By Hilary Saunders It’s hard to believe, but this summer marks the 20th anniversary of Vans Warped Tour as a cultural institution for teens across America. Founded in 1995 by Kevin Lyman of Vans in conjunction with the Creative Artists Agency, the skate shoe company has sponsored the festival since 1996. And over the past two decades, seemingly every punk/pop … [Read more...]
Singer-songwriter Haas finds inspiration everywhere
Crazy Is, the independent debut CD by fledgling recording artist Anna Haas, might well have been called A Tale of Two Cities. That’s because the Nashville-born and raised vocalist and pianist has split time between her hometown of Music City and another music city, New York, over the past decade. Crazy Is was even recorded in various studios within each locale. “I’m back and … [Read more...]
Opera’s Szot scratches Broadway itch in Royal Room engagement
The Colony Hotel’s Royal Room has presented some enchanted evenings in its ten years as a cabaret venue, but probably never more so than with its current showcase of Paulo Szot, the Tony Award-winning star of the 2008 revival of South Pacific. An opera singer by training and profession, Szot long harbored a desire to appear in a Broadway musical. “I never tried, but it was a … [Read more...]
Singer Holmes celebrates inspirations, PB Pops celebrates 20th
The last time Clint Holmes appeared with the Palm Beach Pops, he sang Broadway show tunes and songs associated with Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. “The audience went crazy. We got a high volume of letters requesting him back,” says David Quilleon, executive director of the Pops. This season, the Pops celebrates its 20th anniversary, having given its first concert in 1992 … [Read more...]
Sampling the Fort Lauderdale Film Fest: Capsule reviews
Here are capsule reviews of some movies scheduled for the Fort Lauderdale Film Festival, which opens today: ABOUT FIFTY (10/21, 7:30 p.m., Sunrise Civic Theatre; 10/24, 6:15 p.m., Sunrise Civic Theatre; 10/29, 7 p.m., Muvico Pompano) -- Most rites-of-passage films have been about the mysteries of puberty, but as filmmakers age they begin confronting the latter passage of … [Read more...]
Singer O’Connor finds career on contemporary path
Kelley O'Connor would like to spend some time pursuing her passion for cooking in the house she just bought in her hometown of Fresno, Calif. But for the time being, the world of contemporary classical music has plenty for her to do. Most notably, O'Connor is currently championing the Neruda Songs, a five-song cycle written by the American composer Peter Lieberson for his … [Read more...]