Time was, in the late 1950s, that a charismatic conductor could start a TV series in which he introduced young people to the world of classical music, and build himself a legend as well as permanently influence the lives of millions of those youths. But Leonard Bernstein is no longer with us, and neither is the middlebrow consensus that led to the televising of the Young … [Read more...]
Palm Beach Symphony commissions composer Muhly
The Palm Beach Symphony has commissioned one of the most celebrated young composers in the country to write a fanfare for the ensemble’s 40th anniversary in 2013. Nico Muhly, 30, a Vermont-born composer who studied at the Juilliard School, is perhaps best-known for his score for The Reader, the 2008 Stephen Daldry film starring Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes. He’s written … [Read more...]
Stringendo summer camp works to build serious string players
By Chloe Elder The Stringendo School for Strings, founded in 2000, is dedicated to giving young musicians the tools and experience they need to better their craft and become serious instrumentalists. The summer camp at Palm Beach Atlantic University, which ends Friday, provides intensive 9-hour days of music, music, and more music. For the 45 accepted students this year, the … [Read more...]
Seraphic Fire’s astonishing Bach not to be missed
Even if Seraphic Fire does not win either of the Grammy Awards it is being considered for Sunday, the performances the concert choir is giving this week of J.S. Bach’s Mass in B minor are nothing less than a milestone in South Florida culture. Not everything was perfect Friday night at All Saints Episcopal in Fort Lauderdale for the first of the three performances of the Mass, … [Read more...]
PB film and Boca arts fests OK partnership under one board
Two of the largest South Florida arts events – the Palm Beach International Film Festival (PBIFF) and the Festival of the Arts Boca – are forming a partnership to create one large comprehensive festival of the cultural arts incorporating film, music, dance, books and authors. The boards of the Schmidt Family Centre for the Arts and the Festival of the Arts Boca have signed a … [Read more...]
Lynn Phil’s Mozart, Mahler mark important step forward
Since the Florida Philharmonic’s disappearance eight years ago, the local listener’s need for big orchestral ensembles has been filled by guest orchestras from outside Florida or overseas, the New World Symphony orchestral academy in Miami Beach, and the larger college groups such as the Frost Symphony at the University of Miami. Although Palm Beach County has several fine … [Read more...]
Seraphic Fire’s wonderful ‘St. John Passion’ sets landmark
It’s true that the Miami-based concert choir Seraphic Fire is a national organization that draws many of its singing members, as well as the personnel for its Firebird Chamber Orchestra, from across the country. But it is also nevertheless true that on Saturday night in a church in Fort Lauderdale, a large audience saw a South Florida musical organization that was able to … [Read more...]
PBO’s ‘Carmen’ alive to characters’ humanity, theatrical savvy
It’s tough to bring something new to a work as well-known as Carmen, but the current Palm Beach Opera production of Georges Bizet’s classic, if not groundbreaking, fills out the opera’s promise with just plain good theater. On Friday night, a stellar lead and a strong supporting cast, plus smart, interesting directing choices made this production, the last in the company’s … [Read more...]
Delray String Quartet embarks on expansion
It's difficult to predict what will happen years down the road in any arts endeavor, given the vagaries of unreliable economics and audience taste. But for the foreseeable future, there will be a Delray String Quartet in some form or another. Founder Don Thompson won't have it any other way: He's already set aside a chunk of money in his will to keep the foursome going. … [Read more...]
Shakespeare fest finds itself living a ‘Dream’
Eighteen years ago, the fledgling Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival first performed A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the crowd-pleasing comedy that the company returns to this year to inaugurate the new Seabreeze Amphitheatre in Jupiter’s Carlin Park. “It’s unheard of for a Shakespeare company to go that long without reviving this play,” says Kevin Crawford, a founding troupe member … [Read more...]