Meet the Artists: Two Voices Join NCO for Holiday Pops
This December, Naples Community Orchestra brings back something it hasn't put on its own stage in years: a holiday concert. Holiday Pops — our seasonal celebration and biggest fundraiser of the year — returns Saturday, December 12, at 3:00 PM, at Moorings Presbyterian Church, with guest conductor David Bernard on the podium and vocalist Heather Ivy at the mic. We sat down with both of them to talk about the season, the music, and what an afternoon of Tchaikovsky, Bach, and Sleigh Ride looks like from where they stand. Here's what they told us.
David Bernard: From the Podium
This December, Naples Community Orchestra revives a tradition it hasn't brought to its own stage in years: a holiday concert. Holiday Pops — our seasonal celebration and biggest fundraiser of the year — returns Saturday, December 12, at 3:00 PM, at Moorings Presbyterian Church, and leading it from the podium is guest conductor David Bernard.
David Bernard has spent more than two decades on podiums around the world — literally: he's led orchestras in more than 20 countries. He's the founder and music director of New York's Park Avenue Chamber Symphony, along with the Massapequa Philharmonic and the Eglevsky Ballet, and he trained at both the Curtis Institute and Juilliard before taking first prize at the 2019 American Prize in Orchestral Conducting. But ask him what draws him to Naples specifically, and the résumé isn't where he starts — it's the community.
We sat down with him to talk about the season, the music, and what an afternoon of Tchaikovsky, Bach, and Sleigh Ride looks like from the podium. Here's what he told us.
Q: Welcome to the Naples Community Orchestra, Maestro! Given your demanding conducting schedule across the country, what draws you to Naples?
David Bernard: Thank you! Southwest Florida, and Naples in particular, has become a very special place for me. I find myself spending as much time in Naples as I possibly can.
What draws me here is the extraordinary energy of the community. Naples has a deep appreciation for the arts, paired with a genuine desire for meaningful cultural connection. When I'm here, I see a vibrant population that doesn't just attend concerts—they care about the music, the performers, and the role live music plays in bringing people together. Being able to contribute to the rich artistic fabric of Naples feels both natural and incredibly rewarding.
Q: How do you alter your approach between working with professional orchestras and a community orchestra like NCO?
David Bernard: For me, the fundamental goal never changes regardless of the setting: it is always about a shared dedication to great music-making for our audiences.
All musicians, of every kind, want to be inspired, challenged, and supported to play at their absolute best, and I strive to bring the same level of preparation, artistic rigor, and passion to every single rehearsal. My favorite part is sensing that the audience feels that electric energy during the performance.
Q: How did you first get into music, and what sparked your passion for conducting?
David Bernard: Like many musicians, my connection to music started early, but it was live performance that truly captured my imagination. As a child, holiday music played a massive role in that spark—especially Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker. There is something about the orchestral color, the narrative drive, and the sheer magic of that score that opens up a whole new world for a young listener.
Once I started to experience music from within, as part of an ensemble, I was inspired by the intense visceral connection music makes with performers and audiences alike. I dove deeply into music, eventually striving to build these experiences as a conductor. Conducting enables me to share that initial sense of wonder with audiences, transforming a room full of strangers into a single, shared experience.
Q: Speaking of holidays, what are your thoughts on programming a holiday concert compared to a classical masterworks program?
David Bernard: All music is accessible if it is presented thoughtfully—whether it's a massive Mahler symphony, a classical masterwork, or a festive holiday program.
With that said, holiday music is special. Holidays are celebrations, and celebrations have been infused with music throughout history. Holiday music sets the mood, evokes the sights, smells, and tastes of the season, and tells the stories—bringing nostalgic warmth, poignant reflections, and pure celebratory joy. Holiday music is a
powerful gateway for audience engagement.
In this program, for example, we explore how holiday traditions and classical masterworks interweave—from old favorites like Jingle Bells and Sleigh Ride, to The Nutcracker, and even J.S. Bach. By presenting these pieces with narrative context, we allow the audience to not just hear the music, but truly feel connected to the story behind it.
Q: The upcoming holiday program also features an appearance by local youth orchestra musicians. Why is working with young musicians so important to you?
David Bernard: I was a youth orchestra kid—exploring great music with my peers at a young age is an experience that has stayed with me for over 50 years. Participation in youth ensembles not only builds us as musicians, but also teaches collaboration, discipline, and ignites the joy of ensemble playing.
Including young musicians on stage alongside the Naples Community Orchestra creates a vital bridge between generations. For the students, performing with seasoned adult musicians elevates their artistry and confidence. For the orchestra and the audience, their youthful enthusiasm brings an unmistakable spark to the stage. Supporting the next generation of musicians isn't just a bonus; it's fundamental to the health of any orchestra.
Q: We hear there is also an audience sing-along included in the concert! What does that bring to the performance?
David Bernard: The sing-along is actually one of my favorite parts of the program because it is the ultimate immersive experience for the audience. They get to perform as one of us!
Usually, there's a clear line between the performers and the audience. But when the entire room joins together in song, that line disappears. The audience transforms from passive listeners into active participants, becoming part of the orchestra's sound. It creates a joyous, unified atmosphere that captures the exact spirit of the holiday season.
Q: What do you hope the Naples audience takes away from this December concert?
David Bernard: I hope everyone leaves the hall feeling uplifted, connected, and filled with holiday cheer. Music has an incredible ability to ground us and bring us together, and I am looking forward to sharing this magical celebration with the Naples community!
Join us this 2027 Season:
Heather Ivy: From the Mic
Joining David Bernard for Holiday Pops is vocalist Heather Ivy, whose résumé reads like three careers stitched together — Broadway, opera, and pop, sometimes in the same season. She toured internationally in Disney's Beauty and the Beast, sang principal roles in Don Giovanni, L'elisir d'amore, and Le nozze di Figaro, and has headlined on cruise ships and at a sold-out magic festival in France. Unlike Maestro Bernard, she's not visiting — Naples is home. She's appeared as a soloist with the Naples Philharmonic, Southwest Florida Symphony, and Gulf Coast Symphony; trained at Oklahoma City University, earning a Bachelor of Music in Musical Theatre, Magna Cum Laude; and now teaches privately and at Florida Gulf Coast University and Opera Naples. For this year's Holiday Pops, she's not just singing — she arranged several of the holiday standards on the program herself, including a Jingle Bells she's quick to point out is not the Streisand version.
We asked her the same questions we asked Maestro Bernard. Here's what she told us.
Q: Welcome to the Naples Community Orchestra stage, Heather! Unlike Maestro Bernard, you're not visiting Naples — this is home turf for you. What's it like performing Holiday Pops for your own community?
Heather Ivy: Yes! I have lived in Naples since 2017, and I feel really lucky to call this place home. We have so many wonderful musicians and dedicated professionals who make a concert like this really special. I spend most of the year traveling as a headliner on luxury cruise lines, so it's very unique to spend the holidays performing right here at home.
Q: Your career moves between Broadway, opera, cruise ship stages, and now a holiday pops concert with a community orchestra. How do you adjust your approach across such different worlds?
Heather Ivy: I enjoy performing as my authentic self, instead of a character in a story. In an opera or musical, I am playing a role, and it is very vulnerable and fulfilling to come on stage as Heather Ivy. I get to connect with the audience in a more intimate way.
Q: How did you first find your way to singing, and what pulled you toward the stage?
Heather Ivy: When I was four years old, my aunt brought back some souvenirs from her trip to London. I put that Walkman on my hip, headphones on my ears, and ran around the house singing the songs from The Phantom of the Opera! I think my family then realized I was a little different. I've always loved musicals and performing. I feel it is my life's purpose to share this gift I've been given with the world.
Q: You actually arranged several of the songs you're singing this December — including a "Jingle Bells" that you're careful to point out is not the Streisand version. What goes into building your own arrangement of a song everyone already knows?
Heather Ivy: All my shows are carefully curated, and my arrangements reflect my personality and particular skills. Jingle Bells, as an example, is a nod to the Natalie Cole version, featuring some humor and, of course, a great big high note!
Q: Beyond performing, you teach — privately, at Florida Gulf Coast University, and at Opera Naples. This concert also features the Music Foundation Student Chamber Orchestra. What does it mean to you to share a stage, or a season, with young musicians?
Heather Ivy: Teaching keeps me honest as a performer — you can't tell a student to trust their breath if you're not doing it yourself on stage that weekend. Watching young musicians get real stage time, in front of a real audience, next to professionals who take them seriously — that's exactly the kind of experience that inspires a musician for life. It gives me so much pride and purpose to help guide the next generation of performers here in Southwest Florida.
Q: This concert includes an audience sing-along. As someone who's used to holding a room's attention as a performer, what's it like handing the room the microphone, so to speak?
Heather Ivy: I actually love it — some of my favorite nights, on cruise ships and in cabarets alike, are the ones where the audience stops being an audience and starts being part of the show. A sing-along is that, but for an entire hall. For a few minutes, nobody's watching a performance — everybody IS the performance.
Q: What do you hope the Naples audience walks away with after this Holiday Pops concert?
Heather Ivy: I want people to leave a little more in the holiday spirit than when they walked in the door. My goal is for our friends and neighbors to come together for something truly special we can all share. Our home, our music, and what makes Southwest Florida great — our people!
Two Voices, One Afternoon
One takes the podium, one takes the mic — and on December 12, both share the stage with NCO's full hybrid orchestra of professionals, high-caliber volunteers, and the Music Foundation Student Chamber Orchestra, for the first holiday concert NCO has staged on its own stage in years. Expect Carol of the Bells, selections from The Nutcracker, the Bach Double Violin Concerto, a Hanukkah festival overture, a full audience sing-along, and Sleigh Ride to close it out.
It's also a fundraiser for NCO — every ticket and Season Pass helps fund the 2027 season and the scholarships and grants that come with it, before a single note of January's Eternal Rome is played.
Comments