SYMPHONY GETS $10K FROM NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS

Florida Department of Transportation’s new Statewide Aviation Economic Impact Study values Key West International Airport’s total economic impact at $1.6 billion, up from $857 million in its 2019 report.

The FDOT profile attributes more than 11,000 jobs to EYW when including the visitor spending component, supplier sales and other jobs that result directly and indirectly from the airport’s success. FDOT also attributes a $527 million payroll to EYW, which reflects the total compensation for work, including gross wages, salaries, employerprovided benefits, and taxes paid to the government on behalf of employees. The full report is expected to be published in April.

Richard Strickland, director of airports, gave Monroe County Commissioners an overview of the report at the regular meeting of the BOCC on Jan. 18.

“Once again, these numbers reflect continued growth at Key West International Airport. The future is bright,” he said.

In 2022, 1.4 million passengers traveled through EYW, topping 2019’s record of 969,069 thanks to growing service.

— Contributed

South Florida Symphony Orchestra (SFSO), celebrating 25 years of musical performance, has been approved by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for a $10,000 grant to support its educational initiative, “Preserving Our Coral Reef: Teams of Success.”

This grant is one of 1,251 grants for arts projects awards totaling nearly $28.8 million that were announced by the NEA as part of its first round of fiscal 2023 grants.

“The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support arts projects in communities nationwide,” said NEA chair Maria Rosario Jackson. “Projects such as South Florida Symphony Orchestra’s ‘Preserving Our Coral Reef: Teams of Success’ strengthen arts and cultural ecosystems, provide equitable opportunities for arts participation and practice, and contribute to the health of our communities and our economy.”

Through multimedia, props, costumes and narration, SFSO’s musicians, led by music educator Donna Wissinger, shine a light on the plight of Florida’s more than 350 miles of coral reef in the “Preserving Our Coral Reef: Teams of Success” initiative. Wissinger explains the environmental stressors that have created the precarious situation and brings hope for the future with the concept of coral micro-fragmentation, a process discovered by marine scientist David Vaughan, in which a large healthy coral can be broken into smaller pieces. These plugs quickly grow into larger corals and are transplanted back onto the reef. The program is set to an emotional score by composer Robert Kerr.

“South Florida Symphony Orchestra is thrilled to receive this meaningful grant for the first time which will allow us to continue our mission of educating future generations of ecological preservationists, explorers and musicians,” said Jacqueline Lorber, president and CEO of South Florida Symphony Orchestra. “This initiative, set to tour in the tri-county area, is part of our ongoing commitment to Symphony in the Schools, which focuses on critical STEAM programming. ‘Preserving Our Coral Reef’ may just inspire the next Jacques Cousteau.”

The program was scheduled for Coral Shores and Key West high schools on Jan. 26 & 27 and the Miami Beach Bandshell on Feb. 28. Additional dates in Broward and beyond will be announced.

Since its founding, SFSO’s signature music education program, Symphony in the Schools, has reached over 100,000 students from underserved communities and has provided more than $3.5 million in services and resources in the past five years. The curriculum uses thematic music education programming including a ‘Power of Perseverance’ presentation highlighting impactful young people from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds who strive to make a difference, and masterclass components that work with children side-by-side to improve musicianship.

More information on other projects included in the NEA’s grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.

More information about South Florida Symphony Orchestra is at southfloridasymphony.org, 954-522-8445 or via email to info@southfloridasymphony.org.