Symphony is in better shape than most performing arts organizations, since it was fortunate enough to finish its performance season in early March, right as social distancing was beginning to be recommended.
The symphony is continuing to be optimistic, and is now accepting new subscribers and single-ticket buyers for the 2020-21 season, which opens Nov. 22. The organization is still processing current subscriber renewals and will begin seating new subscribers and single ticket buyers after July 31. Buy now and get yourself into the queue for the best seats available.(read more)

Southwest Florida theaters, arts groups are hurting. Some might not make it.
March 25, 2020

FORT MYERS News-Press — Theater seats are empty. Stage lights are dark. Everything’s closed. Now many Southwest Florida arts groups are facing the same heart-breaking possibility: If the coronavirus continues to rage, some of them might never open again.

Other arts groups are in a better position, financially. At least for now. Punta Gorda Symphony, for example, had already performed its last concert of the season on March 8 — about a week before most arts groups started going dark. Now the orchestra is processing renewals for its just announced 2020-21 season. (read more)

Punta Gorda Symphony Announces 2020-2021 Season
March 17, 2020

PUNTA GORDA / Sun Newspapers — The Punta Gorda Symphony is pleased to announce its most compelling season programming yet. The 2020-2021 Season will feature more internationally recognized guest artists, familiar favorites such as Berlioz’s celebrated Symphonie Fantastique, and two add-on solo piano recitals that are certain to be “rockstar” experiences.
(read more)

Punta Gorda Symphony Closes Season in Style
March 12, 2020

PUNTA GORDA / Sun Newspapers — The Punta Gorda Symphony’s recent season finale provided a virtuoso classical repertoire, from a stunning Dvorak symphony, to a masterful performance by world renowned pianist Jeffrey Biegel, to a resounding, festive salute to the Bolshevik Revolution.

The audience at the Charlotte Performing Arts Center in Punta Gorda was long and loud in applauding the orchestra’s symphonic diversification… (read more)

Guitar Virtuoso Celil Refik Kaya Performs with the Punta Gorda Symphony
February 6, 2020

WGCU / NPR News — The Punta Gorda Symphony’s classical concert series continues with a performance this Sunday evening, Feb. 9, that will feature award-winning classical guitarist and composer Celil Refik Kaya. He’ll be the concert’s featured solo artist performing Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s Guitar Concerto No. 1. Celil Refik Kaya is a celebrated guitar virtuoso whose concert debut came at the age of six.  He’s won international guitar competitions in Bulgaria, Greece, Austria, Turkey, and throughout the U.S.  Ahead of his upcoming performance, we sit down with Celil Refik Kaya for a conversation about the concerto and about his life journey through music beginning with his early upbringing in Istanbul.

Listen to the full-interview here.

Punta Gorda Symphony Leaves Them Cheering
February 6, 2020

PUNTA GORDA / Sun Newspapers — Standing ovations have become somewhat of a regular occurrence during Sunday performances of the Punta Gorda Symphony at the Charlotte Performing Arts Center in Punta Gorda. But two acclamations Jan. 26 may have been the longest and loudest in a long time. One was for international award-· winning pianist William Wolfram’s performance with the orchestra of Mozart’s “Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major.” The other was the orchestra’s 45-minute rendition of Tchaikovsky’s “Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64,” involving every instrument in the 80-piece orchestra, under the baton of maestro Raffaele Ponti… (read more)

Drawing a Standing Ovation
January 17, 2020

PUNTA GORDA / Sun Newspapers — If violins can speak, David Kim’s violin spoke volumes to a Punta Gorda Symphony audience Sunday at the Charlotte Performing Arts Center in Punta Gorda. Kim, a world renowned violinist and concertmaster for the Philadelphia Orchestra, played Felix Mendelssohn’s lyrical and flowing “Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64,” one of the most widely performed violin concerti in the world. He played with an elegance and style under maestro Raffaele Ponti… (read more)

Violinist David Kim Performs Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with Punta Gorda Symphony
January 9, 2020

WGCU / NPR NEWS — Sunday evening will mark the Punta Gorda Symphony’s first performance of the new year with a program featuring Felix Mendelssohn’s famous Violin Concerto in E minor performed by guest soloist and concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra David Kim.  We’ll talk with Kim about his life in music from his violin studies that began at the age of three to becoming the first Korean-American concertmaster of a world class orchestra. (listen online)

Punta Gorda Symphony Soars Into the Season
December 27, 2019

PUNTA GORDA / Sun Newspapers — The Punta Gorda Symphony performed a combined five lively hours of holiday pops music to multiple standing ovations Dec 15… It was a kaleidoscopic array of symphonic salutes to the season… (read more)

Maestro Ponti on radio with WGCU’s Mike Kiniri
December 13, 2019

THREE SONG STORIES / WGCU radio — Maestro Raffaele Ponti was featured on Three Song Stories, a podcast hosted by WGCU Public Media. Tune in to Episode 92 to discover more about PGSymphony’s music director and conductor. (listen online)

Punta Gorda Symphony Takes Flight With First Concert of Season
November 12, 2019

PUNTA GORDA / Sun Newspapers — The newly branded Punta Gorda Symphony made its debut Sunday evening at the Charlotte Performing Arts Center in Punta Gorda. It was in similar fashion as the former Charlotte Symphony Orchestra during its final concert in October – with long, standing ovations from an appreciative audience. The symphony’s new name was announced last month… (read more)

Your Brain, Like an Orchestra, Can be Tuned
November 3, 2019

PUNTA GORDA / Sun Newspapers — Picture your brain as a symphony orchestra, where all the different sections must communicate with each other to play in unison, or there’ going to be something wrong with the rhythm. The maestro fixes the problem by training and tuning the orchestra. Likewise, a neurologist trained in process of neurofeedback can “map” the brain and tune the neurons — its “musicians” in its five sections — to work together for optimal brain function… (read more)

Charlotte Symphony Orchestra Bids Adieu, Rebranded Punta Gorda Symphony
October 28, 2019

PUNTA GORDA / Sun Newspapers — After 16 years, the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra went out in style Sunday before standing, cheering afternoon and evening audiences at the Charlotte Performing Arts Center in Punta Gorda. It was the orchestra’s final concerts under the CSO brand, as it has been renamed the Punta Gorda Symphony. Its farewell vehicle Sunday was “John Williams & Friends,” a nostalgic symphonic venture through themes of classic Hollywood movies, most of them arranged by Williams — scores that led to his more than 50 Academy Award nominations, the most in history…(read more)

Charlotte Symphony Now Called Punta Gorda Symphony, Plays Last Show Sunday Under Old Name
October 24, 2019

FORT MYERS / News-Press — They’d been talking about changing the name for years. Finally, Charlotte Symphony Orchestra announced the big news last week. After two shows this Sunday, the Charlotte County orchestra will officially adopt a brand-new name: Punta Gorda Symphony. The move, leaders say, will help brand the professional orchestra and prevent confusion between the Punta Gorda orchestra and another one in Charlotte, N.C., called Charlotte Symphony Orchestra… (read more)

Welcome, Punta Gorda Symphony
October 17, 2019

PUNTA GORDA / Sun Newspapers — The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra faded into history at midnight on Tuesday. Today, it is now the Punta Gorda Symphony. The rebranding was announced yesterday to a standing room only champagne reception for orchestra patrons and supporters at F.M. Don’s Restaurant in Punta Gorda… (read more)

Charlotte Symphony Orchestra Changes Its Name to Punta Gorda Symphony
October 16, 2019

PRESS RELEASE — In a private reception on October 15, 2019 for press, community partners, and select patrons, the Board of Directors of Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, Inc. of Florida announced that it is changing the name of the organization to Punta Gorda Symphony, Inc. The change has been in development for some time now… (read more)


Punta Gorda Symphony is proud to have been part of The Patterson Foundation’s Advancing Mission Thrivability initiative.

2023-2024 Season has been Cancelled.

Click here for more information.

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