TWO DECADES AT THE PHIL

Myra Janco Daniels founded an institution 20 years ago. On Saturday, Jan. 31, the Naples Philharmonic Center for the Arts celebrates its 20th anniversary with a celebration gala starring Michael Bolton and the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Phil officially opened its doors Nov. 3, 1989, with what was then called the Naples/Marco Philharmonic performing Stravinsky, Wagner, Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky.

"It was breathtaking," says Myra Janco Daniels, the Phil's founder and CEO. "We have a film of it. And people were crying! You realize they'd all been going to Naples High School and Lely High

School (to see the orchestra.)

"It was a celebration of a community coming together and building something for all the arts."

More than 6,000 tickets were sold in three days.

The opening of the new $19.5 million performing arts center was a three-day celebration, says Ms. Daniels. The first night, the orchestra performed, with Timothy Russell conducting. The second, the Miami City Ballet. The third night, opera legend Kathleen Battle sang.

The orchestra then wasn't as good as the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra is now, she says. And as for the Miami City Ballet, which still continues to perform at the venue, "This has been a long love affair with us. Nobody has ever had a company that long."

The ballet company considers the Phil its west coast home, she says.

"It was three nights in a row," Ms. Daniels states. "And for a community that was really starved for professional arts, that was something."

Many attended all three nights. "And they were all gussied up," Ms. Daniels recalls. "And when we cut the ribbons, it was a historical, hysterical moment.

"Because we started with nothing. And it came to be something. And it's still going."

"It was a very emotional thing," says executive committee and board member Bob Morris, who attended the opening. "There was a feeling of: it's really happened!

"It's fair to say that there isn't a town the size of Naples that has a facility like that, that can handle the variety of entertainment. What the Phil does only exists in much bigger cities. That part of it was impressive to everyone there. We were very lucky to have this thing happen."

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE NAPLES PHILHARMONIC It wouldn't be too extreme to say that life in Naples can be divided into two categories: life before the Phil, and life after.

Before, Naples was a sleepy town people visited to play golf, sail, and laze on the beach.

And after?

Well, Naples is by no stretch a thriving metropolis, but it's now a place where you can see world-class performers — musicians, actors, singers who often sell out in major cities around the world: Itzak Perlman, Kathleen Battle, Liza Minnelli, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Patti LuPone, Wynonna, Tony Bennett, Linda Eder, the Aquila Theatre Company, Brian Wilson, Wynton Marsalis.

Performances range from the sublime to the ridiculous, from world-renowned opera diva Renee Fleming to Les Ballet Trockadero, male dancers who perform parodies of famous classical ballets.

And because of the Phil, Neapolitans saw performers who are now, unfortunately, no longer with us, including classy cabaret singer Bobby Short and the perpetually sexy, amazing Eartha Kitt.

Hubbard Street Dance Company Twenty years ago, says Ms. Daniels, "We were still a fishing village. We still all ate snook, and the hot spot in Naples was Kelly's Fish House. I lived out on Marco, among the rosy spoonbills. There wasn't a real theater. They had music in the park."

"At that time, the one big disadvantage the area had was lack of good entertainment, music," says Mr. Morris. "We thought: what do you do, go to Miami or Sarasota? There was just a vacuum here, and a lot of people who knew better, who would appreciate good (quality music.)"

Ms. Daniels, who'd lived in the very cultural city of Chicago, wasn't sure what to think of her new home.

"I'd say to my husband, 'How did you bring me here from Chicago?' And he'd say: 'You can go anyplace you want. Just go. Go to Houston, see the ballet you love. Go to Chicago and hear your favorite orchestra.'

Smokey Robinson "But you know, I did that a few times, but it's not easy. I always thought that someday, in this community, people should not go to bed at 9 o'clock. They should be hearing and thinking and doing."

The creation of the Phil was fueled by a love of the arts and the grief that comes from losing a spouse.

Ms. Daniels' husband, advertising executive Draper Daniels, had died.

"Frankly, a week after Dan died, I got into this," she says. "One week. It sounds callous, but it was my lifesaver. And, as it turned out, it turned out to be something important."

"It immediately got her focused on something other than her grief," says Mr. Morrris. "She was so uniquely qualified because of her advertising background and her education background; she just knew where to go."

When Ms. Daniels first moved to Marco Island, she'd offered her services to various organizations in the community, including the Naples Players and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. But amazingly, no one responded. No one wanted to use her skills in their organization.

Andrea Bocelli "So I just stayed home and cooked, and gained 40 pounds," she jokes. "But during that time, I had heard from people who wanted some entertainment. And first (the orchestra) played in schools and churches. And it was wonderful, wonderful."

But then she thought to build a permanent home for them. A home not just for the orchestra, but for all the arts.

"People said it couldn't be done," she says.

But those who said that vastly underestimated her — a mistake people make only once.

The woman is knowledgeable, with a keenly sharpened intelligence and a background in business, the arts, and advertising/marketing.

"A community has to decide what they want, and put their money where their mouth is," she declares.

So she started going through the phone book, making cold calls.

And she went on television.

Her pitch: "Something wonderful is happening. And we want you to be a part of it."

"That was my story line," she says.

It turns out many people wanted to be a part of something wonderful.

Luciano Pavarotti They too, were dying for quality arts and entertainment in Southwest Florida. She met her goal of $100,000 within five days' time.

"The community really believed," she says. "I always say it started with a dream. And it was a dream of bringing world-class music and entertainment to this community.

"And it became a reality only when we put a roof on it and opened the doors."

The building, designed by architect Eugene Aubrey, was built on a 6.7-acre site in Pelican Bay.

"We were very fortunate to build something that was timeless in its look," Ms. Daniels says. "It has a gothic look, but it has a modern look."

There was so much support, so many donations, that the building opened 95 percent debt-free. Ms. Daniels likes to say in her annual talks to the community that the Phil has never had to purchase red ink.

The Phil is now a $100 million plus organization.

"This is a complex corporation," Ms. Daniels says. "I feel we're in the best condition than other colleagues throughout the state...It's a tough business to run. But I have lots of good help. I am so proud of the people who work here. They are devoted and extremely loyal, or they're not there."

Miami City Ballet The building houses the Hayes Hall, a 1475-seat main theater; a 200-seat Daniels Pavilion (for small shows and lectures); two sculpture gardens outside and small galleries inside the main structure. The Patty and Jay Baker Naples Museum of Art opened in 2000, drawing 100,000 in its first season. And there is also a building (the Toni Stabile Education Building for Lifelong Learning) where lectures and workshops in all the arts are offered.

"The Phil is a uniquely run arts organization in that it's managed very carefully," says Mr. Morris. "Myra is very astute at keeping the finances in line, and that's going to be necessary for the long haul. You just have to keep a steady hand on the cost of operating the place, as the economic environment does its various things art the present time.

"Naples is really very fortunate to have that facility and to have someone like Myra devote herself to it so totally for 25 years. It's just amazing that someone with her background and her skills to be available to shepherd the Phil to its present status."

Brian Wilson According to Ms. Daniels, the Phil has welcomed more than 10 million people to its events over the past 20 years.

She believes that one of the keys to their success is offering variety.

"Sidney Poitier to Liza Minnelli," she says. "Some really great old timers and some new shining stars, like Lang Lang, who will be back. We support not only our own orchestra, but we have a few major orchestras perform here too. It's good for everyone's soul to see and hear other companies from all over the world.

"I can't tell you how many people we've had who have changed all of our lives."

The Phil started a cabaret series in the Daniels Pavilion, with the number of performers increasing annually. And while they believe in variety, the venue generally doesn't book new rock artists, indie bands or hip-hop.

They hope to continue to build their education component.

Liza Minnelli "It's very important to me, but still has a ways to go. You don't just say you're going to do it, you have to do it well," she says. The statement could very well be her motto.

"It's an ongoing challenge," says Mr. Morris. "The audience keeps changing, as the demography of the area keeps changing. Now there are more and more young families, and the kind of entertainment they seek is just plain different. The Phil has to evolve with that."

Education, he agrees, is very important.

"Most of the young people have never heard an orchestra play classical music," he says. "Educating them to understand and appreciate that is the job any arts organization has to be serious about."

Ms. Daniels says she doesn't want to sound like a mother boasting about her child, but she's very proud of her orchestra.

"It's a very strong orchestra," she says. "The orchestra has come into adulthood."

She adds that their second trumpet went on to play second trumpet with the New York Philharmonic, and that two musicians have tried out for other major orchestras.

Hayes Hall, the Naples Philharmonic Center for the Arts' 1475-seat main theater, was completed in 1989. "If it's done for a lifetime, it's got to be done with money, facts," she says. "It can't be fancy, with ego getting in the way. I am absolutely assured, staying in focus, laughing at ourselves a lot, but holding, holding the course."

She cares about her people and boasts that her musicians are the highest paid in the state.

"It is truly a family," she says. "I care about those musicians. The board does too. They're good people. I love to see our people grow."

And she's aware of the criticism some may have of her. Yet she doesn't let it stop her.

If she'd paid attention to all the critics and naysayers, the Phil would never have been built, and Naples would likely still be a sleepy fishing village.

"I'm criticized for being tough," Ms. Daniels says. "I don't care what people say. I care about the arts. I care about the end results. That's the most important thing."

If you go

>>What: 20th Anniversary Gala with Michael Bolton and the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra

>>Where: the Naples Philharmonic Center for the Arts, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples >>When: 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31 >>Cost: $109 >>Info: Call (239) 597-1900 or go to www.thephil.org