Lunch & Speaker Series

Lunch & Speaker Series

Our monthly luncheon for adults features a speaker from the community.

Join us at 11:30 am – Lunch is served at 12 pm ($10 suggested donation), followed by a talk.

Invite your friends! Questions? Contact Kate Fimbres or call the church office.

THIS MONTH’S GUEST:

Allan E. Naplan

Arizona Musicfest Executive and Producing Director, CEO

In advance of the kick-off of Arizona Musicfest’s 34^th annual season, Allan Naplan will provide an overview of the Musicfest organization (azmusicfest.org), as well as a preview of the exciting upcoming concert season.  Allan will also share details about Musicfest’s important community music programs, including valuable opportunities for young musicians and engaging lifelong learning and creative aging music programs for everyone from toddlers to seniors.

Allan E. Naplan joined Arizona Musicfest in 2013.  Since his arrival, the organization has realized significant growth and success.  During his tenure, Musicfest has dramatically expanded the number of concert performances each season, the breadth of musical genres presented, the caliber of guest artists engaged, and the number of patrons attending each year’s concert season.  Further, charitable support for the organization has dramatically increased, providing the non-profit with a healthy fiscal balance of earned vs. unearned revenue.  Under his direction, Arizona Musicfest has presented a distinguished roster of guest artists, including Jason Alexander, Paul Anka, Joshua Bell, Michael Bolton, Chris Botti, Rosanne Cash, Kristin Chenoweth, Michael Feinstein, Renee Fleming, David Foster, Kenny G, Johnny Mathis, Midori, Rita Moreno, Marie Osmond, Bernadette Peters, LeAnn Rimes, Gil Shaham, and Mavis Staples, as well as Pink Martini, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, The Manhattan Transfer, The Ten Tenors, The Texas Tenors, Steep Canyon Rangers, and many more.

Off the concert stage, Allan’s championing of the organization’s music education, youth performance, and community engagement programming has led to important developments. These developments include his creation of Music Alive!, the organization’s popular lifelong learning series (over 160 presentations each season), and his conception of The Music of Arizona, the organization’s signature music education program.

In 2020, On Stage/On Media magazine, the official publisher of arts performance programs for the Phoenix Valley, recognized Naplan as an “Arts Hero.” In 2018, the Phoenix Jewish News named Naplan a “Best of Arts and Culture” winner for his leadership of Arizona Musicfest and his artistic contributions to the community.

After an initial career as an opera singer, Allan transitioned to arts management in 1999. Since then, he has enjoyed a varied career as an accomplished opera administrator, music educator, cantorial soloist, and composer.

As an opera administrator, Allan held key positions with the Houston Grand Opera (Assistant Artistic Administrator), Pittsburgh Opera (Director of Artistic Administration), Madison Opera (General Director) and Minnesota Opera (President and General Director).

Allan maintains an active career as an award-winning composer, published by Boosey & Hawkes, Shawnee Press, Silver Burdett-Ginn, Transcontinental Music, and Colla Voce Music. Allan’s choral works—many of which are standard repertoire for treble and adult choirs—have been performed and recorded in over forty countries worldwide and have been featured in concerts at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, New York City’s Lincoln Center, The White House, on-board Space Shuttle Columbia, Mission STS-107, and in the 2002 Academy Award nominated documentary SING!. Since 1994, his works have sold over 1 million copies worldwide.

All Are Welcome!