David Joaceus, 15, from Miami practices on his French horn during practice for the joint concert between the Greater Miami Youth Symphony Concert Orchestra and Youth Orchestra of Palm Beach County. CHRIS CUTRO/For the Miami Herald

By SALVATORE FAZIO

When Sara Arevalo started playing the violin at 8, she learned to express her feelings through the emission of sound. Now at 13, she is exploring a new facet of her musical growth: being part of an orchestra through the Greater Miami Youth Symphony.

"It’s going to be exciting to play with the orchestra," said Arevalo during a recent Sunday afternoon rehearsal. "It’s kind of a new way to expand my horizons."

Arevalo will be one of more than 300 of South Florida’s most promising young musicians who will take the stage at Florida International University’s Wertheim Performing Arts Center on Sunday when the Greater Miami Youth Symphony and the Youth Orchestra of Palm Beach County join forces for their third annual Youth Orchestra Collaboration Concert.

The concert:

* Florida International University Wertheim Performing Arts Center, 11200 S.W. Eight St., Miami

* 4 p.m. Sunday, March 21

* $15 adults, $7 seniors and students; available only at the door

Greater Miami Executive Director Melissa Lesniak, 32, said the concert will showcase six segment orchestras from both groups playing side by side to take on a musically diverse program.

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Zubin Mehta and Sir Neville Marriner will be among classical music’s bright lights who’ll be part of the Kravis Center’s “Music at Eight” and “Music at Two” concert series for 2010-11.

Mehta will conduct the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra on Feb. 20, 2011, while Marriner will lead the New World Symphony on Feb. 18, 2011.

Others performing include the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra, Sir James Galway and the Deutsche State Philharmonic.

All Regional Arts concerts will feature a “Beyond the Stage” lecture by Sharon McDaniel an hour and 15 minutes before concert time. The classical music journalist will provide background information about the concert and discuss elements of interest to all audience members, from music novices to experts.
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Renee Fleming in the role of 'Thais' at the Metropolitan Opera. (Photo by Brigitte Lacombe / Metropolitan Opera)

She’s one of the world’s most celebrated sopranos, with three Grammy awards and nearly a two-decade tenure at the Metropolitan Opera to her credit.

So what does Renee Fleming consider her really crowning achievement?

Having a dessert created in her honor by celebrity chef Daniel Boulud of New York and Palm Beach fame.

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By GREG STEPANICH
Special to The Palm Beach Post
The Palm Beach Opera’s production of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Don Giovanni, which opens today, is a presentation of one of the seminal operas in history, a work that has held a special fascination for audiences, composers and singers since its first performance in Prague in 1787.
But this Don Giovanni also marks a departure for the West Palm Beach opera company in that it will be the U.S. debut of the Italian director Stefano Poda, whose rethought, boldly imaginative productions of Massenet’s Thaïs (for Turin’s Teatro Regio) and Verdi’s Falstaff (for the Royal Opera of Wallonia in Liège, Belgium) have singled out the 39-year-old as one of the hottest young up-and-coming directors in all of opera.
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By MARCIO BEZERRA

And lo, Detroit’s tradition of quality and excellence shone above all others — at least musically.

After a string of mediocre concerts by some famous foreign orchestras, the Regional Arts Concert Series on Wednesday presented a nearly perfect concert by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts.

Led by distinguished conductor Leonard Slatkin, the group impressed with its powerful sound, overall cohesion and attention to detail.

The evening started with a thrilling rendition of Le Corsaire Overture, Op. 21 by Hector Berlioz. A great example of early romanticism, this boisterous score is demanding to all sections of the orchestra and the group tackled it head on, with an intrepid approach that would characterize the entire concert.

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By JOSEPH YOUNGBLOOD

Programming early works by composers who later became famous sounds like an interesting idea. It was, in fact, the basis of the concert presented by the Amelia Piano Trio Tuesday before a capacity audience at the Flagler Museum.

Trios by the 17-year-old Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975), the 18-year-old Claude Debussy (1862-1918), and the 19-year-old Frederic Chopin (1810-1849) made up the program.

The 10-year-old Amelia Trio is composed of pianist Rieko Aizawa, violinist/violist Anthea Kreston, and cellist Jason Duckles. Inquiring musicologists will be interested to learn that Duckles is the grandson of Vincent Duckles (1913-85), a hero to all musicologists. Aizawa has blazing technique and strong fingers. She seemed to dominate the ensemble, even overpowering the others at times. Both Kreston and Duckles had sweet tones, but not the powerful and brilliant sound heard in other groups. The trio had top-notch ensemble, though the balance was sometimes marred by the volume level of the piano.

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By JOSEPH YOUNGBLOOD

Anyone who harbors any doubts about the future of bravura pianism should have been in the DeSantis Family Chapel of Palm Beach Atlantic University on Thursday evening. Three young pianists gave stunning performances of three piano concertos: Piano Concerto No. 9 in E Flat, K. 271 by W.A. Mozart, Piano Concerto in A Minor, Opus 16 by Edvard Grieg and Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Flat by Franz Liszt. These were not tentative, youthful performances but mature, intelligent and artistic.

The pianists were accompanied by the Palm Beach Symphony Orchestra; Philippe Entremont conducted the Mozart concerto, and David Jacobs conducted those by Grieg and Liszt. Because the space available in the chapel for the orchestra is limited, the number of strings was reduced. This put the strings at a disadvantage when trying to balance with the winds, especially when the horns were playing out. This issue aside, the orchestra was well disciplined and provided a sensitive accompaniment.

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By MARCIO BEZERRA

Bob Lappin & The Palm Beach Pops ushered in the new year with a sparkling concert at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts.

One in a series of six that will be performed in several locations this week, the Saturday presentation was a celebration of the Great American Song Book and one of its more iconic figures: Frank Sinatra.

The program started with an energetic medley of George Gershwin’s tunes (”Lady Be Good”, “Fascinating Rhythm”, “The Man I Love”, “I Got Rhythm”, among others) performed with aplomb by the orchestra.

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