Touring performers never forget the first time they get booked at one of their favorite venues. Especially when it turns out that they can’t work there. Such was the case in March of 2020, when jazz pianist and composer Yoko Miwa (www.yokomiwa.com) was set to play at the Arts Garage in Delray Beach. COVID-19 intervened, like it did through much of life during that year, … [Read more...]
Cleveland Orchestra brilliant in Mozart, Shostakovich at Kravis
By Márcio Bezerra The Cleveland Orchestra returned to the Kravis Center on Feb. 1 in a program that displayed its uncompromising technical and musical standards. Under the baton of Music Director Franz Welser-Möst, the esteemed ensemble performed two very different symphonies with equally astounding results. The first half consisted of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s final work … [Read more...]
Author Wald explores roots of American music in South Florida appearances
Even if the name of author, musical artist and historian Elijah Wald (elijahwald.com) doesn’t necessarily ring a bell, chances are that you’ve experienced or at least heard of something he’s associated with. A recent example is the 2024 Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown (Searchlight Pictures), which starred Timothée Chalamet and was directed by James Mangold. The film was … [Read more...]
Palm Beach Opera opens season with splendid ‘Bohème’
by Márcio Bezerra Palm Beach Opera opened its 2026 season Friday night with the ever-popular La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini. Premiered in Turin almost 130 years ago to the date, it has remained one of the five most performed operas worldwide. Its simple yet heart-wrenching story, combined with Puccini’s unsurpassed gift as melodist, makes for a most satisfying night at the … [Read more...]
Soloist Chen mars uninspiring Royal Philharmonic Orchestra outing at Kravis
By Márcio Bezerra The Kravis Center’s Classical Concert Series second concert in the new year featured the renowned Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Founded in 1946 by Thomas Beecham, the orchestra has a somewhat lesser standing than its neighbor London Symphony, perhaps because it is so often heard playing background for pop artists, and for its infamous Hooked on … [Read more...]
Folk Radio Hall of Fame inducts longtime WLRN host Stock
A list of the things that have changed in the South Florida music scene since the Reagan administration’s first presidential term constitutes a scroll, with practically all being for the worse. Yet something that hasn’t changed during that time frame is WLRN (www.wlrn.org) deejay Michael Stock’s Folk & Acoustic Music radio program, which streams and airs Sundays from 3-5 … [Read more...]
Appreciation: Remembering Palm Beach County folk scene star Marie Nofsinger
Singer, guitarist and songwriter Marie Nofsinger came onto my radar more than 25 years ago, as I was walking along Lake Avenue while she was performing live on the sidewalk stage in front of the Coffee Gallery in downtown Lake Worth. This was back when Palm Beach County had a thriving original music scene — even if I purposely only heard some of its many such performers in … [Read more...]
Boston’s H&H Society brings standout ‘Messiah’ to Kravis
By Márcio Bezerra The Kravis Center’s Classical Concert Series launched its latest season with a performance that has set the standard so high that it will be difficult to surpass it. Featuring the Handel and Haydn Society Orchestra and Chorus, the program’s sole work was the profoundly beautiful (and often butchered) George Frideric Handel’s Messiah. Written in … [Read more...]
Boynton performer featured in Harry Chapin documentary
Art imitates life, as the accurate saying goes, and vice versa. A new documentary by Jason Chapin, S.A. Baron and Rick Korn, Harry Chapin — Cat’s in the Cradle: The Song That Changed Our Lives (Greenwich Entertainment), is now a case in point in both directions on major streaming services. And not just regarding the late American singer/songwriter and humanitarian who … [Read more...]
Poulenc organ concerto stands out at Symphonia’s season opener
A compelling reading of an important 20th-century organ concerto was a highlight Sunday afternoon (Nov. 23) of the opening concert of the 2025-26 season by The Symphonia, an event that made the most of its strings-only makeup with interesting repertoire choices. The concert, held at St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church right behind Mizner Park in Boca Raton, was led by the chamber … [Read more...]