THOMAS WILKINS
Guest Conductor
ALDO LÓPEZ-GAVILÁN
Piano
Praised for his “dazzling
technique and
rhythmic fire” in
the Seattle Times and
dubbed a “formidable
virtuoso” by The
Times of London,
Cuban pianist and
composer Aldo
López-Gavilán excels
in both the classical
and jazz worlds as a
recitalist, concerto
soloist, chambermusic
collaborator, film composer, recording
artist, and performer of his own electrifying jazz
compositions.
He has appeared in such prestigious venues as
the Amadeo Roldán and Teatro del Museo de Bellas
Artes (Cuba); Teresa Careño (Venezuela); Carnegie
Hall, Lincoln Center, and Jordan Hall (United
States); Royal Festival Hall (United Kingdom); and
The Hall of Music (Russia), among many others. In
THE FLORIDA ORCHESTRA | 2018-2019
2015 he joined the New York-based Harlem Quartet—
co-founded by his brother Ilmar, the quartet’s
first violinist—for concerts in Calgary, Seattle, and
Phoenix. His partnership with Harlem Quartet continued
in 2016 with a United States tour that included
concerts and residency activities. In 2017 he performed
with violinist Joshua Bell and the Havana
Chamber Orchestra, led by his wife Daiana Garcia,
in a “Seasons of Cuba” concert at California’s Festival
Napa Valley, and he returned to Chautauqua,
where he performed his own music with the Chautauqua
Symphony Orchestra under Garcia. He also
debuted with Nevada’s Classical Tahoe Orchestra
as soloist in Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and in the
premiere of his new piano concerto Emporium.
Recent highlights include concerto debuts with the
Florida Orchestra, South Florida Symphony Orchestra,
and West Michigan Symphony; an appearance
with violinist Ilmar Gavilán at The Block in Muskegon
marking the brothers’ North American debut as
recital partners; and a third United States tour with
Harlem Quartet.
Thomas Wilkins, former
resident conductor
of The Florida Orchestra,
is currently
music director of the
Omaha Symphony, a
position he has held
since 2005, and principal
conductor of the
Hollywood Bowl Orchestra.
In addition,
he holds the Germeshausen
Family and
Youth Concert Conductor
Chair with the Boston Symphony and holds the
Henry A. Upper chair of Orchestral Conducting at Indiana
University’s Jacobs School of Music. Past positions
include resident conductor of the Detroit Symphony
and associate conductor of the Richmond Symphony.
He also served on the music faculties of North Park University,
the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga,
and Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.
Devoted to promoting a life-long enthusiasm for
music, Wilkins brings energy and commitment to
audiences of all ages. He is hailed as a master at
communicating and connecting with audiences.
Following his highly successful first season with the
Boston Symphony, The Boston Globe named him
among the Best People and Ideas of 2011. In 2014,
Wilkins received the prestigious “Outstanding Artist”
award at the Nebraska Governor’s Arts Awards
for his significant contribution to music in the state.
In 2018, the Longy School of Music awarded Thomas
Wilkins the Leonard Bernstein Lifetime Achievement
Award for the Elevation of Music in Society.
During his conducting career, he has led orchestras
throughout the United States. A native of Norfolk,
Virginia, Wilkins is a graduate of the Shenandoah
Conservatory of Music and New England Conservatory
of Music in Boston. He and his wife Sheri-
Lee are the proud parents of twin daughters, Erica
and Nicole.
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