Robyn Bell Interviews Episodes

From Poland to Baltimore to Philadelphia to Boston to Houston to Sarasota, find out how this trip around the planet brought the Sarasota Orchestra's Acting Principal Percussionist and new SCF Percussion Instructor Tomasz Kowalczyk to our beloved Suncoast of Florida. And, what we all really want to know...Polish sausage or pierogis? Tomasz is here to tell us on this episode of the Suncoast Culture Club. Come along and join the club! • Sarasota Orchestra Website & Facebook & Instagram & Twitter &...

On Thursday, December 3 at 7:30 PM, join the SCF Music Program on our Facebook Page for our final concert of the semester. “Joy to the World” brings you all your holiday favorites and will feature the SCF Big Band and Jazz Combo, Concert Choir and Chamber Choir, Guitar Ensemble, and Bradenton Symphony Orchestra. Listen to conductors Dr. Pete Carney, Rex Willis, Melodie Dickerson, and Dr. Robyn Bell as they talk about the selections on this concert, what holiday music means to them, and how grate...

Her tour of the world includes Louisville, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Des Moines, Boston, Montgomery, and finally, Bradenton/Sarasota. Natalie Helm is celebrating year number five as the principal cellist of the Sarasota Orchestra and she's here to tell us about her organization Upward Notes, what she finds most valuable in a conductor, why she has named her cello "Ricky," and so much more. Join us for this episode of the Suncoast Culture Club. Come along and join the club! • Natalie Helm Websi...

For the second performance of its 2020-21 season, Sarasota Contemporary Dance will reprise a popular collaboration with renowned harpist Ann Hobson Pilot called SCD + Piazzolla. Performances are November 19-22 at the Historic Asolo Theater, available both in-person (socially distanced, limited capacity seating) and online through the company’s Digital Theater, a professional multi-angle immersive experience. There will be four performances: Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 pm, and Sunday at...

The SCF Musical Theatre Program is proud to offer the 2020 Fall Musical Children of Eden through a pre-recorded scheduled content viewing experience available on Saturday, November 7, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, November 8, 2:00 p.m. Sunday, November 8, 7:30 p.m. Stephen Schwartz and John Caird’s musical, Children of Eden, casts the beloved biblical stories of Genesis through the personal lens of family. This epic musical starts with the very beginning: the creation of the universe. Father breathes life ...

How does one go from owning a medical sales company in Atlanta, Georgia to being the Executive Director of the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County? Jim Shirley is here to tell us. As our area's number one lobbying group for the arts, Jim's organization oversees hotel tax dollars designated for our arts organizations, provides office and meeting space for various arts entities, and even coordinates the tour guide program at Patriot Plaza at Sarasota's National Cemetery. That's just the ...

He's a percussionist and she's a violinist. Together, they might just rule the world one day, but for now, they want to make the best and highest level of music they can. George Nickson and Samantha Bennett founded Ensemble New SRQ to forge their love of performing new chamber music and to bring the Suncoast combinations of sounds it has never heard before. Check out their upcoming season, "Reimagined & Recomposed," right here on the Suncoast Culture Club podcast. Come along and join the club! ...

So you say you want to start a theatre company that produces thought provoking, deeply moving, audience engaging, can't wait to come back for more content? That's just what Brendan Ragan has done with Urbanite Theatre. Along with Summer Dawn Wallace and Harry Lipstein, he has set downtown Sarasota a buzz with theatre that will, literally, change your life and make your world bigger. Wanna hear how? Come along and join the club! • Urbanite Theatre Website & Facebook & Instagram & YouTube • Asolo...

On Thursday, October 15 at 7:30 p.m., the SCF Bradenton Symphony Orchestra celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with a fantastic lineup of Latin/Spanish inspired music and solo violinist Felicia Brunelle performing Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole. Get ready for a fiesta of fun from Carmen to Malagueña. Listen to our guest soloist talk about the music she will be performing with us and then join us on the SCF Music Facebook page to experience the concert live-streamed. Come along and join the club! • S...

On Thursday, October 8 at 7:30 PM, join the SCF Music Program on our Facebook Page for our first concert of the season. “Stronger Together” celebrates the unique power of people in the aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic and will feature the SCF Symphonic Band, Big Band, Jazz Combo, Concert Choir, Chamber Choir, and Guitar Ensemble. Listen to conductors Dr. Pete Carney, Rex Willis, Melodie Dickerson, and Dr. Robyn Bell as they talk about the selections on this concert, rehearsal procedures SCF Mu...

What's it like to go from living in New York City working as an actor, writer, director, and Tony Award winning producer one day to living on the beaches of Manasota Key running the Hermitage Artist Retreat the next? And...just what in the world IS the Hermitage Artist Retreat?? Andy Sandberg knows. He is the new Artistic Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Hermitage Artist Retreat and he is here to tell us all about his life, his passions, one of the coolest arts organizations in our ar...

In Michigan, she was a middle school band director, high school band director, middle school principal, high school principal, and even school superintendent. Retiring to the Suncoast of Florida meant she, unexpectedly, became involved with the many community bands and arts organizations our area is so well known for. Now, Lynn Cleary is the conductor of the Manatee Community Concert Band, the Suncoast Wind Ensemble, performs in and is president of the North Port Concert Band and the North Port ...

As if searching for a new conductor and a new home at the same time isn't hard enough, try doing it during a pandemic! Joe McKenna talks to us about his life as the Executive Director of the Sarasota Orchestra, the amazing tapestry of cultural arts organizations in our town that have been working side-by-side through the pandemic, and the challenges that lie ahead for music education. Come along and join our club! • Sarasota Orchestra Website and Facebook and Instagram and YouTube • Sarasota O...

From a projected $2 million surplus for the season to a completely dark hall for the next six months, executive director of the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in Sarasota, Mary Bensel, tells us her story of the Friday the 13th in March that changed her life and the lives of her staff, patrons, and our entire community. Come along and join the club! • Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall Website and Facebook and Instagram and YouTube • Van Wezel Foundation Website and Facebook and Instagram and YouTub...

From drum major of her high school band to the 6th president of the State College of Florida, Dr. Carol Probstfeld brings an abundance of leadership skills, eye for talent, passion for students, and appreciation for culture to work with her every day. Hear her story of what brought her to the Suncoast, how she's navigated the community's college during a pandemic, and why the arts are vitally important to a student's education. Come along and join our club! • State College of Florida Website an...

What started as a series of small house concerts in a private home on Lido Beach 25 years ago has turned into the successful Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota, bringing over 25 world-class musical experiences to the Suncoast of Florida including classical, cabaret, pop, Broadway, orchestral and opera. New Executive Director Marcy Miller joins founder Lee Daugherty Ross and Director of Artists Programs Dr. Joe Holt, as they tell us about the rich history of this organization and what they have p...

He's a concert pianist who will have you in stitches, while she has made her musical career as an administrator from the Kalamazoo Symphony to the Sarasota Opera. Together, Rich and Stacy Ridenour have conquered the world and raised two great sons (a trumpet player and a pilot!). They make their home on the Suncoast of Florida and today, you get to hear their story. Come along and join our club! • Rich Ridenour Website • Sarasota Opera Website and Facebook and Instagram • Brandon Ridenour Webs...

How does a little girl from Arcadia go from working at Disney to leading the $62 million endowment fund as the Executive Director of the State College of Florida Foundation? Cassandra Holmes is here to tell us. From Mickey Mouse to the Manatees, she has made raising money for students, programs, and buildings at the State College of Florida in Bradenton her life's mission. Come along and join our club! • State College of Florida Foundation Website and Facebook and Instagram and LinkedIn • Stat...

He lives 20 paces from the Asolo, has worked with Stephen Sondheim to Angela Lansbury to David Letterman and everybody in between, was nominated for a Tony award and won a Grammy award for his orchestration of the Broadway hit show Jersey Boys, loves to play jazz piano every evening for his wife and Jake (the dog), and has a fascinating love affair with Amazon Alexa. Meet Steve Orich – composer, arranger, orchestrator, conductor, and Sarasota resident – you're going to love his story. Come along...

Lynne plays oboe in the Pops Orchestra, the Bradenton Symphony Orchestra, and sings in Key Chorale. Bernadette sings in Diversity: The Voices of Sarasota, and serves as president of their board of directors. Since moving to Sarasota from New Jersey 7 years ago, these ladies have taken advantage of every cultural arts opportunity that comes their way. Find out how two retirees suddenly find themselves not so retired in the land of Suncoast culture. • The Pops Orchestra Website and Facebook Page a...

Over 500 students participate in the arts programs at Braden River High School and band director Jeramiah Bowman oversees one of the largest, most visible, and highly successful entities at the school: The Marching Band of Pirates. Take a look into his world of high school music teaching during COVID and how the pandemic has affected his students, staff, and the ability to make music together. With a supportive principal and dedicated band booster parents, his mantra has become, "Different, not ...

From the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to the Ringling College of Art and Design, find out how Dr. Larry Thompson came to the helm of the Suncoast's (and the world's!) preeminent art college 21 years ago. Not even a little thing like a pandemic can stop his vision for their progress. Come along and join our club. • Ringling College of Art and Design Website and Facebook Page and Instagram and YouTube • Sarasota Art Museum Website and Facebook Page and Instagram • Asolo Repertory Theatre Website an...

He is the principal bassoon and she is the principal flute of the Sarasota Orchestra. Together, they have been making music in the woodwind section for 27 years. Learn what Fernando and Betsy Traba have to say about their lives as musicians, parents, teachers, and cultural addicts on the Suncoast. Oh yeah...there may be some beer and wine stories in there too! You won't want to miss this episode with another Suncoast Culture Club power couple. Come join the club! • Sarasota Orchestra Website an...

What's it like navigating a $9 million opera company through a pandemic? Richard Russell can tell you, and he does so openly and honestly. With a positive spirit and an amazing calmness to his voice, Richard tells us of his many roles with the Sarasota Opera the past 31 years, the tough financial decisions the Sarasota Opera has had to make the past four months, how the pandemic derailed his personal goal of running the New York City Marathon, and how amazing the musicians, patrons, and voluntee...