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...]
Drummer’s gift will help vistiting bands at LWB’s Rudy’s at Bamboo
One of the many famed phrases used by vocalist James Brown (1933-2006), the “Godfather of Soul,” was “give the drummer some.” It served as an instruction to the remainder of his ensemble to lay back and allow one of his great drummers, notably Clyde Stubblefield or John “Jabo” Starks, to solo unaccompanied or over a band vamp. Chris Peet, of the gifted area blues … [Read more...]
PB Opera tops itself with stellar ‘Figaro,’ jewel of the season
By Márcio Bezerra Palm Beach Opera closed its 2025 season with a outstanding production of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro. Even by the higher standards set by the company since the pandemic, this one was exceptional, and for many reasons. First produced in 1786, The Marriage of Figaro, as it is known in English, is not only a masterwork in the operatic … [Read more...]
Lorenzo Da Ponte, Mozart’s all-American librettist
Editor’s note: In tandem with the Palm Beach Opera production of The Marriage of Figaro, here is an interesting history of Mozart’s librettist and his connections to the United States. By Rex Hearn Mozart’s librettist, Lorenzo Da Ponte, became an American citizen at age 79. He and Mozart worked together on three operas — The Marriage of Figaro (1786), Don Giovanni (1787) … [Read more...]