Opera: All eyes will be on the Kravis Center tonight as a new American opera makes its official debut, a milestone in South Florida arts history. Ben Moore’s Enemies, A Love Story, based on a novel by Isaac Bashevis Singer, features a young cast and a score rich with the melodic power that has made Moore’s music a favorite recital item for singers such as Deborah Voigt. Set in … [Read more...]
Armory exhibit an impressive look at local black artists
Collaboration: African Diaspora, which concluded at the Armory Art Center on Nov. 9, was an intoxicating blend of art from a diverse group of talented black artists. Self-described as a Harlem Renaissance-style exhibit, the show featured paintings and drawings, sculpture, crafts and jewelry from more than 20 artists and was co-curated by the husband-and-wife team of Anthony … [Read more...]
Season Preview 2012-13: A season of change for local opera
After years of retrenchment and cutbacks, the area’s opera companies are moving ahead in positive directions in the coming season. Although both South Florida companies haven’t added back the productions they once cut, there are signs of a return to artistic daring, and the Sarasota company is offering a world premiere of an American opera. And the popular high-definition … [Read more...]
Music roundup: A fine young violist, two admirable quartets
Peijun Xu (Feb. 10, Steinway Gallery, Boca Raton) If the concertgoing world doesn’t fully appreciate the variety that a viola can bring to a recital, that won’t be the fault of Peijun Xu. The Shanghai-born musician performed two local recitals this week for the Kronberg Academy, an organization based in that German town near Frankfurt (the city that Xu now calls home) that … [Read more...]
ArtsPreview 2009-10: The season in opera
The coming opera season has been scaled back somewhat in both of the major local companies, but opera devotees will still have plenty to look forward to. In addition to the seven local productions, there will be five others from two different trunk companies, and 11 high-definition broadcasts of live performances from New York’s Metropolitan Opera, screened at the Society for … [Read more...]