A soldier trades his violin to the devil for the promise of riches, and next Friday that century-old gamble plays out on a Cape Coral stage. The Fort Myers Philharmonic will present Stravinsky's The Soldier's Tale at Faith Presbyterian Church, 4544 Coronado Parkway, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. on November 13, blending chamber music, theater and dance into a single evening.
The performance is built around a seven-musician ensemble led by Maestro Paul Nadler, the Philharmonic's music director and conductor, according to the Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce. The lineup includes violin, double bass, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, trombone and percussion, with internationally acclaimed violinist Florentina Râmniceanu, the Philharmonic's concertmaster, among the players. Stravinsky composed the piece in 1918, and the story follows a soldier who trades his violin to the devil for the promise of wealth, as reported by Lehigh Acres Citizen.
A Director Rooted in Southwest Florida Theater
Sonya McCarter is directing the production. She's a Southwest Florida actor and director who also founded and runs the Bridging the Gap Center for the Arts, per the same report. Featured dancer and choreographer Lindsay Jorgensen rounds out the creative team, bringing movement into a piece that already layers music and narration.
The run time clocks in at one hour, and it doesn't just end when the music stops. Per the Fort Myers Philharmonic, the performance is followed by audience engagement with the musicians, conductor and director, giving concertgoers a chance to ask questions once the devil's bargain plays out.
Part of a Six-Stop Swing Across the Region
Part of a Six-Stop Swing Across the Region The Cape Coral date is one stop on a broader run. The Philharmonic is taking the production to six venues across Southwest Florida between November 9 and November 14, with the Philharmonic event page noting that the artistic program is planned to stay consistent from show to show even as venue layouts, ticket prices and start times shift. The production is part of the Fort Myers Philharmonic's inaugural season.
Ticket pricing isn't entirely consistent across sources. Lehigh Acres Citizen reports a $45 to $65 range, while the Cape Coral Chamber's event listing states that tickets start at $48 per person. Prospective attendees may want to check directly with the venue or the Philharmonic for the most current pricing ahead of the show.
A Wider Season of Orchestral Crossovers
The Soldier's Tale arrives amid a broader stretch of live-score and theatrical orchestral programming across the region. Earlier in the fall, the Naples Philharmonic performed John Williams' live score during a screening of Superman at the 2026 Naples International Film Festival, an October 25 event at Artis—Naples that carried ticket prices between $42 and $75, according to the Marco News. Together, the two shows suggest Southwest Florida orchestras are leaning into genre-blending formats that pair classical performance with narrative or visual storytelling, giving audiences more than a traditional concert-hall evening.
