In January 2021, we Zoomed over to London for our "Speaking of the Arts …" presentation with Francisco Serrano, a member of England's Royal Ballet. Serrano shared his star-studded journey from Sarasota to London via New York and Havana, as well as video clips of him performing and rehearsing. You can watch the conversation with this award-winning dancer here: https://youtu.be/pdnAPdVQEm4
Enjoy!
Arts Advocates members, like many people around the world, have made it a priority to stay involved with the arts in these unprecedented times. We hope all arts lovers will make support of Arts Advocates a priority as we work to stay connected and plan for an exciting future.
A donation to Arts Advocates allows you to power your passion for the arts through supporting the creative young people in our community, preserving and helping us exhibit our singular collection of Florida artists, and helping us offer ongoing programs that bring the community closer to the arts.
Power your passion for:
• STUDENTS: Can you imagine what a difficult time this is for students of the arts? They are dealing with new levels of complications and minimal interactions with their peers and teachers, which is especially difficult in the performing arts. Through Arts Advocates scholarships, the financial burdens are eased for our scholarship recipients.
• ART: Through the temporary closure of the Van Wezel, the Arts Advocates art collection remains inaccessible. Our collection team has been working diligently to find a new home for our collection. The care and exhibition of the artwork depends on donations we receive annually.
• ENGAGING PROGRAMS: Arts Advocates' "Speaking of the Arts …" series was Sarasota Magazine's Best of Sarasota 2020 Editors' Pick for Best New Speaker Series. We have moved from in-person events to Zoom programs, which, with support, can be more widely offered so more people can hear from high caliber artists from a variety of genres.
We understand that, with the pandemic still very present, humanitarian needs are enormous, but support of the arts also remains critical. The arts provide solace, promote understanding, and inspire empathy – all things we need now more than ever.
Please consider making a donation to Arts Advocates so that we may continue to provide vital support to creative young people, access to our stellar art collection, and educational programs for the community.
There is so much we can accomplish together.
Good news! You can now support Arts Advocates by using AmazonSmile, a simple way for you to donate to us every time you shop on Amazon, at no cost to you.
What is AmazonSmile?
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You can manage your purchases and other account information on Amazon.com and AmazonSmile using a single account. You can use your existing Amazon.com account on AmazonSmile if you have one, or create a new account at smile.amazon.com if you don't.
Purchases Eligible for Donations
Tens of millions of products on AmazonSmile are eligible for donations. You will see eligible products marked "Eligible for AmazonSmile donation" on their product detail pages.
Thank you for your support – and happy shopping!
In February 2020, we had the opportunity to eavesdrop on a conversation between Tony Award winning lyricist Lynn Ahrens and Celine Rosenthal, Asolo Repertory's Associate Artistic Director. Secrets for developing the lyrics and music for a brand-new musical, Knoxville, were shared.
Knoxville was to make its World Premiere in March, 2020 at Asolo Repertory Theatre. It has been rescheduled for May 21 – June 5, 2021, previews begin May 14.
Tune in to the fun, view the full interview at https://youtu.be/Ba6cf0z623s.
Our Speaking of the Arts lecture series is Sarasota Magazine's Best of Sarasota 2020 Editors' Pick for Best New Speaker Series. "We've heard fascinating insights from Baltimore Symphony Orchestra music director Marin Alsop and lyricist Lynn Ahrens." Thank you, Sarasota Magazine! Read all the picks here: https://www.sarasotamagazine.com/eat-and-drink/2020/04/the-best-new-restaurants-shops-arts-experience-and-more-in-sarasota
On Wednesday, December 11, 2019, we were invited to the home of Jim Craig and Randy Johnson for a tour of their painting collection comprising mainly 18th- and 19th-century American and European portraits and landscapes. The portraits range from famous actresses to society playboys, famous musicians, and military heroes, as well as characters from Shakespeare and classical antiquity. Jim and Randy's collection of antique furniture provides an ideal setting for the paintings, many of which are in their original gilt frames. Jim's encyclopedic knowledge of American art made him an exceptionally entertaining guide.
This was no ordinary open house as it included an extravagant buffet of refreshments. The eclecticism of the collection makes it a time capsule of colonial and Civil War America. And like the National Gallery in Washington this collection has its Modern wing full of surprises. Not only was the art exceptional, but so was the warm hospitality of the hosts.
When you see a really successful musical theater presentation, all kinds of questions must pop into your mind. Aren't you curious about the song-writing process? What does it entail? How do the songs for musicals get created to reflect the drama happening on the stage? What is the way into a song? What are the criteria for really engaging lyrics? How do you blend the work of the playwright, the composer and the lyricist? All these topics and more will be discussed in our next captivating conversation at Speaking of the Arts…...
Arts Advocates is embarking on a collaboration with Asolo Rep to offer an exciting Speaking of the Arts…..! For our second offering, we have the opportunity to eavesdrop on a conversation between Tony Award winning lyricist Lynn Ahrens and Celine Rosenthal, Asolo Rep's Associate Artistic Director. They will let us in on the secrets of developing the lyrics and music for a brand new musical, Knoxville, which makes its World Premiere in March at Asolo Rep.
The second in the Speaking of the Arts…. series will be held on Thursday, February 27 at the Art Ovation Hotel. There will be a cash bar opening at 6 and the program begins at 7. Please check the website for ticket purchase; tickets will be $50 for members and guests, $60 for non-members and $100 for patrons, who will get a chance to sip champagne and chat with Lynn Ahrens and Celine Rosenthal after the conversation.
Want to know more about the upcoming Knoxville? The collaborative effort between Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty and Frank Galati, who worked in partnership with this team on Ragtime, will once again be the force behind Knoxville, with Galati writing the libretto and directing the show and Flaherty serving as the composer. But you will learn much more in this fascinating evening discussing the birth of a musical.
Lynn Ahrens is a native New Yorker. She began her musical career fresh out of college on the renowned television series, "Schoolhouse Rock." Since then, she has written extensively for theater, film and television, winning theater's triple crown – the 1998 Tony Award, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for the lyrics of the acclaimed Broadway musical, Ragtime. In the same year she received two Academy Award nominations and two Golden Globe nominations for Best Song and Best Score for the animated feature film Anastasia.
With her longtime collaborator, composer Stephen Flaherty, her many Broadway, off-Broadway and Lincoln Center Theatre credits include Once On This Island, Chita Rivera: the Dancer's Life, My Favorite Year, Lucky Stiff, A Man of No Importance, Dessa Rose, The Glorious Ones and Broadway's Seussical. Ragtime was revived on Broadway in 2010. For the recording of Songs from Ragtime and for the original Broadway Cast Recordings of Ragtime and Seussical, she has received three Grammy nominations. For her extensive work in children's television, she had received the Emmy Award and four Emmy nominations.
Clearly, this much honored woman is a skilled lyricist and writer, and she will share the special talents of her craft with the Speaking of the Arts….. audience in conversation with Celine Rosenthal. Rosenthal is an NYU Tisch alum, Tony-nominated producer who is the Associate Artistic Director at Asolo Rep. Rosenthal is the recipient of directing fellowships at Manhattan Theatre Club and Asolo Rep, as well as an SDCF Observership. To register: www.artsadvocates.org/activities/activitieslist-view/events-members/70-speaking-of-the-arts-aconversation-with-lynn-ahrens
Speaking of the Arts... Marin Alsop, Conductor of the Baltimore Symphony and Sao Paulo Symphony Music Director, will speak 11/13/19 at the Art Ovation Hotel on "Adventures On and Off the Podium". Tickets available here: https://www.artsadvocates.org/alsop. Gain insight into Ms. Alsop in this video where she answers a quick 20 questions.
For 50 years, the Fine Arts Society of Sarasota has been working to preserve and support a variety of art forms and their creators. It will continue doing that under
a new name. The organization announced Monday a rebranding program that ......
Read the full article >
https://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20190916/fine-arts-society-rebrands-as-arts-advocates