“Music can soothe the soul,” says Grammy-nominated violinist Andrés Cárdenes. He is the co-founder of the Josef Gingold Chamber Music Festival (JGCMF), which returns to Boca Raton for its second year with eight free performances beginning Tuesday, July 8, and running through Sunday, July 20, plus five community engagement events. Originally founded in 2017 as a program … [Read more...]
SFSO piano trio gives rousing reading of late Schubert trio
By Robert Croan Franz Schubert’s two late-in-life piano trios, both composed in 1827, are among the most challenging works in the chamber music repertory. Profound and sprawling, each taking upwards of 45 minutes to perform, they embody the composer’s deepest, most heartfelt thoughts, in his most advanced compositional style. The second of three summer chamber music … [Read more...]
Masterworks Chorus of the Palm Beaches looks ahead with new director, organist
After 15 years of concerts, rehearsals and performances and enriching Palm Beach County’s music and choral scene, artistic director Ken Taylor took his final bow with the Masterworks Chorus of the Palm Beaches with a final concert this past May. His farewell performance, An American Songbook Review, was a personal and heartfelt culmination of his tenure, marking the end of … [Read more...]
In Boca gig, Duane Betts honors Allman heritage, but puts down new roots
It’s fair to say that vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Duane Betts has emerged from, while occasionally dipping a foot back into, the long shadow cast by his father, the late Allman Brothers Band founding member Dickey Betts (1943-2024). On Feb. 28, the 47-year-old proved it by hosting and performing throughout the “In Memory of Dickey Betts” all-star memorial concert at … [Read more...]
Broadway leading men come off well in SOTA’s season-ender
By Robert Croan The Symphony of the Americas’ final subscription concert of the 2024-25 season was a program called “Broadway Showstoppers: The Leading Men,” [seen May 11 at Broward Center’s Amaturo Theater] featuring four male singers who have performed leading or supporting roles on Broadway and elsewhere. It was the end of Luke Frazier’s tenure as the orchestra’s … [Read more...]
Duane Betts: The son of the ramblin’ man takes center stage
Named for original Allman Brothers Band guitarists Duane Allman (1946-1971) and his own father, Forrest Richard “Dickey” Betts (1943-2024), 47-year-old singer, guitarist and songwriter Duane Betts (www.duanebetts.com) has practically had expectations to live up to since his birth. That event occured in Sarasota in 1978, at a time when the ABB was one of the top touring … [Read more...]
FGO’s ‘Carmen’ featured fine leads, interesting staging ideas
By Robert Croan For the third and final production of her first season as Florida Grand Opera’s general director and CEO, Maria Todaro took on the multiple tasks of stage director and even costume designer to produce her personal take on Bizet’s perennial favorite, Carmen [seen April 26 at the Broward Center]. A retired mezzo-soprano who was once a successful Carmen … [Read more...]
Pianist offers powerhouse Chopin recital to wrap Lauderdale-by-the-Sea chamber series
By Robert Croan Chamber Music at Lauderdale-by-the Sea is a valuable but underpublicized series presented by the FilAm Music Foundation, directed by Filipino-American pianist Victor Santiago Asunción, who funds it mostly with his own money but includes among his donors a few prominent performing artists as well as Filipino President Ferdinand “Bong Bong” Marcos Jr. and first … [Read more...]
SunFest won’t be back on lakefront, but alternative festival will
A funny thing happened on the way to SunFest 2025, and by now, practically everyone knows what it is. After years of not turning a profit, and on the heels of its 40th anniversary in 2024, the festival announced last November that fans should expect a “significant shift” in dates and location and that the event “will no longer take place on the traditional first weekend of … [Read more...]
SOTA’s evening of zarzuela a delightful, fitting sendoff for conductor Mielgo
By Robert Croan For the final concerts of his five-year tenure as Symphony of the Americas’ artistic and music director, Pablo Mielgo conducted the music of his native Spain: more specifically, extracts from zarzuelas — that country’s counterpart to the Viennese operetta and the Broadway musical. The concerts in Broward Center’s Amaturo Theater [seen April 20] offered a rare … [Read more...]