Look up raconteur in the dictionary, and you just may find a picture of Michael Francis staring at you. Francis, music director of The Florida Orchestra, is a charming Englishman whose posh accent only serves to highlight a playful public-speaking style when holding forth on an evening’s music program or other musical matters. His enthusiasm…
A Year of Milestones St Petersburg’s beautiful and beloved waterfront theater known simply as “the Mahaffey” among locals, but more formally as the Duke Energy Center for the Arts — Mahaffey Theater, celebrates its 60th year in 2025. In January, Bill Edwards, the business juggernaut and noted philanthropist at its helm for nearly a decade…
In St. Petersburg where sun-soaked walls double as canvases and creativity spills onto every corner, one figure has persistently left his mark. Chad Mize, with an unmistakable style and determined vision, has become the bandleader of the St. Petersburg art scene. If this city has a patron saint or guiding hand, it would be him:…
of the Photographer as Photo Laureate The persons asking and answering the questions are both photographers, the former Photo Laureate and current Photo Laureate of St Petersburg. To make a portrait of what it means to be practitioners of this way of seeing, its degrees of perspective, they have agreed to opposite sides of the…
If you haven’t noticed, historic Ybor City in Tampa is experiencing a renaissance. Every day, something new seems to open—restaurants, coffee shops, apartment buildings, and businesses of all kinds. While the nightlife and clubs remain, the district now offers a broader range of experiences, particularly in the arts. At the heart of this cultural revival…
A New Destination for Contemporary Art in Tampa Tampa’s contemporary art scene continues to evolve, and the newly opened Drew Marc Gallery is adding fresh energy to the city’s growing cultural landscape. Located in the former Flying Fish Bike Shop on South MacDill Avenue, the gallery sits in the same plaza as Enoteca Wine Storage,…
As Larry David might say, The Florida Orchestra is pretty, pretty, pretty good. If that sounds like damning with faint praise, let me quickly make amends: TFO – its acronymic branding — is arguably the top symphony orchestra in Florida and one of the leading regional ensembles in the Southeast. Certainly, its $14 million annual…
The Florida Museum of Photographic Arts (FMoPA) is excited to announce the opening of the call for entries for the 2025 International Photography Competition. Now in its 14th year, this prestigious competition invites photographers from around the world to submit their work for a chance to be featured in an exclusive exhibition hosted at the…
The stench of grief, loss and shock are everywhere permeating the area with smells of red tide and salt waterthat had crept into places that were never meant to know water in that way. Private areas of people’s livesbrutally exposed on their front lawns.Furniture strewn about, floorboards, kitchen cabinets, waterlogged stuffed animals a piano that still had songs…
Robin O’Dell – How long have you been in St. Pete? I have known you in passing for a long time, but I don’t really know that much about you. I assume others may not either. Leslie Curran – I was born and raised in St Pete. My father was also a native. When people…