Cellist SuJin Lee. Boca Raton Symphonia (Sunday, Jan. 23, St. Andrew’s School, Boca Raton)The eminent American composer and educator Gunther Schuller was joined by a very young cellist Jan. 23 in a concert by the Boca Raton Symphonia that was one of the most polished this group has offered in some time.From the tightness of the Cosi fan Tutte overture that … [Read more...]
Weekend picks: Feb. 12-16
You (2010), by Sibel Kocabasi.Next week, Upon a Time, an exhibition featuring collaboration between ceramic sculptor Brian Somerville and painter Sibel Kocabasi, opens on the Eissey Campus of Palm Beach State College in Palm Beach Gardens.Kocabasi, a Turkish-born artist who received the Hector Ubertalli Award in 2006 and exhibits widely, creates paintings that “reflect the … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: Nov. 6-9
Alexander Platt. Music: The Boca Symphonia opens its fifth season this weekend in what will be its last series under conductor Alexander Platt, who is leaving to concentrate on an increased workload in Chicago. Platt’s defining aesthetic has been his innovative programming, and this season is no exception. The Symphonia will play one standard work, the Violin Concerto in G … [Read more...]
ArtsBuzz: Platt to leave Boca Symphonia after ’09-’10 season
Conductor Alexander Platt.By Greg StepanichAlexander Platt, principal conductor of the Boca Raton Symphonia, said today he will be leaving the orchestra at the end of the upcoming season.Platt, 43, has been chief conductor of the chamber orchestra since October 2007.In a letter today to Symphonia board members, Platt said it was time for him to pay attention to his increasing … [Read more...]
ArtsPaper Interview: Alexander Platt, director of the Boca Symphonia
Alexander Platt conducts violinist Vadim Gluzmanand the Boca Symphonia in theTchaikovsky Violin Concerto in December 2008.(Photo courtesy Boca Symphonia)The Boca Raton Symphonia is, along with the Master Chorale of South Florida and the Delray String Quartet, one of the few area cultural institutions to have emerged and thrived from the demise of the Florida Philharmonic in May … [Read more...]
Music review: Boca Symphonia, soloist do contemporary American concerto proud
Composer Jonathan Leshnoff.By Greg StepanichBOCA RATON -- In most ways, the Boca Symphonia is an ensemble that keeps going from strength to strength, as demonstrated Sunday afternoon by its performance of an important new work of American music.The Violin Concerto of Jonathan Leshnoff, a 35-year-old New Jersey-born composer and Peabody Institute graduate now teaching at Towson … [Read more...]
Music review: Artymiw, Shostakovich shine at Boca Symphonia
Pianist Lydia Artymiw. By Greg StepanichBOCA RATON --- Area concertgoers haven't had enough opportunities in the past 10 years or so to hear live performances hereabouts of the symphonies of Dmitri Shostakovich, an important group of works whose best examples are likely to swell in stature as the years go by.Now they can add another one to that small list, as Alexander Platt … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: March 20-24
Julia Roberts and Clive Owen in Duplicity.Film: With the Cold War over, governmental spies need to re-direct their efforts and that is what the CIA’s Claire Stenwick (Julia Roberts) and MI6’s Ray Koval (Clive Owen) intend to do in Tony Gilroy’s smart and smart-mouthed trust-no-one comedy, Duplicity.The two occasional lovers move into industrial espionage, spying and … [Read more...]
Music review: Fresh programming enlivens Boca Symphonia concert
Boca Symphonia principal conductor Alexander Platt.By Greg StepanichBOCA RATON -- At a time when the sound of belts tightening across the land would seem to invite cultural groups to play it safe, you have to hand it to the Boca Raton Symphonia for putting art first.On Sunday afternoon at St. Andrew's School, the chamber orchestra that's now in its fourth season of concerts … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: Feb. 6-8
An octopus tries to keep his beloved from becoming dinner, in Julien Bocabeille's Oktapodi, a French animated feature. Film: One of the most frequent questions I am asked about the Oscars is “Where can I see the nominated short films?” There has not been a good answer to that until Emerging Cinemas in Lake Worth, the best place around to see non-studio releases, both … [Read more...]