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 flutist in the Pops Orchestra, Dr. Jane Hoffman has done it all and even some things in between!
Hear her unconventional journey to the world of flute playing and how she uses all her connections and experiences to enrich the musical lives of so many, including obt...

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 for Parkinson's and cancer patients.
After 20 years on the Suncoast, Christine uses her podcast episode to bid ...

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 or choral conductor, but his jazz saxophone major in college wasn't quite working out for him. Hear how...

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 of running the Music Compound, a performance-based music school that caters to all ages, any level, and any interest.
Hear her stor...

He walked into Music Theory class at Juilliard on day 1, sat next to the prettiest girl in the room, 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 Canadian Brass, and wife Avis Romm, collaborative pianist extraordinaire,  tell us their stories, share their experiences, brag on their talented sons, and share their ...

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 stories that got them in that situation led him to write a rock opera entitled "Worthy People."

Take a listen to this ...

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 to doctoral school with at the University of Illinois and move to the Suncoast to make beautiful music together all the rest of your days?
Want to hear...

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 Players and learn about their amazing upcoming season of shows.
All that and more on this week's episode of the Suncoast Culture Club podcast.
Come along and joi...

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, organizations, and events in her home town (and find out the BEST seafood restaurant in Bradenton!). 
All that and more on this week'...

What does a creative, imaginative theatre junkie do during a pandemic? Well, establishes a new theatre company on the Suncoast, of course!
Come join the founder of the new Dingbat Theatre Project, Luke McFatrich, and the project's choreographer, Brian Finnerty, as they share with us the mission, philosophy, and purpose of the Dingbat Theatre Project, as well as tell us all about Dingbat's second production, Shrek, being per...

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. Looking back on his career choice, he says he can't remember a time when he didn't want to a band director and now, as his final years in the profession draw to a close, he is reflecting on the changes that have occurred: "In the past, the most meaningful thing about my job was...

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. SCF students, faculty, and staff can attend live in the Neel Performing Arts Center, while all others can v...

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 and experience for the students, and the rewarding end product that will be presented ...

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 No. 3 live in Holley Hall April 15-18, with stream...

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, music, blocking, and all.
Oh, but let's not stop there...enter the SCF Film Department and its talented students and faculty to take these SCF Theatre ...

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 listen to this week's episode of the Suncoast Culture Club podcast and find out.
Come along and join the club!

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Don’t let the SCF Symphonic Band fool you, this music may be unbelievable, but it is true! Featuring band works such as Godzilla Eats Las Vegas, Voodoo, Snakes, and more, this concert will have you fooled into thinking you have entered a new reality. Fun, scary, and unbelievable!
If you are a member of the SCF family (student, staff, or faculty member), you may join us live and in person (up to 100 people) in the Neel Performing Ar...

For the past four years, she has been the leader of the visual and performing arts teachers for the the Manatee County School District by helping them devise curricula, working with principals to understand scheduling, and seeking professional development workshops specifically for arts educators, but Julie Hebert quickly realized there was a funding issue for her many initiatives. 
So what did she do? She started an organization ca...