Coastal Companion

Your ultimate guide to the coast

Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival 2010

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Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival, One of the Largest Classical Music Events in the Southeast takes place i Fernandina Beach, Amelia Island, Florida on  May 7-30, 2010

Amelia Island will host the ninth season of the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival, one of the largest chamber festivals in the southeastern U.S.  The Festival will feature over fifty internationally acclaimed artists and eighteen performances in different locations around around the island, including churches, an historic courthouse and one of the best preserved Civil War forts in the nation.

Christopher Rex, the Festival’s artistic director and principal cellist of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, said, “Entering its ninth season, The Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival has become a nationally recognized event, drawing music lovers from around the country. The 2010 Festival will feature a galaxy of internationally acclaimed stars, including pianists Andre Watts, and Valentina Lisitsa; The Eroica Trio; violinists Robert McDuffie and Arnold Steinhardt, formerly principal violin with the Guarneri String Quartet; cellist Andres Diaz; soprano Jessica Rivera; and The St. Lawrence String Quartet. These and other artists, combined with the unparalleled beauty of Amelia Island, are certain to make our upcoming Festival the best yet.”

The complete schedule of the 2010 Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival is available at the Festival’s web site, www.aicmf.

Highlights of the 2010 Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival include:

Pianist Valentina Lisitsa, May 7 at the Friday Musicale concert hall in Jacksonville (645 Oak Street) in a piano quintet and piano duet with her husband, Alexi Kuznetsoff; and May 16 on Amelia Island.
Described by critics as “positively dazzling” and “electrifying,” she has performed at most of the world’s most prestigious venues, including New York’s Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall, Vienna’s Musikverein and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw. Valentina had more than 80 performances in the 2009 season.

Violinist Robert McDuffie, May 13
Robert McDuffie, a Grammyâ nominated violinist, has appeared as soloist with most of the major orchestras of the world. “A New York critic recently wrote: “McDuffie is one of the finest violinists of our age.” Anotherreview from the Chicago Sun-Times commented: “The evening’s hero was the remarkable American fiddler Robert McDuffie, who plays with magnetic energy and seeming effortlessness.”

Pianist André Watts, May 14
Considered one of the greatest pianists on the international stage, André Watts burst upon the music world in 1963 at the age of 16 when Leonard Bernstein chose him to make his debut with the New York Philharmonic in their Young People’s Concerts, broadcast nationwide on CBS-TV. More than 45 years later, André Watts remains one of today’s most celebrated stars..

Jay Ungar and Molly Mason, May 18 and 19
Violinist Jay Ungar and guitarist Molly Mason composed and performed the musical hallmark of Ken Burns’ The Civil War on PBS. The couple is recognized for its timeless renditions of hard-driving Appalachian, Cajun and Celtic fiddle tunes, stirring Civil War classics, sassy songs from the golden age of swing and country, stunning waltzes, and deeply moving original compositions.

The Eroica Trio, May 23
The Eroica is one of the most sought-after trios in the world. The three women who make up the Grammy®-nominated Eroica Trio—one of the first all-female ensembles to reach the top echelon of its field—electrify the concert stage with their performances of depth and precision. “This is a superlative ensemble, producing one of the biggest and most brilliant piano trio sounds in memory,” lauded a New York music critic.

Free Concerts
As part of the Festival’s community outreach initiatives, four concerts of the 2010 season will be free of charge, including a concert in Central Park on May 16 and a Family Concert on May 29.

Tickets for the 2010 Festival can be purchased by credit card at the Festival’s website (www.aicmf.com) or 904/261-1779. Ticket prices range from $10 to $60, with most priced at $25.

Sidewalk Arts Festival Winners 2010

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The Savannah College of Art and Design held its annual Sidewalk Arts Festival Saturday, April 24, 2010, in Forsyth Park. Thousands of visitors viewed temporary chalk masterpieces created on the walkways of the historic park, and approximately 600 SCAD students competed for prizes. Over 100 SCAD alumni and more than 100 prospective students also participated in the competition. For the inaugural Cyberwalk Arts Contest, nearly 100 artists logged on for the online competition. The 2010 Festival also included three award sponsors: Gray’s Reef, American Greetings and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Savannah.
The following is a complete list of winners:
Best in Show
Madison Burger, illustration, Macungie, Pa.; Sam Spratt, illustration, San Francisco, Calif.

Individual Student
First Place: Tori Spriggs, illustration, Spanish Fort, Ala.
Second Place: Gaby Esteves, painting, Sunrise, Fla.
Third Place: Cynthia Guzman, visual communication, Mexico City, Mexico

Group—Students
First Place: Debbie Chen, industrial design, Taipei, China; Ran Wang, design management, Beijing, China; Wen-Shan Huang, industrial design, Pingtung, China; Jun Yan, interior design, Guangzhou, China
Second Place: Wei Hsin Lai, industrial design, Taipei, Taiwan; Wan-Cheng Hung, arts adminstration, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan
Third Place: Sam Miller, illustration, Charlotte, N.C.; Elyse Robichaud, illustration, Windham, Maine

Alumni
First Place: Jeremy Caldwell, B.F.A., illustration, 2009, Savannah, Ga.
Second Place: Jordan Shapot, B.F.A., illustration, 2009, Citrus Springs, Fla.
Third Place: Hannah Jackson, B.F.A., illustration, 2009, Jacksonville, Fla.

Cyberwalk Arts Contest Award—Students
First Place: Lindsay Anne Rosenberg, illustration, Saginaw, Mich.
Second Place: Joan Olkowski, graphic design, Dearborn, Mich.
Third Place: Eunlee Cho, animation, Nairobi, Kenya

Cyberwalk Arts Contest Award—Alumni
First Place: Tran Ngoc Nguyen, B.F.A., illustration, 2009, Savannah, Ga.
Second Place: Nicole Seitz, B.F.A., illustration, 1994, Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
Third Place: Jade Taylor Nellans, B.F.A., illustration, 2008, Atlas, Mich.

Gray’s Reef Best Underwater Environment Award
First Place: Ryan Sanchez, illustration, Savannah, Ga.
Second Place: Jamie Gordon, photography, Seattle, Wash.; Mariana Ruiz, fashion, Miramar, Fla.; Corie Jones, art history, Palm Beach, Fla.; Kasandra Torres, photography, Miramar, Fla.
Third Place: Leslie Martin, animation, Cincinnati, Ohio; Chelsea Deering, animation, San Antonio, Texas

American Greetings Award
First Place: Casey Crisenbery, illustration, Lebanon, Ohio
Second Place: Jayne Morgan, painting, Birmingham, Ala.

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church “Where the Spirit Meets the Art” Award
Victoria Burke, South Effingham High School, Guyton, Ga.

Drawing Minor Award
Chok-Bun Lam, illustration, Hong Kong; John Sutherland, illustration, Denver, Colo.; Clark Rogers, graphic design, Frankfurt, Germany; Moises Silva, interactive design and game development, Peabody, Mass.

Graduate Student Award
Cheng-Fang Lee, interactive design and game development, Taipei, Taiwan

Prospective Students – Undergraduate
First Place: Kendra Ashe, Rosman High School, Brevard, N.C.; Jennifer Fleming, Bryan County High School, Pembroke, Ga.
Second Place: Toan Nguyen, Groves High School, Savannah, Ga.; Shane Chapman, Rosman High School, Brevard, N.C.
Third Place: Adam Bryant, Richmond Hill High School, Richmond Hill, Ga.; Bethany Gill, Johnson High School, Savannah, Ga.
Best replica of a famous artwork: Kari Schneider, Bloomingdale, Ga.
Best use of color: Gabrielle Luppacchino, St. Vincent’s Academy, Savannah, Ga.
Best special effect or optical illusion: Alnesha West, Groves High School, Savannah, Ga.
Best nightmare: Olivia Israel, Rosman High School, Brevard, N.C.
Best comic hero: Cesar Bautista, Groves High School, Savannah, Ga.
SCAD's Sidewalk Arts Festival 2010 Best in Show winner

National Coastal Educator to Headline May 1 Fair

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Daylong Environmental Education Fair Hosted by Friends of A1A

A nationally acclaimed presenter, Michael Klubock, will serve as the guest speaker and lead a beach clean-up at the Friends of A1A Scenic & Historic Coastal Byway’s first ever Environmental Education Fair on Sat., May 1 in Marineland.

Klubock is the Founder and Executive Director of the Malibu Foundation for Environmental Education and his specialty is inspiring youth to become good stewards of the coastal environment.

The event, which is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., will be at the University of Florida Whitney Labs on the west side of SR A1A in the Town of Marineland. Registration for the free event begins at 8:30 a.m. and it is expected to draw 500 persons, ranging from environmental advocates to families and children.

Klubock said he shares with his audiences the impact that carelessness – such as leaving broken lawn chairs on the beach or cutting fishing line and tossing it into the ocean – can have on the coastal environment.

“Litter is a thing that is visible,” he said. “If people realize that one piece of trash has importance, that’s one more level of protection. We have to honor and appreciate the beauty of our environment and with that love and beauty comes protection.”

In the afternoon, Klubock will lead the event participants on a short beach clean-up that will conclude with an aerial fly over to photograph the event.

Other activities will include 14 indoor and in-the-field workshops, 40 exhibitor and vendor booths, science fair projects, environmental activities, storytelling, clowns and face-painting and music.

Friends of A1A is a non-profit organization that implements the corridor management plan for improvements along the 72-mile Scenic & Historic Coastal Byway through St. Johns and Flagler counties.

The Master of Ceremonies will be Frank Gromling, an author, radio host of “Cover to Cover” on WNZF and publisher for Ocean Publishing in Flagler Beach. Others expected to be on hand at the Fair are the Mayor of Marineland, Jim Netherton, and the President of Friends of A1A, Barbara Jenness.

Box lunches ($5) and beverages will be available on-site for a nominal charge. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

For more information about the Environmental Education Fair please visit www.scenica1a.org or call the Friends of A1A at 904.425.8055 in St. Johns County or 386.585.3679 in Flagler County.

Friends of A1A Scenic and Historic Coastal Byway protects, preserves, and enhances resources along the A1A National Scenic Byway. This citizen’s advocacy group partners with municipalities, governmental agencies and other civic groups to maintain and improve resources along the corridor.

Designated in 2002, the Byway is rich in history, nature, archeology, culture, scenery and recreation. The Friends of A1A’s efforts benefit residents and travelers alike by maintaining the identified intrinsic resources while allowing economic development.

Opening of the Beaches – Jacksonville Beach, Fl

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Summer is almost here – the weather is beautiful and it’s a perfect weekend to head for the beach. megafox nude Every year Jacksonville Beach celebrates the arrival of summer with a big party – The Opening of the Beaches. There’s a sandcastle contest on Saturday April 24th and of course a parade at 2 p.m on Sunday April 25th.

Taste of St Augustine 2010

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Savor the unique tastes of St. Augustine during this flavorful event that showcases more than 30 area restaurant’s signature dishes. All the fun takes place at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre, which will be transformed into a culinary marketplace offering the participating restaurants “signature tastes” as well as cookbooks, cooking equipment and other specialty food items.

Throughout the afternoon and evening restaurants are judged for the “best of” ‘upscale dining’, ‘ethnic tastes’, ‘family dining’, ‘desserts’, and ‘The People’s Choice Award’.

New this year is the “Race to the Taste” – A 5K run starting at Anastasia State Park and ending at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre (with an off-road course set on the park’s trails). The only 5K in St. Augustine tied to an extraordinary culinary event. Registration is $20 in advance, $25 day of.

Admission is $5 and taste tickets are $1 each with restaurants charging between 1 and 5 tickets per taste.

Saturday, Apr. 24, 2010 Noon to 8 p.m.
St Augustine Amphitheater, 350 A1A Beach Boulevard, St. Augustine, FL
904.829.3295