St. Petersburg • Clearwater 2009 - (Page 46) : culture » For Music Lovers The Florida Orchestra’s season – October through May – is anchored by its Masterworks and Super Pops series of concerts. Masterworks programs spotlight the work of Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky and their ilk. During Super Pops concerts, you can hear everything from Broadway tunes to Motown. (The orchestra plays in the Mahaffey Theater and Ruth Eckerd Hall.) Classical music buffs may also want to check out the offerings of the St. Petersburg Opera Company. It will stage Franz Lehár’s The Merry Widow in January 2009. Operas are performed in St. Petersburg’s Palladium Theater, one of three architecturally significant concert venues in the city. Built in 1925, the Palladium boasts a unique Romanesque Revival style. In addition to opera, hear jazz and cabaret performances there. You’ll also enjoy the Mediterranean Revival architecture of St. Petersburg’s Coliseum, generally considered one of the South’s best ballrooms. Visit here for everything from tea dances to rock concerts. Rounding out the troika is the State Theater on Central Avenue. Dating from 1924, it serves up an outstanding Beaux Arts façade. More important to the music lover – you can listen to everything from jazz to punk, rock to ska there. Just west of downtown and about a 15-minute drive is the arts community of Gulfport, which sports its own performance space: the Gulfport Casino and Ballroom. Take swing lessons and go swing dancing, listen to country music and comedians, and, if your fox trot’s just slightly off, take ballroom dancing lessons. Mahaffey Theater. Music festivals abound. Perhaps the most significant of these is the Clearwater Jazz Holiday. Every October, this free shindig offers four days of jazz, performed by regional musicians and national headliners. Find more information about arts and culture venues starting on page 72 of this guide, or go to www.VisitStPeteClearwater.com for map tours and features. : ART TIMES TWO There’s more to see and ponder at the St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts since it more than doubled its size in 2008. The downtown museum now has more space to display its permanent collection, which is the most comprehensive collection of art on Florida’s West Coast. The assortment of fine art and antiquities spans centuries and the globe, and includes works by Monet, Renoir, Cézanne, Morisot, O’Keeffe and a long list of other renowned artists. A new glass conservatory, the architectural centerpiece of the addition, includes a cafe that serves Mediterranean cuisine and spectacular views of Tampa Bay. A Smithsonian-affiliate, the museum also hosts traveling exhibits ranging from Ansel Adams to American Arts & Crafts pottery. Enjoy browsing the art to live classical and jazz musical performances on many weekends. Museum of Fine Arts, 727-896-2667, www.fine-arts.org 46 : Th e c u l t u r e o f t h e p la c e http://www.VisitStPeteClearwater.com http://www.fine-arts.org
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