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SRQ DAILY Dec 26, 2018

Wednesday Philanthropy Edition

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Wednesday Philanthropy Edition

"The strength and training that it takes to do what they're doing is truly astounding to me on a day-to-day basis."

- Jared Walker, Sailor Circus
 

[Performance]  Sailor Circus Unveils Holiday Spectacular for Limited Run
Philip Lederer, Phil.Lederer@srqme.com

Celebrate the holiday season circus-style with Big Top Holidays, a special four-day spectacle from the talented performers of Sailor Circus. Under the direction of a new creative director in Jared Walker—and performing under the canvas confines of the Ulla Searing Big Top at Nathan Benderson Park—these budding students of the circus arts have assembled a production to both wow and amaze. Opening Thursday, December 27, the performance runs only through December 30. Tickets are on sale.

Featuring at least 14 acts, audiences will see everything from the high-flying to the high-speed and all the jaw-dropping feats in between, as the young performers push their skills and bodies to the limit. Aerial silks, acrobatics, unicycles, juggling, high wire acts, trapeze and more all enter the equation, creating a wintertime circus spectacular to showcase the magic of circus arts and the strength of Sailor Circus in particular. “What they pull off is really spectacular,” says Walker. “The strength and training that it takes to do what they’re doing is truly astounding to me on a day-to-day basis.”

Because while Walker has only held the post of creative director for eight weeks (though local audiences may recognize him from his time with Golden Apple Dinner Theater, the Players Theatre or even a stint as ringmaster in this year’s Summer Circus Spectacular), he’s already no stranger to the punishing regimens that the students of Sailor Circus follow. For five days a week, he says, the performers head straight to practice from school, and train until at least 8pm in the evening. Some train for multiple acts, lifting fellow acrobats for an hour and a half before swinging from trapezes and then riding unicycles and bicycles for hours in some sort of circus triathlon. Visitors can also expect some real holiday touches more than guaranteed to rouse a belly laugh or at least raise an eyebrow, such as “reindeer” in bathing suits enjoying a festive unicycle outing.

New this year, the holiday production moves from the Sailor Circus Arena (under construction until mid-February) to a big top installed at Nathan Benderson Park. Erected since October, and featuring a new lighting system, the change of venue adds a sense of classic circus, but also comes with its challenges, such as inclement weather that last week forced the cancellation of some practices. Undeterred, Walker plans to open the show with a new act called “Thunderstruck,” featuring six artists on six trapezes and a healthy dose of AC/DC. “That’ll open the show like a Florida thunderstorm,” he says.

Big Top Holidays opens this Thursday, December 27, at Nathan Benderson Park, and runs through December 30. Showtimes are 2pm and 7pm every day except Sunday, which has a single performance at 5pm. Tickets are $15–$30. 

Pictured: Sailor Circus Academy students perform acrobatic adagio. Photo by John Jones.

[Music]  SILL Announces January Guests for Music Mondays

The Sarasota Institute of Lifelong Learning has announced January’s guests for its popular Music Mondays series entitled, “Musical Conversations with Great Performers.” January 7 sees pianist Pedja Muzijevic, who has appeared at major music festivals and with symphony orchestras around the world as a soloist, in recital, or as part of a chamber music ensemble. January 14 brings soprano Kara Shay Thomson who has been performing with the Santa Fe Opera, Florida Grand Opera and New York City Opera, and will be singing the title role in Puccini’s Turandot this season with the Sarasota Opera. On January 21, the singers of Sarasota Young Voices, a group of high school age singers that has performed in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, the Vatican in Rome, Ireland, and a tour of Greece this past summer, stop by, and January 28 sees George Nickson and Samantha Bennett, principal percussionist and principal second violin with the Sarasota Orchestra, respectively, and founders of ensembleNEWSRQ. Featuring informal performances and lively conversations with renowned performers and conductors, the 2019 Music Mondays run January 7 through March 25. The morning sessions are 10:30am at Church of the Palms, and afternoon sessions are at 3pm at Venice Presbyterian Church. Tickets are $10 per session. To purchase tickets, visit the website below. 

Sarasota Institute of Lifelong Learning

[Opera]  Rubinstein and Kim Present "LGBT Opera, Then and Now"

The Hermitage North @ New College series continues into the new year with composer Joseph N. Rubinstein and dramatist Jason Kim, in a presentation entitled “LGBT Opera, Then and Now,” which will address the cultural relationship between gay, male life and opera. There have rarely been gay relationships explicitly portrayed in operas themselves until recent years, and Rubinstein and Kim will talk about some of this recent work, and include a discussion of Legendary, the opera they’re collaborating on at the Hermitage, set in the uptown New York City drag scene of the 1980s. The presentation will be Thursday, January 10, at 6pm in the New College Academic Center, Classroom ACE 102, 5800 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota. Reservations for this free series are required and can be requested at the website below. 

Hermitage North @ New College "LGBT Opera, Then and Now"

[Music]  Sarasota Concert Association Great Performers Season Opens

The Sarasota Concert Association’s 2019 Great Performers Series season opens on Monday, January 14, with the piano duo, Anderson & Roe. The program will feature Brahms’ Sonata for Two Pianos, Op. 34b, variations on a theme of Leonard Cohen’s composition, Hallelujah, and their arrangement of John Lennon’s and Paul McCartney’s composition, “Let It Be.” Individual tickets are $30 to $75. Subscriptions for all six 2019 GPS concerts are $140, $200, $264, $355, and $420. Tickets and information for the Great Performers Series are available by calling 941-225-6500 or online at the website below.

The Sarasota Concert Association's free Music Matinees series also continues its 2018-2019 season with classical and jazz guitarist Marc Mannino, who is joined by John DeWitt, bass, and Scott Blum, percussion, Wednesday, January 16, at noon, in David Cohen Hall at the Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center. The program includes works by John Lennon/Paul McCartney, Johann Sebastian Bach, Duke Ellington/Johnny Mercer, 

Sarasota Concert Association



[TODAY]  MUSEUM: Woodblock Prints from Post-War Japan , November 18 – May 5

In the wake of the Second World War, woodblock prints emerged as a channel of diplomacy and friendship between Japan and the U.S. Printmaking continues to be a vibrant and ever-changing art form well into the 21st century. This exhibition draws the Ringling Museum of Art’s extensive holdings of postwar Japanese prints and local collections. On display will be works by key artists including Onchi Koshiro, Hiratsuka Un’ichi, Saito Kiyoshi, Yoshida Chizuko, and Hoshi Joshi, including a number of new acquisitions and never-before exhibited pieces.

The Ringling Museum of Art, 5401 Bay Shore Rd., Sarasota.

[TODAY]  BUSINESS: SRQ Magazine's 6th Annual Women in Business Competition , December 10 – January 25

Nominations are now open for SRQ Magazine’s 6th Annual Women in Business Competition, recognizing extraordinary women who have made meaningful contributions to the Sarasota and Bradenton communities through their business, non-profit and philanthropic endeavors. Know someone who deserves to be recognized? Nominate them today! Once nominated, individuals will be invited to submit a formal application which will be juried by a panel of outside judges.

Nominations are open through Friday, January 25, 2019; midnight.

[TODAY]  SCIENCE AND NATURE: Lights in Bloom , December 20 – January 6

For the 15th year, and with an expanded 15-night schedule, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens will light up the holiday season with Lights in Bloom!  More than one million lights will illuminate the Gardens and walkways. The tropical holiday paradise will also include nightly live entertainment, games, crafts, and grilled foods from Michael’s on East. Celebrate the holiday season at Lights in Bloom! Event dates are December 20–23, 26–30, and January 1–6.

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, 900 South Palm Ave., Sarasota

[TODAY]  MUSIC: 15th Anniversary Perlman Music Program Sarasota Winter Residency , December 20 – January 5

The 15th Anniversary Perlman Music Program Sarasota Winter Residency takes over USF Sarasota- Manatee beginning December 20, culminating with the Celebration Concert at the Sarasota Opera House on January 5. 20+ free events will be held in the Performance Tent, including orchestra and chorus rehearsals, master classes, and works-in-progress recitals. Super Strings, December 29, features Florida students performing side-by-side with PMP students under the baton of Itzhak Perlman. Complete schedule and tickets available online at PMPSuncoast.org.

USF Sarasota-Manatee, 8350 N Tamiami Trail, Sarasota

[SOON]  DANCE: Sarasota Illumination , December 31, 9:00PM - 1:00AM

The most anticipated party of the year is right around the corner....NEW YEARS EVE!

Full Moon Promotions is bringing back THE Sarasota New Years Eve Party to the Sarasota Municipal Auditorium to ring in 2019. This will be THE Biggest & Best Ticketed New Years Party in the area! Tickets are all inclusive; open full bar, bottomless champagne, catered apps, live & DJ entertainment, and a huge dance floor and light show. Ring in the new year right at Sarasota Illumination!

Sarasota Municipal Auditorium, 801 N Tamiami Trail, Sarasota

[SOON]  GALA: New Year's Eve at Selby Gardens , December 31

This black tie event features a private journey through tropical holiday light displays, passed hors d’oeuvres, a seated four-course dinner, live entertainment and dancing, culminating with a champagne toast overlooking the fireworks on Sarasota Bay.

[SOON]  PERFORMANCE: Cirque Ma’Ceo , January 4 – February 3

The Magic of Ma’Ceo... described by the ocala star banner as an- “Equine Cirque du Soleil”! This theatrical European style, equestrian themed, cirque show tells a beautiful seamless story with a contemporary blend of Acrobatics, Aerial, Dance, and Equestrian Arts woven to the acoustic beats of rich Spanish guitar. This renowned show has toured the nation this past decade, recently performing in Honolulu, Hawaii, Alaska, and Las Vegas. For the first time ever, Cirque Ma’Ceo will be performing in front of their hometown crowd,Sarasota Florida! To make this occasion even more special, we will be offering a VIP ticket to purchase a Benefit Dinner with the rare opportunity to eat, drink, and personally get to know the cast of Cirque Ma’Ceo right under the Big Top! A large portion of the ticket proceeds will be directly donated to Big Cat Habitat and the animals who have filled our lives with joy.

Big Cat Habitat, 7101 Palmer Blvd, Sarasota

[SOON]  MUSIC: 15th Anniversary Celebration Concert , January 5, 5:00PM

The culmination and highlight of the 17-day Perlman Music Program Sarasota Winter Residency, the 15th Annual Celebration Concert at the Sarasota Opera House features the most gifted, young musical talents of our time. The PMP Chorus is led by Patrick Romano, Chorus Master and the PMP String Orchestra performs under the baton of Itzhak Perlman.

Sarasota Opera House, 61 N Pineapple Ave, Sarasota

[SOON]  THEATER: Pirates of Penzance , January 10 – January 27

This rollicking, music-filled farce, which premiered in 1879, includes home-town references to our own Pittsburg Pirates. At eight years of age, Frederic was apprenticed to a group of fun-loving, soft-hearted pirates. Now 21, he decides to leave the pirates to lead “a blameless life.” He makes it his goal to eradicate these pirates. Fun and mayhem follow.

Manatee Performing Arts Center, 502 Third Ave. W, Bradenton

[SOON]  THEATER: The Crucible , January 11 – March 10

In the black of night, a Salem village reverend discovers a group of teenage girls dancing devilishly around a fire in the woods. When his daughter exhibits strange catatonic symptoms the following morning, the townsfolk are frenzied with rumors of witchcraft. Deep-seated jealousy, deadly accusations, and seething resentments pit neighbor against neighbor as a deeply religious community is thrown into turmoil, in this Arthur Miller classic.

Asolo Repertory Theatre, 5555 North Tamiami Trl., Sarasota.

[SOON]  PERFORMANCE: Images- Who Stole the Mona Lisa , January 12 – January 13

“Who Stole the Mona Lisa?” is a whimsical and imaginative animated film that offers a delightful, multimedia, classical music performance presented in synchrony with a live performance of Igor Stravinsky’s Suite from “The Firebird.” Live and visual pairings of “Babar the Elephant” and “Pictures at an Exhibition” complete the program. Alexandre Moutouzkine mans the piano while Edward Alley narrates.

Historic Asolo Theater, 5401 Bay Shore Rd., Sarasota

[SOON]  GALLERY: American Watercolor Society , January 15 – February 22

Artists are local, national and international, and Art Center Manatee is one of only five venues in the country to host the exhibit. Admission is $5. In a neighboring gallery, and on display for the same period of time, the Florida Suncoast Watercolor Society will also be showing work from its member-artists.

ArtCenter Manatee, 209 9th St. W, Bradenton.

[SOON]  PERFORMANCE: Hairspray , January 17 – February 3

“Welcome to the 60s” where Tracey Turnblad, a pleasantly plump teenager dreams of fame and fights to racially integrate the Corny Collins Show. This winner of eight Tony Awards (including “Best Musical”) is based on the John Waters film and proves that “You Can’t Stop The Beat.”

The Players Theatre, 838 North Tamiami Trl., Sarasota

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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