Chances are, if you are reading this, you are an avid fan of the arts and are going through withdrawal pains, since all area theaters, concert halls, performing arts centers and movie houses have been closed by the dreaded COVID-19. And although internet-streamed performances are a poor substitute for the live stuff, a lot of writers, actors, singers and assorted … [Read more...]
Philadelphia visitors pay strong visit to Symphonia
David Kim, concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra, has made himself a regular visitor to South Florida over the past few years, and on Sunday afternoon with the Symphonia Boca Raton he was back in the spotlight again, where his combination of skill and easy audience rapport was bountifully on display. Kim, who has led the Symphonia as guest conductor (and will do so … [Read more...]
Soloist Bournaki, conductor Schwarz get Symphonia season off to smart start
The Canadian pianist Marika Bournaki made something of a splash back in 2012 with the release of a documentary about eight years of her young musical life as an emerging classical pianist. I am Not a Rock Star was an interesting look at the life of a talented child, and later woman, from the suburbs of Montreal who goes to Juilliard to pursue her dream of becoming a concert … [Read more...]
Despite noisy venue, amplification, Chang triumphs at Boca fest
By Dennis D. Rooney Presented as part of Festival of the Arts Boca, now in its 11th season, the March 10 concert featuring violinist Sarah Chang took place in an open-air structure at the north end of Mizner Park that was covered with a plastic tent. I have never found the experience of hearing classical music outdoors to be enjoyable. Its textures and sonorities require … [Read more...]
Violinist Mracek shows star potential at Boca Symphonia
One of the joys of being a music critic is getting a chance to have an early encounter with a major talent you’ve never heard before. You don’t know when that’s going to happen, but it comes as a sure thing when it does. And Sunday afternoon at the Roberts Theater, it happened: An audience got to hear a young standout, new to American audiences, who it seems to me stands a … [Read more...]