Tag: 2/17/26

South Florida Symphony Orchestra Presents Joachim, Simon, Mozart and Rimsky-Korsakov at New World Center 2/17/26

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South Florida Symphony Orchestra Presents Joachim, Simon, Mozart and Rimsky-Korsakov at New World Center
Tuesday, 02/17/2026-, 07:30 pm-09:30 pm
New World Center
500 17th Street,
Miami Beach, Florida, 33139
Website
Cost: Tickets start at $35 (plus fees)

Timeless classics meet bold new voices as South Florida Symphony Orchestra (SFSO), led by award-winning music director Maestra Sebrina María Alfonso, celebrates Black History Month with a standout program. SFSO will present the anticipated Florida premiere of GRAMMY® nominee Nathalie Joachim’s Had to Be, an intimate exploration of memory and identity, performed by rising cellist Seth Parker Woods and the orchestral premiere of Carlos Simon’s Four Black American Dances, a vibrant work filled with spiritual depth. Completing the program, Mozart’s “Haffner” symphony bursts with celebratory energy and elegant precision, while Rimsky-Korsakov’s crowd-pleasing Capriccio espagnol sparkles with irresistible Spanish rhythms at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 17, at New World Center in Miami Beach (500 17th Street). Enjoy a pre-concert chat with Dr. Alan Mason, professor emeritus of music at Barry University, 30 minutes before the concert, featuring in-depth conversation and insights about the works and composers.

Haitian American composer Nathalie Joachim’s Had To Be draws on Black Dandyism – a cultural movement blending European and Black American male fashion to convey style, status, and identity – as well as broader African diasporic influences, including Caribbean musical traditions and New Orleans second line celebrations. The three-movement concerto was written for three-time GRAMMY-nominated cellist Seth Parker Woods, described by The Guardian as “a cellist of power and grace” with “mature artistry and willingness to go to the brink.”

Had to Be is positive, prideful, and radical all at once. It represents the perpetually colorful and complex intersections between race, class, gender, power, and style. It honors what it means to be Black and continuously choosing to be free. By coincidence, or perhaps to no surprise, Woods has topped the Best Dressed Lists in Variety, Texas Monthly, and OC Register.

Cellist Seth Parker Woods is a versatile artist and advocate for contemporary music, having premiered numerous concertos written for him, including works by Tyshawn Sorey, Julia Adolphe, and Rebecca Saunders, in addition to Nathalie Joachim’s Had To Be. His GRAMMY-nominated, autobiographical work Difficult Grace has been performed to critical acclaim at major venues including 92NY, CAP UCLA, and the San Diego Symphony. Woods has appeared at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and Konzerthaus Dortmund, among others. Since 2022, he has served on the faculty of USC Thornton School of Music and was appointed Robert Mann Chair in Strings and Chamber Music in 2024. He has also held residencies with the Kaufman Music Center and Seattle Symphony and received the 2022 Chamber Music America Michael Jaffee Visionary Award.

SFSO is also proud to present its orchestral premiere of Four Black American Dances from GRAMMY-nominated African American composer, Carlos Simon, the composer-in-residence for the John F. Kennedy Center.

Adding to the varied program, SFSO will perform Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Symphony No. 35 “Haffner,” a four-movement vibrant, celebratory symphony written in 1782, to honor Mozart’s friend, Sigmund Haffner, and his rise to nobility in Salzberg.

Concluding the evening is the crowd-pleasing Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio espagnol, based on Spanish folk songs and dances, and filled with vibrant rhythms that whisk audiences off to exotic, far-off places of the imagination.

SFSO’s 28th season of “Juxtapositions” explores beauty in contrasts, where the bold and the sublime intersect, and timeless masterpieces share the stage with today’s most compelling and celebrated musical voices. This season’s performances burst with color and power from the sun-drenches skies of Mendelssohn’s “Italian” to Sibelius’ soul-searching Violin Concerto to Beethoven’s luminous Piano Concerto No. 4 and Dvořák’s Bohemian Eighth.

Tickets are now on sale beginning at $35 (plus ticketing fees). Buy tickets online at southfloridasymphony.org; by phone at (305) 673-3331; or in-person at the New World Center Box Office. Discounted Flex Passes are available by visiting southfloridasymphony.org/2025-26-season or by calling (954) 522-8445. Flex subscribers save up to 15% off single ticket prices and have the flexibility to use passes when it best fits their schedule.

For additional information, visit southfloridasymphony.org, call (954) 522-8445 or email info@southfloridasymphony.org.

“Shifting Perspectives,” an Art and Photography Exhibit honoring Black History Month at History Fort Lauderdale 2/1/26 – 2/28/26

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“Shifting Perspectives,” an Art and Photography Exhibit honoring Black History Month at History Fort Lauderdale
Sunday, 02/01/2026-02/28/2026, 10:00 am-04:00 pm
New River Inn
231 SW Second Avenue,
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 33301
Website
Cost: This exhibit is free. Admission is required for other museum access. $15 for adults; $12 for seniors; and $7 for students (through age 22 with a valid student ID). Free for members, military personnel, and children aged six and under.

History Fort Lauderdale, committed to preserving our collective heritage, promoting historical literacy, and fostering a sense of pride and stewardship for the vibrant tapestry of our region’s history, is proud to present “Shifting Perspectives,” a new art and photography exhibit honoring Black History Month. This year’s free annual exhibit will feature works rooted in social justice, the Black experience, women’s stories, and nature from artist Constance Ivana plus archival photographs from the History Fort Lauderdale collection and an art show and sale from Dillard Center for the Arts’ Advanced Placement (AP) students and instructors, from February 1 – 28. A meet and greet with the artists will take place on Sunday, February 1, at from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., at the New River Inn Museum of History building on History Fort Lauderdale’s campus.

History Fort Lauderdale artist-in-residence Constance Ivana is passionate about creating bold, vibrant works of art that spark reflection, conversation, and joy. Her creative journey is fueled by a desire to connect people through art—whether it’s through large-scale murals, interactive art workshops, or painting parties that bring communities together. Her pieces blend acrylic paint, spray paint, wood, and mirrors that not only transform spaces but also remind us that art heals and reflection fosters growth. She aims to make art accessible, meaningful, and powerful, while inspiring others to discover their own creativity.

The archival photography component chronicles African American life in South Florida from the 1900s through the 1960s. From family and school life to segregation, peaceful protests and triumphs, the selected photos offer insight how our community has evolved and overcome. Curated by Dillard instructor Celestin Joseph, the advanced placement student showcase illustrates a cultural reflection of today’s issues as see through the lens of upcoming young artists.

Joseph received his master’s in fine arts in painting from the University of Pennsylvania. He received a bachelor’s in fine arts, cum laude, from the University of Hartford as a painting major, with an art history minor, and concentrations in printmaking and graphic design studies. Joseph also received a prestigious Yale/Norfolk Art and Music Scholarship to further his studies. Currently, he is teaching Advanced Placement studio art classes at his alma mater Dillard Center for the Arts where he has been strengthening the visual arts program since 1999.

History Fort Lauderdale’s “Shifting Perspectives” exhibit is sponsored by the following funds at the Community Foundation of Broward: Jan and Ed Crocker Unrestricted Fund, Leo M. and Alice J. Rutten Fund, and The Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation Broward Community Fund. Additional funding is provided, in part, by Broward County Board of County Commissioners as recommended by the Broward County Cultural Council and Visit Lauderdale.

History Fort Lauderdale offers a variety of engaging multicultural experiences throughout the year. It seeks to bring awareness to the community through both traveling exhibits and multiple permanent displays including “Women Trailblazers,” “Fort Lauderdale – the Early Years,” “Roots of Resilience: The Journey of Black Broward,” “From Dugouts to Dream Yachts: The Story of Boatbuilding Along the New River,” “Seminole Arts & Culture,” “New River Archaeology,” “Viva Fort Lauderdale: Celebrating Hispanic Art & Culture,” “The Growth and History of the Broward County Sheriff’s Office,” and “Take PRIDE, a Retrospective on LGBTQ Life in South Florida.”

History Fort Lauderdale is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with docent-guided tours offered daily at 1, 2, and 3 p.m. Group walking tours are available upon special request. Admission is $15 for adults; $12 for seniors; and $7 for students (through age 22 with a valid student ID). Admission is free for members, military personnel, and children aged six and under. Tickets are available online at HistoryFortLauderdaleTickets.

For more information about History Fort Lauderdale, please call (954) 463-4431 or visit historyfortlauderdale.org.