He taught music in the public schools of West Virginia for 38 years before finding the cultural scene of the Suncoast too good to pass up. Since moving here in 2015, he has become the piano accompanist at Sunnyside Village Retirement Community, the Sarasota Jewish Chorale, director of music ministry…
Dingbat Theatre Project's Luke McFatrich and Amanda Heisey tell us all about their upcoming production of the groundbreaking show Hedwig and the Angry Inch being performed August 27 through September 11 at the Bazaar on Apricot and Lime. This Obie and Tony-winning Off-Broadway smash tells the story of "internationally ignored…
He is a homegrown talent whose path to musical theatre began at Braden River High School, continued at the State College of Florida, ventured to the University of South Florida, and landed him as the choir director and department chair at the Visual and Performing Arts program at Booker High…
He knew from the tender age of five that he was going to be an entertainer and when the opportunity presented itself for Jason Cohen to play Jerry Lee Lewis in the national tour of the Million Dollar Quartet, his life was changed forever. His co-creation of the spin-off Great…
Many may know them as the heart of dance instruction at the Manatee School for the Arts for the past several decades, but now Pat Ross and Kelly Burnette are teaming up to produce Kelly Burnette's one-woman show, Kelly and Friends Stepping Through Time, to be performed on Sunday, August…
Many may not know that Louise Harrison, George Harrison's sister, lives in Sarasota and the leader and "George Harrison" of the Beatles tribute band in Branson, Missouri, the Liverpool Legends, befriended Louise many years ago. Marty Scott joins the club today to talk about his life as a tribute band…
From California to Spain to Florida's Suncoast, from swimmer to skier to flute player, from community music school director to instructor of flute at SCF to principal flutiest in the Pops Orchestra, Dr. Jane Hoffman has done it all and even some things in between! Hear her unconventional journey to…
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She may have gotten her start as a founding member of Florida Studio Theatre's Improv Troupe, but that led to Christine Alexander starting her own company called Laugh to Feel Good, through which, using comedy and improvisational skills and games, she runs corporate team building and hosts comedy wellness programs…
He is the recipient of the 2019 Arts Leadership Award for Artistic Achievement for Sarasota County, freelance writer and music critic, author of a new vocal pedagogy text, mountain climber, and conductor and artistic director of Sarasota's symphonic chorus, Key Chorale. Joseph Caulkins didn't get his start as a singer…
A fifth generation Sarasotan was working at the Packinghouse Cafe and Leroy Selmon's Restaurant when she noticed that area musicians needed a place to interact, engage, and learn from each other. After several years of research, a business plan was hatched and Jenny Townsend is now in her sixth year…
He walked into Music Theory class at Juilliard on day 1, sat next to the prettiest girl in the class, and they have been making beautiful music together for the past 53 years. In Part II of the Romm Family series, Ronnie Romm, founding and former trumpet player of the…
When Rex Willis' son Ryan joined some friends for a "Dumpster Diving" excursion a decade ago, Rex never knew it would lead to him composing his second musical. During the last ten years, Rex's extensive research on homelessness in our area, the real people who experience this plight, and the…
Well, if your dad was one of the founding trumpet players in the Canadian Brass and your mother is one of the foremost collaborative pianists on the planet, your destiny maybe laid out for you. Oh, while you're at it, why don't you marry this brilliant violin player you went…
From Kentucky, to New York City, to our beloved Florida Suncoast, Rick Kerby, Producing Artistic Director of the Florida Cultural Group, says his whole life has been a rehearsal for this job. Take a listen at how the events of 9/11 led him to take the helm of the Manatee…
Her ancestors came to Manatee County in 1840 and now she works for the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau to support arts and culture in her beloved hometown. Hear Aimee Blenker's story of her life, career, passion for Manatee County, and the many ways she champions the arts people,…
Hear all about the new theatre company, the Dingbat Theatre Project and catch its production of Shrek May 6 through May 16 at The Bazaar at Apricot & Lime. http://www.dingbattheatre.org/shrek.html All that and more on this week's episode of the Suncoast Culture Club podcast.Come along and join the club! Hear…
For the past 20 years of his 32-year teaching career, Dr. Owen Bradley has been the band director at North Port High School in Sarasota County. Take a listen to his perspectives on building relationships, the influence of technology, the effects of the pandemic on music education, and how to…
To celebrate its 5th season, the SCF Bradenton Symphony Orchestra brings you Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, Brahm’s Hungarian Dance No. 5, Stamitz’s Clarinet Concerto No. 5 featuring soloist and SCF clarinet instructor Eric Anderson, and Beethoven’s monumental Symphony No. 5. Join us on Thursday, April 22 at 7:30 p.m.…
In a brilliant collaborative project, the SCF Theatre students have chosen monologues to act out while the SCF Music student composers have written original compositions to accompany the readings. Listen to composition instructor Rex Willis and theatre assistant professor Amanda Schlachter explain how this project came about, the learning process…
The Sarasota Orchestra's upcoming concert, "Mozart and Mendelssohn," features its first guest conductor and soloist since March 12, 2020! Maestro Stephen Mulligan, violin soloist David Coucheron, concertmaster of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and the string section of the Sarasota Orchestra will present Mendelssohn's Sinfonia No. 9 and Mozart's Violin Concerto…
When Covid shuts down your theatre performances at the State College of Florida, what do you do? You turn to the Greek myths, where mask wearing was the norm, and you allow your students to pick their myths, write their scripts and produce their own plays – casting, lights, sets,…
From Crossville, Tennessee to Sarasota, Florida, how did Urbanite Theatre's co-founder Summer Dawn Wallace land on the Suncoast to bring us cutting edge, ground breaking theatre? And who are the amazing women playwrights that will be featured on this year's Modern Works Festival from April 14 to 18? Take a…
