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SRQ DAILY Mar 11, 2016

Friday Weekend Edition

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Friday Weekend Edition

"We have a community of great architects and a community that actually supports great architecture."

- Jonathan Parks, Solstice Architects
 

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[Stage]  Dressing Up For The Opera
Philip Lederer, Phil.Lederer@srqme.com

Throughout the decades-long procession of performances in the Sarasota Opera’s Verdi Cycle, audiences have given standing ovations for hundreds of performers, but some of the heroes behind this milestone accomplishment remain relatively unsung. Now in his 19th season with the company, resident costume designer Howard Tsvi Kaplan has helped lend grandeur and drama to more than 20 operas that played upon that stage, including the currently running production of Verdi’s Aida.

Much of the costuming comes on loan from a company in Baltimore, said Kaplan, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of work to be done getting the performance stage-ready. “You take the raw material and make it into what works for your company,” said Kaplan. Armor was rebuilt, headdresses modified and whole dresses made from scratch. “We made it our own,” said Kaplan.

More than 200 outfits are required for the production, Kaplan estimated, and while not every one needed to be modified in a design sense, everyone needed to be fitted. Around three months out, Kaplan and other crew began wrangling performers for fitting sessions and then got to hemming and tucking. And seeing as Sarasota Opera is a repertory opera house, Aida isn’t alone onstage. “We’re fitting costumes for three other operas at the same time,” Kaplan said.

For Aida, costuming involves both large-scale and small-scale design. In a sense, Kaplan works on a macro level with groups of performers, such as the townfolk, presenting them as a clear faction. “So you need blocks of color,” said Kaplan. “They work as a unit.” But then he turns his eye to individual pieces, such as Radames’ armor. As captain of the guard, Kaplan wanted to give the costume a little more “leading man” quality, and so rebuilt it out of leather, giving the whole piece more weight and presence.

Perhaps the greatest challenge in costuming Aida came when it was discovered that one of the pivotal dresses for the character of Amneris simply wasn’t included in the Baltimore package and had to be made anew. The shop enjoyed the challenge, said Kaplan, as the dress had to be made to blend in. “You can’t make it look like she went out and bought her own dresses. It had to look like the hand of the rest of the show.”

With three performances left, there’s still a chance to see Kaplan’s work in action but time is running out. Remaining performances of Aida include a matinee on Mar. 13 and then regularly scheduled performances on Mar. 15 and 19. The Battle of Legnano, the other remaining Verdi opera in the Verdi cycle, also closes after three more performances, on Mar. 12, 16 and 18. 

Pictured: Leeann Sandel-Pantaleo as Amneris. Photos by Rod Milling.

Read more about the Verdi cycle in this month's issue of SRQ.

[Architecture]  SRQ's Inaugural Modern Home Symposium
Jacob Ogles, jacob.ogles@srqme.com

Lovers of architecture gathered in the SRQ Studios for the inaugural Modern Home Symposium, with some of the region’s top builders and architects discussing the process of bringing contemporary visions to life in this coastal community. The featured guests told SRQ before the event that the night was a chance to discuss the craft they love among people who appreciated the results. “We have a community of great architects and a community that actually supports great architecture,” said Jonathan Parks of Solstice Architects. “That allows people to practice their art, and ultimately the community does revere it as an art. If you practice in part of the world that doesn’t encourage, or which even can discourage, what you do, it’s very hard to go home every night, put your head on a pillow and sleep soundly.”

Mark Sultana of DSDG said he was pleased to work with clients that wish to push the bounds of modern architecture toward the future. Asked to describe his own creative philosophy, Sultana explained: “it definitely sets itself apart from ‘white box modern.’ It’s warmer and more family-friendly. It’s not having spaces that are completely useless, which is what happens a lot in modern architecture. It is about designing a space that has to be able to be used, and is not just for show.”

Javier Suarez of Apex-Studio Suarez said Southwest Florida fosters the craft, thanks in part to a history of legendary work by masters like Paul Rudolph and Victor Lundy, but also because people coming here have a cultural appreciation and a level of affluence that allows for creative design. But it remains, he said, a constant endeavor to educate the public on the value of custom architecture. “Our services as professionals are worth the time and effort,” he said. “We bring to the table financial value, but also in producing iconic buildings. There is an economic value in that as well, but also an aesthetic value in hopefully enhancing the quality of life and beauty of a community.”

Nick Ferguson of NC Ferguson Construction has built homes in this region for 12 years, and for the last five or six years has built more modern structures. “It’s great that people have an open mind to modern architecture here,” he said. "You can find all types of architecture, and people are more willing to explore in those styles. It’s really cool to have the opportunity to work in a community where you have that.”

Steve Murray of Murray Homes enjoys working with architects creating modern work, and he said the demand exists in a big way for that type of structure in this region. “People do come here and see modern as a more prevalent form of architecture here than anywhere else, possibly more prevalent than in all of Florida,” he said. “I love being able to work in that style.” 

Pictured: Steve Murray, Javier Suarez, SRQ's Wes Roberts, Mark Sultana, Nick Ferguson and Jonathan Parks. Photo by Mary Darby Guidroz.

[From The Chef]  Indulge with Table Dish
Jacob Ogles, jacob.ogles@srqme.com

Mardi Gras may have come and gone, but you can still enjoy this dish from The Table Creekside. Try it at home, or go to the restaurant and try it at a special Easter Sunday Brunch on March 27, from 11am-3pm.

Ingredients (creamy goat cheese grits): 1 cup Grits2 oz. Shallots (minced)3 oz. White onion (minced)6 oz. Greek goat cheese1 cup Heavy cream4 cups chicken stock3 oz. clarified butter1 ½ Tbs. whole butter (separated 1 Tbs. ½ tsp.)

Sautee onions and shallots with 1 Tbs. butter until translucent. Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Stir in grits and simmer until soft. Add heavy cream and reduce heat. Stir in goat cheese and finish with ½ tsp. butter.

Ingredients (Sausage gravy): 1 Lb. cooked ground sausage¼ cup onions (diced)¼ cup chopped garlic2 tsp. butter3 Tbs. flour½ cup heavy cream3 cups of water½ tsp paprika½ tsp black pepper

Make paste adding butter, flour, black pepper, garlic, onions and paprika and cook about 6 minutes until paste like. Add water and simmer on low slowly adding heavy cream little by little. Finish with cooked sausage

In a separate pan, sauté 4-6 shrimp seasoned with olive oil and citrus.  Place sauce in a shallow bowl, follow with the cooked grits. Surround the dish with your seasoned sautéed shrimp and finish with a poached egg. 

Optional: use plantain chips for garnish.   

[Expansion]  SUNZ Moves to Bradenton

SUNZ Holdings announced the relocation of its corporate headquarters from Sarasota to Bradenton to accommodate the rapid growth and future expansion plans. The new office space located in Bradentonwill provide capacity for increased underwriting, policy administration, claims administration, customer support, sales and leadership functions across the company, officials said. The company, which will initially have more than 50 employees working in the City of Bradenton, will move into about 30,000 square feet of the available 60,000 square feet of office space to accommodate the number of personnel expected to join SUNZ. SUNZ will be renovating the 40-year-old building located at 1301 6th Avenue, West, which was previously the home of First Bank, while transitioning staff to the location.  

SUNZ Holdings

[Exec Moves]  Dusold, Cesario Join Keller Williams

Carla Dusold and Dominic Cesario have joined Keller Williams Realty Select as real estate agents. A Business Administration Graduate and former owner of a small business, Dusold specializes in the sale of new and existing homes in the Bradenton and Sarasota area. Cesario is new to the real estate industry. He graduated with a degree in History and a minor in Political Science from the University of South Florida. 

Keller Williams Realty Select

SRQ Media Group

SRQ DAILY is produced by SRQ | The Magazine. Note: The views and opinions expressed in the Saturday Perspectives Edition and in the Letters department of SRQ DAILY are those of the author(s) and do not imply endorsement by SRQ Media. Senior Editor Jacob Ogles edits the Saturday Perspective Edition, Letters and Guest Contributor columns.In the CocoTele department, SRQ DAILY is providing excerpts from news releases as a public service. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by SRQ DAILY. The views expressed by individuals are their own and their appearance in this section does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. For rates on SRQ DAILY banner advertising and sponsored content opportunities, please contact Ashley Ryan Cannon at 941-365-7702 x211 or via email

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