The Pops kicks off its 39th season bringing orchestra performance to the Sarasota-Bradenton community with The Holiday Spirit of Broadway with a Dec. 15 performance at the Neel Performing Arts Center.

The first in a season dedicated to the sounds of Broadway, Holiday showcases the songs that rose beyond the stage to become yuletide favorites and traditions, such as “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” “White Christmas” and “Miracle on 34th Street.” For several numbers, the orchestra will be joined by the choral group Diversity: The Voices of Sarasota, lending a human voice to the performance.

Known for playing popular classics, there has been demand in the community for the past three years to hear more Broadway music from The Pops, according to conductor Robyn Bell, now entering her fourth season wielding the baton.

“So I said, ‘Let’s do a whole season,’” laughed Bell before becoming serious for a moment. “When I made that decision, I had no idea how much music there really was.”

Maybe it was just enough, because this year The Pops brought a little extra. Beginning with Holiday, each show will be performed twice by the orchestra, once in Bradenton and once in Sarasota, affording fans from both communities more opportunity to attend. In previous years, the orchestra performed almost exclusively in Sarasota. Though a lot of work, Bell said the expansion is worth the effort for the community it serves.

“There aren’t a lot of places in the world that can do what we’re able to do here in Sarasota and Bradenton, and support both professional and community organizations,” said Bell. “The people of Bradenton are excited about having an orchestra on a regular basis. We’ve sold twice as many tickets as last year.”

A community orchestra in the truest sense, The POPS boasts musicians of all stripes and types. The youngest player is 13 and the most seasoned is 93 – “80 years of musicianship rehearsing together,” according to Bell. Mostly non-professionals, occupations range from radiographer to the owner of a pet cemetery, all playing “for the love of making music, not for a paycheck.”

The Pops performs The Holiday Spirit of Broadway at the Neel Performing Arts Center in Bradenton on Dec. 15 and at the Riverview Performing Arts Center in Sarasota on Dec. 21. Continuing the Broadway theme, The POPS mid-season concert celebrates famous Broadway love songs and the closing show, The Amazing Technicolors of Broadway is themed around color. 

Whether you're looking to tech the halls with gadgets that are chic and sleek for the Modernist on your list of turn the past into presents for your favorite Nostalgia Nut, we've got you covered. 

Check our SRQ Magazine's annual holiday gift guide in the December issue, on stands now. 

SRQ Magazine

Sales stretch to the back of the new H&M store at the new Mall at University Town Center. Every other employee stocks clothing racks to bridge the gap between the store opening and the rush of holiday shopping, but they still make sure customers have the help they need. Seasonal colors dominate available apparel—whites, blacks, reds and every combination of the three, like maroon and pink.  The men’s section sticks to classic colors—grey, navy, khaki, black, forest green and brown—in cuts and cloth that range from timeless to retro to modern.

Big names like Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy’s and Dillards have already made their presence known since the opening of UTC in October, but H&M and other stores have opened just in time for the holiday season.

A fascination for the past permeates every aspect of Anthropologie: some display cases are made with mortise-and-tenon construction. Vintage swing music, complete with record crackles, bubbles out of the sound system. A cleverly-placed display of red dresses attracts the eye from more eclectic thrift-store styles and beckons customers into the store. Like H&M, staff stocks racks and offers advice if needed; unlike H&M, sales are tucked away in a back corner nook. Kiehl’s Since 1851 styles itself a modern apothecary. A photo mural of the original location dominates one wall section, while others have empty designs of molecule chains for decoration. Opaque, silvered Erlenmeyer flasks and quadratic equations written on the tables help the store sell the image. Within the bright yellow and white walls, modestly-stocked display cases of luxurious watches and cleverly-placed mirrors give Invicta Watches convincing illusion of size. A wide screen plasma display showcases models wearing the company’s more exclusive watches. 

The Lighthouse of Manasota, provider of rehabilitation training for the visually impaired, named Andy Reeves as its new executive director. Reeves, who has been involved with the organization for 10 years, will bring many years of managerial experience, financial expertise and the understanding of visual challenges to guide the Lighthouse to the next level. Before joining the Lighthouse, Reeves was vice president and market leader with BB&T’s new branch on Fruitville Road. He has more than 16 years experience in management, team building and client service in the financial field. 

Lighthouse of Manasota

Last month, the Animal Rescue Coalition’s mobile clinic, an organization whose mission is to end the killing of adoptable dogs and cats by making spay and neutering services more accessible and affordable to low-income pet owners, came off the road. The move, from a mobile van to a free-standing, 3,800-square-foot building east of Interstate 75 near the Fruitville Library, will enable ARC to double the number of spays and neuters performed daily, making better use of fixed overhead and reducing the cost per surgery. 

Wilma Thornton joined RE/MAX Alliance Group as a salesperson and licensed assistant with the Chicoine Realty Group in the RE/MAX Sarasota office. She holds a broker’s license and is a Graduate of the Realtor Institute. Originally from Yazoo City, Mississippi, Thornton was licensed to sell real estate in Mississippi and Tennessee. 

Alliance Group