Festival of Fine Arts Events Schedule

Behind every song there is a story, sometimes a literal one and sometimes more of a metaphor. Many times, these stories take on new meaning during a performance simply due to the interaction of audience and the performers. You are invited to join FSC Artist-in-Residence, Mark Thomsen, tenor, and friends, for an evening of songs from the pop, folk, and classical genres. 

Location: Branscomb Memorial Auditorium

Cost: Free Admission, no ticket required.

In Florida, September is known not only for being hot but celebrating community. Labor Day honors the work force of this country. This holiday reminds us how connected we are to each other, our families, and our communities. We have combined the words ‘tuneful,’ which the FSC music faculty is, and community, which the FSC Music Faculty is as well, to produce TUNEITY. We come together to share our music and our love of music with you. Together with the audience, we make TUNEITY. We hope you enjoy our scintillating hot concert!  

Location: Branscomb Memorial Auditorium

Cost: Free Admission, no ticket required.

Playwright Ben Eisenberg sits in a Starbucks on the eve of the first rehearsal of his stage adaptation of Don Quixote. There’s just one problem—he hasn’t written it. He hasn’t written anything in years, and his status as a wunderkind playwright is quickly fading to a has-been hack. His agent is apoplectic, the producer’s advance is long since spent, and adapting a 1,000-page Renaissance adventure is beginning to feel a bit like tilting at windmills. But then—whether from a stroke of genius or a near-lethal dose of caffeine and Xanax—Starbucks itself begins to transform, and the errant knight arises in this delightfully theatrical and hilarious retelling of Cervantes’ classic tale.

Produced by special arrangement with THE DRAMATIC PUBLISHING COMPANY of Woodstock, Illinois.

Location: Buckner Theatre

Cost: Free for FSC Faculty, Staff, and Students. General Admission tickets: $10 child/$20 adult.

As humans, we go through many different types of change throughout our lives. This evening’s choral performance will highlight some of those changes that life brings, the choices we often face, and even some of the more mysterious transformations we encounter. Join us for music from Ola Gjeilo to John Rutter and exploring texts across the centuries as we share in life’s adventures. 

Location: Branscomb Auditorium

Cost: Free for FSC Faculty, Staff, and Students. General Admission tickets: $5 child/$10 adult

Formed in Berlin, Germany in 2003 by Annette von Hehn (violin), Thomas Hoppe (piano) and Stefan Heinemeyer (violoncello) the ATOS Trio has established itself as one of the finest piano trios performing before the public today.

After intensive studies with Ilan Gronich, Menahem Pressler and the Alban Berg Quartet, the Trio won the Deutsche Musikwettbewerb, the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson International Trio Award and the Melbourne Chamber Music Competition. A New Generation Artists Award from the BBC and a Borletto Buitoni Award soon followed.

Since then, the ATOS Trio has performed in many of the world's prestigious halls - at Carnegie Hall New York, Teatro Colon Buenos Aires, Wigmore Hall London, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam and the Berlin Philharmonic Kammersaal, to name but a few - with a repertoire that includes all the piano trio masterworks as well as many a lesser known treasure and contemporary pieces.

Location: Branscomb Memorial Auditorium

Cost: Free for FSC Faculty, Staff, and Students. General Admission tickets: $10 child/$20 adult.

You are invited to enjoy this unique musical program under a recreated canopy of stars performed by our talented band and jazz ensemble. Built from various genres and structured in a way that is pleasing to the eye and the ear, please sit back, relax, and enjoy this evening of music that will move you to a better place.

Location: Branscomb Auditorium

Cost: Free for FSC Faculty, Staff, and Students. General Admission tickets: $5 child/$10 adult.

Dive into a mesmerizing musical journey with 'Fire and Water,' a concert program that explores the elemental forces of nature through captivating compositions. Experience the whimsical and satirical tale of 'Orpheus in the Underworld' by Jacques Offenbach, where mythological figures dance amidst comedic chaos. Delve into the evocative sounds of 'Water Concerto' by Tan Dun as the orchestra explores the fluidity and resonance of this essential element. Journey back in time with selections from George Frideric Handel's majestic 'Water Music,' evoking the grandeur and elegance of Baroque splendor. Conclude your voyage with the spellbinding 'Suite from the Firebird' by Igor Stravinsky, where the mythical creature's fiery spirit ignites the imagination with its vivid and dramatic melodies. Join us for an evening of musical enchantment, where fire and water converge in a symphony of elemental beauty. 

Location: Branscomb Auditorium

Cost: $29-$49 per person

We invite you to join us for the FSC Dance Program's highly anticipated annual fall dance concert, FSC|Dance: Fall Into Dance 2024. Prepare to be captivated as we present a dynamic showcase of choreography curated by FSC faculty and guest artists, including repertory by the renowned Carolyn Dorfman Dance company and an original work by acclaimed choreographer Theresa Jimmerson. From ballet to contemporary modern dance, immerse yourself in a spectrum of new and diverse movements brought to life by the exceptional students of the FSC Dance Program. Anticipate an evening brimming with excitement and artistic expression.

Location: Branscomb Memorial Auditorium

Cost: Free for FSC Faculty, Staff, and Students. General Admission tickets: $10 child/$20 adult.

Two retired nuclear scientists reside in an isolated cottage by the sea as the world around them crumbles. Together they are going to live forever on yogurt and yoga until an old friend arrives with a frightening request. This play discusses climate change and explores the responsibility we have to future generations.

Location: Frank Lloyd Wright Theatre-in-the-Round

Cost: Free for FSC Faculty, Staff, and Students. General Admission tickets: $10 child/$20 adult.

Featuring the FSC Symphony Band, directed by J. Jossim, with the FSC Jazz Ensembles, directed by Jeffrey Benatar, this non-stop kaleidoscope of music resounds with a fast-paced blend of classical, jazz, rock, and popular tunes, including arrangements by some of your favorite composers.

Location: Branscomb Auditorium

Cost: Free for FSC Faculty, Staff, and Students. General Admission tickets: $5 child/$10 adult.

Join us for an evening of beautiful chamber music. Featuring both the FSC Chamber Singers and Orchestra, the audience will experience some of the most beautiful chamber music written for these ensembles. A beautiful arrangement of Czardas by Monti for Tuba and String Orchestra will be performed by FSC Tuba and Euphonium Professor, Andrew Salle. At the end of the evening, both groups will join forces to perform music by Gorczycki and Fauré. 

Location: Branscomb Auditorium

Cost: Free for FSC Faculty, Staff, and Students. General Admission tickets: $5 child/$10 adult.

The winner of eight Tony Awards, Spring Awakening explores the journey from adolescence to adulthood with a poignancy and passion that is illuminating and unforgettable. Set in 1891 Germany, this musical is an electrifying fusion of morality and rock and roll that explores the trials and tribulations of growing up. For mature audiences.

Spring Awakening is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com

Location: Buckner Theatre

Cost: Free for FSC Faculty, Staff, and Students. General Admission tickets: $10 child/$20 adult.

In this season of giving thanks, the Chamber Singers and Concert Choir come together for an evening of music about our own gratitude for the blessings in life. With highlights from classical masterworks of Haydn, Handel, and Mozart, alongside contemporary composers, this evening will surely bring you joy and remind you of all that we must be grateful for. 

Cost: Free for FSC Faculty, Staff, and Students. General Admission tickets: $5 child/$10 adult.

The FSC Jazz Ensemble features Jazz Guest Artist-in-Residence, Lewis Porter, Ph.D., a Grammy-nominated pianist, and composer on 38 albums with Dave Liebman, John Patitucci, Terri Lyne Carrington, and many others, as well as a celebrated author, researcher, and educator.

Location: Branscomb Memorial Auditorium

Cost: Free for FSC Faculty, Staff, and Students. General Admission tickets: $5 child/$10 adult.

Director of Jazz Studies Jeffrey Benatar collaborates with Jazz Guest Artist-in-Residence Lewis Porter for a two-piano concert. Lewis Porter, P.h.D., is a Grammy-nominated pianist and composer on 38 albums with Dave Liebman, John Patitucci, Terri Lyne Carrington, and many others, as well as a celebrated author, researcher, and educator. 

Location: Anne MacGregor Jenkins Recital Hall

Cost: Free Admission, no ticket required.

Location: Annie Pfeiffer Chapel

The FSC Music Department combines all its musical resources to perform holiday classics in both traditional and innovative arrangements. Inspired by the holiday spirit, all ensembles from the FSC Orchestra, Symphony and Jazz Bands, and Choirs perform music for you, the audience, to help put you in the holiday mood. Select FSC students in smaller ensembles will greet you with their music as you enter Honeyman Pavilion, entertain you throughout the concert between larger numbers, and encourage you to join them in song for the sing-along at the end of the concert. Join us for this special annual Holiday Celebration! 

Location: Branscomb Memorial Auditorium

Cost: Free for FSC Faculty, Staff, and Students. General Admission tickets: $5 child/$10 adult.

Get into the holiday spirit with Toast to the Holidays, a festive concert featuring cherished classics and joyful tunes. Enjoy favorites like 'White Christmas' and 'Sleigh Ride,' along with lively overtures and a sing-along. Featuring vocalists Elizabeth Lyons, Holly Parrish, John Partain, and Tyler Campbell. This concert promises a merry celebration for all!

Location: Branscomb Memorial Auditorium

Cost: $29-$49 per person

Renée Fleming joins local researchers and medical professionals to examine and discuss the effects of music and the arts on the brain and human health. World-renowned soprano Fleming is a leading advocate for the study of the powerful connections between the arts and health. Her anthology, Music and Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness, is now available from Viking/Penguin.

How can someone with Alzheimer’s be unable to recognize their own spouse, but perfectly recall songs from decades before? Why can some patients with Parkinson’s disease, unable to rise from a chair or walk through a doorway, accomplish these tasks or even dance, to the sound of a musical beat? In addition to using music to better understand the complex functioning of the brain, researchers have found arts therapies to be effective tools in addressing the effects of an ever-widening array of conditions, not only Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s, but also cardiac failure, stroke, PTSD, chronic pain, and traumatic brain injuries.

Especially compelling is the fact that music, dance, and art therapies are cost-effective, non-pharmaceutical, and non-invasive. Many can be administered in group settings, offering benefits for emotional well-being, and through tele-health, increasing accessibility. With an aging population, the potential implications of this work are immense. And the impact of arts on the developing brains of children shows effects reaching beyond scholastic aptitude to creativity and success throughout life.
New initiatives are launching rapidly, backed by the National Institutes of Health (the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world) as well as major hospitals, universities, and interdisciplinary institutions.

Location: Anne MacGregor Jenkins Recital Hall

Renée Fleming is one of the most highly acclaimed singers of our time. Honored with five Grammy® awards and the US National Medal of Arts, she has sung for momentous occasions from the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony to the Super Bowl. A 2023 Kennedy Center Honoree, she is also a Goodwill Ambassador for Arts and Health for the World Health Organization. Her anthology, Music and Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness, was published in by Viking/Penguin in April. A prominent advocate for research at the intersection of arts, health, and neuroscience, as Artistic Advisor to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Renée launched the first ongoing collaboration between America’s national cultural center and the National Institutes of Health. Other awards include the 2023 Crystal Award from the World Economic Forum, the Fulbright Lifetime Achievement Medal, the Order of Merit from Germany, and honorary doctorates from 10 major universities.

Experience the timeless tale of courage and imagination in 'Man of La Mancha,' the beloved opera adaptation of Cervantes' classic novel, 'Don Quixote.' Follow the noble Don Quixote on his quest to defend chivalry and love against the backdrop of the Spanish Inquisition. With stirring music and unforgettable characters, this enduring masterpiece transports audiences to a world where dreams defy reality.

Location: Branscomb Memorial Auditorium

Cost: $40-75 per person

Director of Jazz Studies, Dr. Jeffrey Benatar, leads from the piano a local group of Jazz greats to highlight the music of composer, bandleader, and pianist Herbie Hancock. 

Location: Anne MacGregor Jenkins Recital Hall

Cost: Free Admission, no ticket required.

In honor of Black History Month, The Florida Southern College Jazz Program will feature classic compositions by the greatest Black Jazz composers. The concert will highlight all of FSC’s Jazz ensembles. 

Location: Branscomb Memorial Auditorium 

Cost: Free for FSC Faculty, Staff, and Students. General Admission tickets: $5 child/$10 adult.

There's magic to do when a prince learns the true meaning of glory, love, and war in Stephen Schwartz's iconic and unforgettable musical masterpiece. Winner of four 2013 Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival, this updated circus-inspired version of Pippin continues to captivate and appeal to the young at heart throughout the world. 

Location: Buckner Theater

Cost: Free for FSC Faculty, Staff, and Students. General Admission tickets: $10 child/$20 adult.

The FSC Studio Orchestra highlights the talents of the FSC Orchestra and the FSC Jazz Ensemble. Selections will combine the worlds of Jazz and Classical Music and will feature world-premiere arrangements or compositions specifically created for this large ensemble. 

Location: Branscomb Memorial Auditorium

Cost: Free for FSC Faculty, Staff, and Students. General Admission tickets: $5 child/$10 adult.

Focusing on lifting up the efforts of women in the field of composition, we will be presenting an evening of music that highlights the beauty and strength of the female perspective. With representation across time periods, continents, and styles, tonight’s concert celebrates the brilliance of women composers in choral music. 

Location: Branscomb Memorial Auditorium

Cost: Free for FSC Faculty, Staff, and Students. General Admission tickets: $5 child/$10 adult.

Join FSC faculty member and low brass performer Andrew Sallee for “Prismatic,” a recital exploring themes of color and light in musical repertoire, including original works for the euphonium and tuba, as well as transcriptions by Sallee himself from other mediums. Works by Johannes Brahms, Hidenori Arai, and Kevin Day will be included, among others. We look forward to sharing an evening of colorful music with you!

Location: Anne MacGregor Jenkins Recital Hall

Cost: Free Admission, no ticket required.

Join us for Welcome Home, a concert featuring timeless classics and captivating performances. Enjoy the exhilarating 'Overture to Zampa' and Mozart's 'Sinfonia Concertante,' with special guests as they return to their hometown of Lakeland—Carolyn Wann Bailey, Principal 2nd Violin, Nashville Symphony and Julius Wirth, Principal Viola, National Philharmonic. Then, immerse yourself in Tchaikovsky's emotional 'Symphony no. 4.' Plus, don't miss selections from our talented Beth Mason Young Artist Award recipients. Welcome home to an unforgettable evening of music!   

Location: Branscomb Memorial Auditorium

Cost: $29-$49 per person

AJ Rafael is an accomplished singer/songwriter who has amassed over 1 million subscribers on YouTube and 1 million monthly listeners on Spotify. His debut album “Red Roses” reached the iTunes and Billboard charts, and he has collaborated with artists like Tori Kelly, Jeremy Passion, Kina Grannis, and Kolohe Kai. Rafael was named a Filipino American Game Changer by the City of Los Angeles in 2018 for his contribution to the music industry as a proud Asian American independent artist. 

Location: Branscomb Memorial Auditorium

Cost: Free for FSC Faculty, Staff, and Students. General Admission tickets: $25 child/$50 adult.

A concert of favorite art songs, arias, and American standards celebrating both art and music, sung by mezzo-soprano Jenny Heidtman.

Location: The Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art, Auditorium

Cost: Free Admission, no ticket required.

Experience an exhilarating showcase of classical, contemporary, and innovative dance presented by the talented students of the FSC Dance Program during this year’s annual spring dance concert, FSC|Dance: Kinetic Connections. The first act of this program features a condensed rendition of the charming and humorous ballet "Coppelia," followed by a diverse array of original modern and contemporary choreography crafted by FSC Dance faculty and esteemed guest artists in the second act. Come and be part of this extraordinary performance celebrating the beauty and creativity of dance.

Location: Branscomb Auditorium

Cost: Free for FSC Faculty, Staff, and Students. General Admission tickets: $5 child/$10 adult.

A hard-driving Hollywood agent, her budding screen idol client, a sexy young drifter, and the drifter’s naive, needy girlfriend. The Little Dog Laughed follows the adventures of Mitchell Green, a movie star who could hit big if it weren’t for one teensy-weensy problem. His agent, Diane, can’t seem to keep him in the closet. Trying to help him navigate Hollywood’s choppy waters, the devilish Diane is doing all she can to keep Mitchell away from the cute rent boy who’s caught his eye and the rent boy’s girlfriend (wait, the rent boy has a girlfriend?). Will there be a happy ending as the final credits roll?

THE LITTLE DOG LAUGHED is presented by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, LLC, servicing the Dramatists Play Service collection (www.dramatists.com)

Location: Loca Lee Buckner Theatre

Cost: Free for FSC Faculty, Staff, and Students. General Admission tickets: $10 child/$20 adult.

While traveling to an opera conference being held in Las Vegas, a group of opera characters discover that all the hotels have been booked due to a Comic Book Convention. They get together and decide to stay together in a VRBO. Characters such as Carmen, Hansel and Gretel, Fiordiligi, Despina, Dorabella, and Lauretta (and more) all under the same roof! We invite you to discover how well they get along. 

Location: Branscomb Memorial Auditorium

Featuring all FSC Jazz Ensembles, this concert highlights music from the Jazz canon, old and new, in a variety of ensemble combinations.

Location: Branscomb Memorial Auditorium

Cost: Free for FSC Faculty, Staff, and Students. General Admission tickets: $5 child/$10 adult.

Indulge in the beauty of La Musique, a concert program filled with captivating melodies and exceptional performances. Enjoy the dynamic interplay of organ and orchestra in Eugene Gigout's 'Grand Choeur Dialogue.' Experience the harmonies of Gabriel Fauré's 'Requiem in D minor,' featuring the talented voices of the Florida Southern College concert choir. Then, immerse yourself in the rich orchestral textures of Camille Saint-Saëns' 'Symphony No. 3 in C minor,' with special guest Matthew Corl. Join us for an evening of musical delight that celebrates the power and beauty of music.

Location: Branscomb Memorial Auditorium

Cost: $29-$49 per person

When you think of “spring” a pallet of colors, tastes and sounds comes to mind. The season brings with it endless possibilities to be creative in many ways. We invite you to share our favorite musical meal carefully prepared and waiting just for you.

Location: Branscomb Auditorium

Cost: Free for FSC Faculty, Staff, and Students. General Admission tickets: $5 child/$10 adult.

Honoring our dear planet, tonight’s concert will help us to remember how precious it is. Celebrating the turning of the seasons and the joy of our beloved flora and fauna, join us for a concert of music that is sure to invoke a feeling of home and pride for our place in the solar system. 

Location: Branscomb Memorial Auditorium

Cost: Free for FSC Faculty, Staff, and Students. General Admission tickets: $5 child/$10 adult.