February 2017 Cultural Offerings

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Looking Over Harvey’s Pond, Wolf Kahn.

American Master

Marianne Friedland Gallery presents “Wolf Kahn–An Exploration of Color” during a special exhibition February 4-28. It features the work of German-born American master Kahn, whose captivating paintings combine realism with the Color Field style of art.

At 89 years of age, Wolf Kahn is widely considered the preeminent landscape painter and colorist working in America today. This outstanding exhibition will feature works spanning a period of 35 years and pay homage to this important American colorist.”—Morley Greenberg, Director, Marianne Friedland Gallery


Art of the Heart

Love provides eternal inspiration for the arts. As February warms hearts with the approach of Valentine’s Day, sentiment turns sweet. February 8, CAPA presents A Musical Valentine, a trumpet and vocal ode to love by a quartet of international virtuosos.

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CAPA’S Philharmonic Bass Quintet.

For a new twist on opera, brush up on your flirting skills for Gulfshore Opera’s Speed Dating Tonight February 12 and 13 at Southwest Florida Performing Arts Center, where a comic one-act jazz opera precedes an actual speed-dating event.

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Gulfshore Opera presents Speed Dating Tonight! in February.

tz12show_amadeusCelebrating the Immortal Mozart

This year marks the 260th anniversary of the birth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Although no one needs a reason to celebrate his genius, be sure to mark these dates on your calendar:

February 3: Gulfshore Opera’s Artists in Residence program presents “Mozart—The Concert Arias and Other Rare Vocal Gems” at Artis—Naples.

February 9-19: TheatreZone stages the fictionalized play Amadeus about the composer and his covetous competitor, Salieri.


Performance Boost

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Black Diamond Burlesque Troop performers at the grand opening. (Photo by Luminaire Foto)

Performing arts in the Naples area took a giant step in June, when the Southwest Florida Performing Arts Center opened in a vacant Bonita Springs building that has been renovated and expanded by owner Brien Spina.

A familiar name in local entertainment, Spina is known for founding the long-running Off The Hook Comedy Club, which opened in Marco Island and later moved to North Naples. Gulfshore Opera’s Steffanie Pearce calls the new center a “badly needed addition to the local arts scene.”

The opera company has formed a partnership with the new venue, as did WGCU Public Media and the Southwest Florida Symphony. “We’re happy about [these partnerships],” says Spina. “People understood we are capable of [staging] that quality of performance.”

The SWFL PAC season’s calendar reflects Spina’s history with comedy, bringing in big-name stars such as Jackie Mason February 21, but also will showcase live music. Some of the performances package dinner with the show in the center’s stand-alone Teatro restaurant, created by celebrity chef Michael Psilakis.

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Chef Michael Psilakis. (Photo by Luminaire Foto)

“Our size is one of the biggest differences from other venues, along with flexibility of space. We’re not just 100 percent performances on a daily basis. Rather than having permanent, tiered-style seating, the venue’s [format] makes the space open for many options.” –Brien Spina, CEO, Southwest Florida Performing Arts Center

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Southwest Florida Performing Arts Center

Premieres

Beautiful—The Carole King Musical makes its Florida debut run at Artis—Naples February 7-12.

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Beautiful—The Carole King Musical comes to Naples in February as part of Artis—Naples’ Broadway Series.

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