Because of its uninterrupted 119-year streak of popularity, Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème can come dangerously close to paint-by-numbers opera: Fill in the blanks with some colorful voices, and the work performs itself. Happily for local audiences, the creative staff of Palm Beach Opera’s just-passed revival of the opera were interested in approaching it with fresh eyes, and the … [Read more...]
ArtPalmBeach brings global focus, and county ties to ArtSynergy
With 65 international galleries from 17 countries and 14 states, this year's ArtPalmBeach features global emerging and contemporary artists with galleries and dealers from Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Europe. Opening with a preview Wednesday, the fair runs through Jan. 25 at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach. Lee Ann Lester, who along with her … [Read more...]
Amernet’s Dvořák, Mozart shine at Mainly Mozart
Although technically it takes place in the very last days of spring, the Mainly Mozart Festival shares with the best summer festivals the idea that a sweltering month is just as good as a frigid one for pursuing music of the utmost seriousness and high caliber. This past Sunday, at the Danielson Gallery on the grounds of the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, the veteran Miami … [Read more...]
Atlantic Classical Orchestra debuts in PB County with free rehearsal, world premiere
Not so many years ago, conductor Stewart Robertson made a point of saying that he was determined to bring his Atlantic Classical Orchestra down from the Treasure Coast into Palm Beach County. That intention is finally to be realized Wednesday afternoon when the Fort Pierce-based chamber orchestra opens its 24th season with the first of four free rehearsals at the Eissey Campus … [Read more...]
‘AGT’ standouts take acts to Kravis stage
By Dale King Like a blast from television’s variety show heyday, America’s Got Talent Live, the post-season, cross-country tour of finalists and favorites from the popular summer TV show, took the stage at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach last Saturday for a single-night performance. Lacking only the likes of Ed Sullivan and Topo Gigio, the show that is now on a westward … [Read more...]
First Tortuga Festival pledges ‘music and meaning’
Four years in the making, the Tortuga Music Festival lands on Fort Lauderdale Beach this weekend, bringing a strong lineup of country and rock music stars, including multi-platinum artist Kenny Chesney, platinum-selling country music artist Eric Church, Lynyrd Skynyrd and alt-folk rock quintet Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, fresh off their European tour. Organized by Rock the … [Read more...]
Jazzman Fred Hersch survived ‘coma dreams’ for a comeback
If any musician gets chesty enough to think their work approaches impressionistic art, that they’ve overcome insurmountable obstacles to reach that plateau, and become a cultural icon in the process, you can bring them down to earth by matching their life against that of pianist Fred Hersch. The 57-year-old native of Cincinnati was writing symphonies before high school, and … [Read more...]
FAU’s Kultur Festival celebrates Jewish culture through the arts
Aaron Kula put the finishing touches on his final composition for the sixth annual Kultur Festival concert — called 2nd Avenue Jazz’n Jive — 30 minutes before a reporter arrived to talk to him. The concert, performed by the Klezmer Company Orchestra (KCO), is the centerpiece of the eight-day festival at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, which celebrates Jewish … [Read more...]
JP Soars, Boca Raton’s rising bluesman
For centuries, blues has been one of the few musical genres to succeed through purposeful simplicity, grit, and an innate sense of Southern musical feel. Ironically, one of the artists on the leading edge of new blues, singing South Florida guitarist JP Soars (www.jpsoars.com), resides among the shopping centers and pink office buildings of the decidedly non-bluesy Boca … [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...]