The dashing Cheyenne Jackson belted out Broadway hits during a “Mad Men”-themed soiree in October 2014 that transformed Seagar’s Prime Steaks & Seafood restaurant into an intimate cabaret nightclub.
Courtesy of Sinfonia Gulf Coast
The dashing Cheyenne Jackson belted out Broadway hits during a “Mad Men”-themed soiree in October 2014 that transformed Seagar’s Prime Steaks & Seafood restaurant into an intimate cabaret nightclub.
China Forbes of Pink Martini with the maestro Fuller. The first vintage Hollywood-themed fundraising event was so well received in 2010, Sinfonia brought the hip, retro band back again in 2012 for another world-class encore performance, which was successful in attracting even more millennials into the Sinfonia fan fold.
Courtesy of Sinfonia Gulf Coast
China Forbes of Pink Martini with the maestro Fuller. The first vintage Hollywood-themed fundraising event was so well received in 2010, Sinfonia brought the hip, retro band back again in 2012 for another world-class encore performance, which was successful in attracting even more millennials into the Sinfonia fan fold.
Broadway legend Bernadette Peters electrified and sold out the Emerald Coast Conference Center in 2006 as the first celebrity performer to headline a Sinfonia gala concert.
Courtesy of Sinfonia Gulf Coast
Broadway legend Bernadette Peters electrified and sold out the Emerald Coast Conference Center in 2006 as the first celebrity performer to headline a Sinfonia gala concert.
Sinfonia invited Emerald Coast Theatre Company producing artistic director Nathanael Fisher to appear on stage as Mozart as part of an interactive art education program called “Paint with Music” produced in collaboration with Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation that invites local students to listen to sound samples of classical music and visually interpret what they hear.
Courtesy of Sinfonia Gulf Coast
Sinfonia invited Emerald Coast Theatre Company producing artistic director Nathanael Fisher to appear on stage as Mozart as part of an interactive art education program called “Paint with Music” produced in collaboration with Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation that invites local students to listen to sound samples of classical music and visually interpret what they hear.
The Northwest Florida Ballet performs a scene from their beloved classic ballet, “The Nutcracker,” as part of Sinfonia’s annual seasonal show “Orchestral Holiday.”
Courtesy of Sinfonia Gulf Coast
The Northwest Florida Ballet performs a scene from their beloved classic ballet, “The Nutcracker,” as part of Sinfonia’s annual seasonal show “Orchestral Holiday.”
Tony award-winning Broadway super star Patti LuPone brought the Sinfonia house down with a powerhouse performance during her one-woman show “Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda” in March 2014.
Courtesy of Sinfonia Gulf Coast
Tony award-winning Broadway super star Patti LuPone brought the Sinfonia house down with a powerhouse performance during her one-woman show “Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda” in March 2014.
The Sinfonia Youth Orchestra program is the premier training orchestra in Northwest Florida and consists of more than 60 students who participate in a variety of ensembles that perform throughout the school year.
Courtesy of Sinfonia Gulf Coast
The Sinfonia Youth Orchestra program is the premier training orchestra in Northwest Florida and consists of more than 60 students who participate in a variety of ensembles that perform throughout the school year.
Fuller has “redefined” the orchestra concert experience by staging mega multi-sensory and multi-media music events like this family-friendly offering called “Disney Pixar in Concert” that celebrated the memorable music in animated movie blockbuster films; Broadway legend Bernadette Peters electrified and sold out the Emerald Coast Conference Center in 2006 as the first celebrity performer to headline a Sinfonia gala concert.
Courtesy of Sinfonia Gulf Coast
Fuller has “redefined” the orchestra concert experience by staging mega multi-sensory and multi-media music events like this family-friendly offering called “Disney Pixar in Concert” that celebrated the memorable music in animated movie blockbuster films; Broadway legend Bernadette Peters electrified and sold out the Emerald Coast Conference Center in 2006 as the first celebrity performer to headline a Sinfonia gala concert.
The 2015 holidays were warmed with a special performance by the great-grandchildren of Captain and Maria von Trapp from “The Sound of Music” fame who performed holiday classics interwoven with personal family stories.
Courtesy of Sinfonia Gulf Coast
The 2015 holidays were warmed with a special performance by the great-grandchildren of Captain and Maria von Trapp from “The Sound of Music” fame who performed holiday classics interwoven with personal family stories.
When you measure time in notes that dance along a musical score, a decade is an almost unimaginable collection of minutes, hours, days and years of music. Sinfonia Gulf Coast is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, a mathematical and musical equation that underscores the quality of life along the Emerald Coast. Think 420 concerts, many more hours of practice and rehearsals, and countless hours of planning and volunteers’ time. The only fully professional orchestra in the region, Sinfonia is commemorating its first 10 years with a stellar season headlined by Emmy and Tony Award-winner Kristin Chenoweth.
“Symphony Redefined” was the tempo set by Demetrius Fuller, 38, Sinfonia Gulf Coast music and artistic director, and Sinfonia’s sponsors when he first organized what was in 2005 a new take on the concept of a community orchestra. The goal, Fuller recalls, was to bring national and international guest artists to the area, particularly those who had never made it to our coast.
COURTESY OF SINFONIA GULF COAST
“We offer a variety of musical events, what we like to call ‘one-stop symphony shopping,’” Fuller says. “Sinfonia isn’t defined or confined by the traditional definition of the symphony. We offer chamber music to chamber orchestra to full orchestra featuring world-class and award-winning guest artists. From Pixar to Ansel Adams: America and the Brubeck Brothers in Arts commemorating the 70th anniversary of D-Day, Sinfonia Gulf Coast has introduced audiences to a caliber of concerts otherwise not found outside of larger, more urban areas.”
“One of my all-time favorite concerts was Pink Martini,” says Lorre James, a Sinfonia volunteer and Santa Rosa Beach resident. “This group offered musical fun and amazing vocals that brought the entire audience to their feet. The finale was the giant conga line dancing around the room.”
Audience participation is often cited by concert-goers as their most memorable experience.
“The Jamie Bernstein concert stands out to me as one of Sinfonia’s best,” says Sandestin resident and volunteer usher Jennifer Crawford. “We were at the evening concert; so much fun and full of musical history. We know several children who were at the school concert, and they are still talking about ‘Mambo!’ How wonderful for elementary school children to be excited about music and musical history.”
Over the last three years, Sinfonia has experienced exponential growth. In collaboration with organizations such as The Northwest Florida Ballet, Emerald Coast Arts in Medicine and the Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation, the not-for-profit symphony has brought live music to community performances beyond its own season’s concert program. Says Denise Greene, board member of the Northwest Florida Ballet, “This year I can’t wait for the Nutcracker and Cinderella performances with live music provided by Sinfonia. A perfect pairing in my eyes.”
Working with county tourist development councils, Sinfonia has expanded its audience to bring in music lovers from around the country. It has debuted international commissioned works by renowned composers and featured virtuoso soloists on instruments from violin to harmonica.
Perhaps the greatest crescendo in Sinfonia’s mission over the past 10 years is one the organization believes is not yet approaching its peak. Music education, left largely to languish by funding cuts in Okaloosa and Walton county schools, is a large part of the symphony’s outreach and plans for the next decade. The group’s largest fundraiser is Wine, Women and Shoes, an annual event that focuses on funding music education in the community.
Sinfonia’s Guest Artists in Schools program has brought acclaimed musicians into Okaloosa and Walton county schools, reaching more than 62,000 youngsters over the organization’s 10-year life span. More than 800 families have benefited from Sinfonia’s Students4FREE program, which provides complimentary tickets to live orchestral performances and musical events. Sinfonia supports a 60-member youth orchestra program led by music director Liz Aylor and, for the third consecutive season, is one of 80 orchestras worldwide to partner with Carnegie Hall’s Weill Institute of Music in its Link Up program for third through fifth graders.
In addition to the continuing expansion of its music education programs, the next decade’s efforts by the community orchestra include (drum roll, please) building a performing venue for Sinfonia Gulf Coast. The organization’s board of directors and sponsors envision a multi-use performing space that would also be available for public use. Sinfonia is looking forward to the next movement in its musical mission to entertain, educate and inspire the Emerald Coast community.
