When iconic 71-year-old jazz keyboardist Chick Corea won two Grammy Awards in February, it ran his career total to 20, tied for seventh all-time. Banjoist Bela Fleck is a comparative pup in both age (54) and Grammys (with “only” 15), but he’s been nominated in more different categories — bluegrass, jazz, country, pop, classical, folk, spoken word, composition, and arranging — … [Read more...]
Arts calendar: March 1-April 4, 2013
(Note: Events are listed through April 4 and were current as of Feb. 18. Please check with the presenting agency for any changes. Ticket prices are single sales. Most of the presenting organizations offer subscription plans. Entries may be changed as the month proceeds for cancellations, corrections of errors, or addition of other events.) Art Exhibits Ann Norton Sculpture … [Read more...]
Pianist Han makes bravura impression at Symphonia
The Third Piano Concerto of Beethoven is an indelible masterpiece, but it’s not the first choice a pianist would make for bravura display. And yet the young South Korean pianist Yoonie Han, simply by turning up the heat here and there Sunday afternoon, gave the work a bit more of the fire it must have had when it was new. And that made the Boca Raton Symphonia concert for … [Read more...]
Oscar predictions: It’ll be ‘Argo’ for Best Picture
Being snubbed for a Best Director Oscar nomination may turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to Ben Affleck. No, there are no write-in votes allowed for the Academy Awards, so Affleck will not get a statuette this Sunday night for helming the involving, suspenseful, occasionally accurate Argo. But ever since he was passed over for a nomination, there has been a … [Read more...]
Armory combines art and the runway for fundraiser
A standing-room-only crowd navigated its way around the Armory Art Center last week for the Armory’s first-ever wearable art show and fundraiser ―Fashion ARTillery ― as part of the Armory’s 25-year anniversary celebration. Amid works by Dayron González, Omar Rodriguez Lavandero and New York and Palm Beach-based artist Serge Strosberg, the crowds came out Feb. 7 for a fashion … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: Feb. 15-17
Music: An honest-to-goodness vocal star is in town this week, and fans of Rossini’s comic operas will want to be on hand to hear her, when Vivica Genaux takes the role of Angelina, aka Cinderella, in the Italian master’s 1817 opera La Cenerentola. Genaux, who won early recognition in Palm Beach Opera’s vocal competitions nearly 20 years ago, has become one of the most important … [Read more...]
Shostakovich symphony shows growth for Lynn Philharmonia
For several years now, the student orchestra at Lynn University has offered high-quality symphonic concerts for area patrons in the know, who show up reliably in substantial numbers. And they are rewarded for their loyalty. Each year, the Lynn Philharmonia gets a little better, as the conservatory programs at the Boca Raton college deepen, and a larger number of promising … [Read more...]
A lurid, explosive premiere for Arts Garage
Florida Stage had one of its biggest successes in its penultimate season with Israel Horovitz’s gritty drama, Sins of the Mother. And it seemed headed for another hit with the playwright’s Fighting Over Beverly, set to feature two-time Tony Award winner Frances Sternhagen, but the company closed its doors before that could happen. Still, as artistic director Louis Tyrrell says … [Read more...]
2012’s 10 best in a standout year for film
Most years at the movies there is a clear front-runner for awards and a struggle to fill the other nine slots in a 10 best list. For 2012, however, there are more than two handfuls of first-rate films and no clear number one in the ranks. Here is a highly subjective look back at what made the year just past a standout for moviegoing: 1. Lincoln: A cerebral history lesson of … [Read more...]
2012: A banner year for musicals and Pulitzer Prize-winning plays
Looking back on 2012, it seems that it was a year of standout musicals and Pulitzer Prize winners at the theater. Institutionally speaking, we lost the Caldwell Theatre, as well as Promethean and the Mosaic, but there were also gains, like Parade Productions, the Plaza Theatre, Outré Theatre Co. and The Theatre at Arts Garage. Here are my 10 favorites from the year: 1. … [Read more...]