Michael Francis, Conductor
Don Giovanni
Michael Francis has developed an international reputation for sharing the power of music through his conducting and engaging speaking. Music Director of The Florida Orchestra since 2015, he is now entering his ninth season with a contract extension through the 2024-25 season. Music Director of the Mainly Mozart Festival in San Diego since 2014, Francis and Mainly Mozart have recently completed an ambitious multi-year exploration of Mozart’s life. Entering his fifth season, Francis continues as Chief Conductor of Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz.
This past season Francis returned to the Cincinnati Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Philharmonia and the Minnesota Orchestra. Previous highlights include North American performances with the Cleveland Orchestra, the symphony orchestras of St. Louis, San Diego, Houston, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Montreal, and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. In Europe, he has conducted the Symphony Orchestra of the Bavarian Radio, the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Dresden Philharmonic, MDR Leipzig, the Orquesta Sinfónica de RTVE Madrid and the Mariinsky Orchestra, amongst others. He has worked with the London Symphony, Royal Philharmonic, Philharmonia, BBC Philharmonic, BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland.
Francis is passionate about sharing the hidden truths in music with audiences worldwide through his acclaimed podium talks. His “Inside the Music” series and pre-concert talks in Florida have greatly helped develop new audiences. An exciting new series of “Keynote” presentations (explaining the music, alongside performances) with Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz has just been released on Naxos.
Noam Aviel, Conductor
Hansel and Gretel 
Noam Aviel has emerged on the internatonal scene as one of the most dynamic young conductors. Former Associate Conductor of the San Antonio Symphony and Assistant Conductor at Opera San Antonio, Noam Aviel worked on numerous opera productions including La Traviata, La Bohème, Macbeth, Carmen, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and Lennox Berkeley’s A Dinner Engagement at the Illinois Festival Opera. In 2022 she made successful debut at Opera Orlando conducting contemporary opera Lizbeth and at Mobile Opera Alabama with L’elisir d'amore. Her recent and future engagements include return to the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, debut with the Norrkoping Symphony Orchestra in Sweden, KwaZulu Natal Philharmonic and Johannesburg Philharmonic orchestras in South Africa, first appearance with the Symphony In C, concerts with the San Antonio Philharmonic, German debut with Dortmund Philharmoniker, debut at Opera Tampa conducting Hansel and Gretel as well as a return to Opera Orlando in Massenet’s Cendrillon.
Robin Stamper, Conductor
La Traviata
