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out and about continued
Israeli composers. The program opens
with Mendelssohn’s youthful String
Sinfonia No. 10. Gershwin’s “Lullaby”
rounds out the program. Bloch’s
masterful “Concerto Grosso for String
Orchestra and Piano Obbligato” with
Ann Stephenson-Moe concludes the
concert and the season. Chamber
Orchestra to showcase pianist Joseph
Kingma in Virtuoso Night.
The Chamber Orchestra will conclude
its 2022-2023 season on Thursday,
March 23 at 7:30 p.m. at First
Presbyterian Church, 2050 Oak St.,
Sarasota, with “Celebration.” The
concert will feature the music of five
Jewish composers, in honor of the
75th anniversary of the founding of the
State of Israel. The orchestra will perform
compositions by Mendelssohn,
Gershwin and Bloch, plus the U.S. premieres
of works by Israeli composers
Boris Levenberg and Noubar Aslanyan.
For tickets, visit chamberorchestra
sarasota.org/ or call 219-928-8665.
At The Ringling
The Ringling has June Clark: Harlem
Quilt on view through March 26.
June Clark’s solo exhibition at The
Ringling marks the Harlem Quilt’s
first presentation at a US museum
since its unveiling at the Studio Museum
in New York City in 1997. It is a
re-introduction to this immersive
installation, which consists of over
three hundred individual pieces of
fabric, each with a black-and-white
photo transferred onto its surface.
Clark left Harlem for Canada at the
height of New York City’s riots and political
unrest of the late 1960s. Once in
Toronto, the artist began making photographs
and co-founded the Women’s
Photography Co-op in 1972. Her dedication
to photography was recognized
in an artistic residency at the Studio
Museum in Harlem from 1996 –1997
where Clark produced her seminal
piece Harlem Quilt. In Harlem for the
residency and coming to terms with
being home, Clark made photographs
of street scenes, building facades, people,
and store windows in New York
City neighborhoods between 110th and
168th streets. Harlem Quilt expresses
the artist’s deep love and sensibility for
Harlem’s community through a unique
method of quilt-making where a lightbulb
above each image creates a sense
of intimacy and commemoration.
Works by Clark on canvas and paper
ranging from 1994 to 2022 are also
presented in this exhibition. They offer
an engagement with issues affecting
Black communities in Canada and
the United States and allow a broader
understanding of Clark’s oeuvre as a
record of social history.
• Also at The Ringling: Gods & Lovers:
Paintings and Sculpture from India.
On a smaller, much more intimate
scale, The Ringling’s recently opened
Gods & Lovers: Paintings and Sculpture
from India in the Center for Asian
Art’s Pavilion Gallery provided a rare
opportunity to get up close to works
from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries
from a variety of cultures in
India (along with a few much older
pieces from John Ringling’s original
collection). You do want to get close,
to study the details of these “miniatures,”
many originally intended for
elite patrons to browse in privacy and
designed as book leaves and such. On
view through May, 2023.
The John and Mable Ringling
Museum of Art, 5401 Bay Shore Rd.,
Sarasota. Info: www.ringling.org.
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Theatre
Sarasota Players has
Godspell, March 9-19.
Godspell touches on the
parables and wisdom that
grapple with maybe the
most important mystery
of all. It was the first major
musical theatre offering
from three-time Grammy
and Academy Award
winner, Stephen Schwartz
(Wicked, Pippin, Children
of Eden), and took the
world by storm led by the
international hit, “Day by
Day.” Godspell features a
parade of beloved songs,
including “Prepare Ye the
Way of the Lord,” “Learn
Your Lessons Well,” “All
for the Best,” “All Good
Gifts,” “Turn Back, O Man”
and “By My Side.”
Held at Studio 1130, The Crossings
at Siesta Key, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail,
Sarasota. Visit www.theplayers.org.
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Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe
has “Dreamgirls” which chronicles
one fictional Motown group’s rise
from obscurity to superstardom.
Through gospel, R&B, smooth pop,
disco and more, Dreamgirls explores
themes of ambition, hope and betrayal,
all set in the glamorous and competitive
world of the music industry.
Runs through April 9.
Call the Box Office at 941-366-1505 or
visit westcoastblacktheatre.org.
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Asolo Rep has Ken Ludwig’s
The Three Musketeers which runs
through March 26. Ludwig’s adaptation
of the novel by Alexandre Dumas
tells the tale of a daring young man
who finds himself in the company of
the world’s greatest swordsmen, as
well as some of the world’s most dangerous
men and women.
• Chicken & Biscuits runs through
April 13. This new play introduces us
to the Jenkins family, as they gather to
celebrate the life of their beloved and
recently deceased father and grandfather,
the Revered Bernard Jenkins.
When an unexpected guest reveals
a secret, they all discover that nothing
brings a family together like a big
side of drama. This side-splitting new
Broadway comedy explores the tenderness
of family, the joy of reconciliation,
and the nourishing power of love.
• Incident at Our Lady of Perpetual
Help runs March 15-April 22. Take a
trip back to 1973 with the Irish Catholic
O’Shea family in this boisterous
and moving new memory play introduces
us to young Linda, as she recalls
a week she’ll never forget. When Linda’s
mother instructs her to tell her sister
about the birds and the bees, things
quickly snowball into a potential crisis
after the conversation is overheard by
the parish priest. Secrets are unintentionally
revealed, and a quick-witted
group of women realize what really
matters as they work to protect their
family reputation and each other.
Tickets: asolorep.org.
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Asolo Conservatory has an
Inspector Calls through March 12.
Nothing parallels the excitement of
watching this suspenseful mystery
drama. Set on the brink of WWI, this
thriller has been gripping audiences
for decades. The Birling family celebration
is cut short by the arrival of
the mysterious Inspector Goole. After
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On March 21, New College of Florida has award-winning
environmental author Cynthia Barnett who will explore the long,
rich and surprisingly profound relationship between humans and
seashells. Visit foundation@ncf.edu
his scorching investigation, the family
struggles to return to normal, as every
corner of their souls has been exposed
by the blinding light of truth.
Tickets: asolorep.org.
The FST Cabaret series has A
Place in the Sun: A Tribute to Stevie
Wonder by Jason Cannon, Richard
Hopkins, and Sarah Durham. Runs
through March 26 in FST’s Goldstein
Cabaret.
• Reel Music by Richard Hopkins,
Rebecca Hopkins, and Sarah
Durham runs through June 25. The
Last Match by Anna Ziegler is a fastpaced
play diving into the intense
world of professional sports. Set
during the semifinals of the U.S.
Open, The Last Match follows Sergei
Sergeyev, an up-and-coming Russian
phenom, and Tim Porter, a great
American superstar in the twilight
of his career, during one of the most
important matches of their careers.
Plays in FST’s Bowne’s Lab.
Visit www.floridastudiotheatre.org/
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At Venice Theatre:
• A Showtime Benefit for Venice
Theatre Rebuild is on March 5 at
2 p.m., Venice Community Center.
Enjoy an afternoon of song and
dance with 100% of the proceeds
going to help rebuild Venice Theatre.
Singers from Players Centre
and Venice Theatre, along with the
Showtime Dancers and Silver Foxes
Dancers, will entertain.
• They also have Back Home Again,
A Tribute to John Denver with Tom
Becker, on March 12 at Pine View
School. Becker, a former member of
the New Christy Minstrels, recreates
the style and sound of one of America’s
best musical storytellers. Hear
all your favorite John Denver songs.
• The Brothers Doobie will perform on
April 17 at 7:30 p.m., Venice Community
Center. Inspired by the Doobie
Brothers superior song writing, The
Brothers Doobie delivers powerful
harmonies and a fun-filled high-energy
performance covering a catalog
of Doobies hits spanning both the
Johnston and McDonald eras.
• 50 Years After: A Tribute to the
Woodstock Generation is on April
30 at Venice Community Center.
Featuring South Dakota Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame artists Uncle Zeek.
With music by Jimi Hendrix, The
Doors, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin
and more.
venicetheatre.org.
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ensembleNewSRQ
Next up in Vortex
Temporum. enSRQ’s
journey into the French
spectral compositional
movement comes full circle
with this presentation
of Gérard Grisey’s “Vortex
Temporum,” featuring
Van Cliburn semifinalist
and frequent enSRQ pianist,
Han Chen.
Audiences will witness
the completion of the arc
drawn from last season’s
works (Grisey’s “Stele,
Périodes” and Philippe
Hurel’s “Loops II”) with
Hurel’s musical reflection
on Grisey’s towering
presence throughout
20th-century composition,
“Tombeau
in Memoriam Gérard
Grisey”, and a return
of enSRQ friend, Nina C. Young’s, “À
bout de souffle” for solo piano. Held
March 28 at First Congregational
Church 1031 S. Euclid Ave., Sarasota.
For tickets, visit www.ensrq.org.
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At The Van Wezel
A sampling of upcoming shows:
• Pilobolus 50th Anniversary is on
March 7. The celebration includes
signature works from vintage classics
to their trendsetting innovative work
in shadow.
• The Mikado is on March 9. The history
and inspiration for the writing of
The Mikado is center stage as real-life
characters of Victorian London’s D’Oyly
Carte Opera Company combine
with the imagined setting of Titipu,
influenced by the art and architecture
of Japan that had recently reached
England in the late 19th century.
• On Your Feet runs March 14-15. It’s
about Gloria and Emilio Estefan with
an all-new original musical. Features
songs of the past quarter-century
including “Rhythm is Gonna Get You,”
“Conga,” “Get On Your Feet,” “Don’t
Want To Lose You Now,” “1-2-3” and
“Coming Out of the Dark.”
• Mean Girls – April 11-16. It’s the musical
from book writer Tina Fey, composer
Jeff Richmond, lyricist Nell Benjamin
and director Casey Nicholas.
The story of a naïve newbie who falls
prey to a trio of lionized frenemies.
• Cats runs April 18-20. CATS tells the
story of one magical night when an
extraordinary tribe of cats gathers for
its annual ball to rejoice and decide
which cat will be reborn. Original
score by Andrew Lloyd Webber, original
scenic and costume design by
John Napier, all-new lighting design
by Natasha Katz, all-new sound
design by Mick Potter and new choreography
by Andy Blankenbuehler.
Pre-show dining is available through
Mattison’s at the Van Wezel which is
located inside the theatre. Reservations
can be made on VanWezel.org
or through the box office.
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New Music
New College
March 4 It’s Alive! A Monstrous
Circus On Frankenstein is taking
place outdoors on the Koski Plaza
with performers in the plaza and on
the balconies of the ACE Academic
Center. This is a mash-up of John Cage
and Mary Shelley, using the 1818 text
of Frankenstein as a basis for Cage’s
process turning it into a performance.
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Performance is at 8 p.m. and will last
about an hour, with no intermission,
and include a free reception either after
the concert (in the Sainer lobby) or free
food during the concert (our outdoors
events and the two in Club Sudakoff).
Tickets are $15 to the general public.
The Thursday before each concert they
offer a free Artist Conversation, with a
short performance excerpt followed by
a general discussion about everyone’s
reactions and responses.
Tickets and details at www.newmusicnewcollege.org.
Lectures
New College of Florida has its
New Topics season, with a lineup
of dynamic regional and national
speakers covering a broad range of
topics. Hosted by the New College
Foundation, the next topic is on
March 21, The Sound of the Sea:
Seashells and the Fate of the Oceans
with Cynthia Barnett.
Award-winning environmental
author Cynthia Barnett explores the
long, rich and surprisingly profound
relationship between humans and
seashells. Traveling from Florida to the
Bahamas to the Maldives, West Africa,
and beyond, Barnett uncovers the
ancient history of shells as global currency,
their use as religious and luxury
objects, and the rarely appreciated but
remarkable creatures that make them.
While shells reveal how humans
have altered the climate and the sea—
down to its very chemistry—they are
also sentinels of hope for coastal adaptation
for climate change, alternative
energy and other solutions that lie
beneath the waves.
All New Topics events are held at
Sanier Pavilion on the New College
campus at 5:30pm. For tickets, visit
ncf.edu/new-topics. For questions,
contact the New College Foundation at
foundation@ncf.edu or 941-487-4800.
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Sarasota Institute of Lifetime
Learning’s (SILL) “Global Issues”
series runs through March 31
and features experts discussing a
vast range of domestic and global
issues. The lectures are presented
on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and
Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. at the First
United Methodist Church in Sarasota;
Tuesdays at 2:30 p.m. and Fridays
at 10 a.m. at the Venice Community
Center in Venice; and Thursdays at
5 p.m. at the Cornerstone Church in
Lakewood Ranch. Lectures will also
be available for purchase on video.
The 2023 season features the popular
“Music Mondays” series, which
presents performances and lively conversations
with renowned and emerging
performers, through March 27,
on Mondays at 10:30 a.m. at Church
of the Palms in Sarasota; and Mondays
at 3 p.m. at Venice Presbyterian
Church in Venice.
On March 13, New York-based jazz
trombonist Conrad Herwig, considered
one of the world’s top jazz performing
and composing musicians,
will perform. To date, he has released
20 recordings, and has contributed to
nearly 200 other recording sessions
with some of the most notable artists
in jazz, including Miles Davis, Tito
Puente, Frank Sinatra, Joe Lovano,
Tom Harrell, among many others.
March 20 features Catherine
Wethington, a rising star of a new
generation of American coloratura
sopranos, who has dazzled audiences
in North America and Europe
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10 WEST COAST WOMAN MARCH 2023