Sinfonia Gulf Coast Swells To A Massive Orchestra

On March 6, the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Convention Center in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, was transformed into an electrifying concert hall when Sinfonia Gulf Coast — the only fully professional non-profit orchestra on the Emerald Coast, founded in 2005 by music and artistic director Demetrius Fuller — presented its 12th live Link Up concert performance, “The Orchestra Rocks,” a national program it presented in partnership with New York’s Carnegie Hall Weill Institute of Music.

Sinfonia Gulf Coast Maestro Demetrius Fuller

This year’s Link Up program showcased the talents of nearly 3,000 local 3rd–5th grade students from Okaloosa and Walton Counties performing on recorders and singing. The concert was conducted by Sinfonia Gulf Coast Maestro Fuller.

With recorders in hand, the students performed from their seats when given their cue by Maestro Fuller to join the Sinfonia Gulf Coast orchestra for a range of pieces from Come to Play by Thomas Cabansis, La Follia by Antonio Vivaldi, excerpts from Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, O Fortuna from Carmina Burana and others. But these inspired kids didn’t stay in their seats at this spirited performance, which ended with a celebration of Chuck Berry’s Johnny B. Goode. They were out of their chairs, singing and dancing moves and parts they had been practicing for months.

This curriculum is geared toward 3rd–5th-grade students. In many cases, the only music education they receive during the school year is local. This year’s Link Up program’s theme was discovering how elements of rhythm and time can unite musicians, singers and audiences.

Sinfonia’s Link Up program is funded in part by the St. Joe Community Foundation, the Dugas Family Foundation and the Emeril Lagasse Family Foundation. Additional funding from Sinfonia Gulf Coast’s Crescendo! annual fundraiser, Treble Makers, an honorary membership committee of Crescendo!, and community donors have helped Link Up steadily grow into Sinfonia’s largest education initiative.

For more information on Sinfonia Gulf Coast, visit SinfoniaGulfCoast.org, call (850) 460-8800 or e-mail info@sinfoniagulfcoast.org.

ABOUT SINFONIA GULF COAST

Sinfonia Gulf Coast was founded in 2005 on Florida’s Northwest Gulf Coast with the mission of redefining the symphony experience. Under the guidance of founder and music director Demetrius Fuller and a dedicated board of directors, the non-profit orchestra is in its 18th season of innovative musical programming designed to entertain, educate and inspire the community. Since its founding, Sinfonia Gulf Coast has presented more than 700 concerts and events that have reached over 500,000 patrons, collaborated with numerous non-profits and businesses throughout the community and reached more than 200,000 children through its Sinfonia Guest Artists in the Schools program/music education outreach initiatives. For more information on Sinfonia Gulf Coast, visit SinfoniaGulfCoast.org, call (850) 460-8800 or e-mail info@sinfoniagulfcoast.org.