Sinfonia Gulf Coast 2021-2022 Season Program

A CONVERSATION WITH THE CONDUCTOR Demetrius Fuller Weighs in on ‘Thrilling’ Season 16

By Zandra Wolfgram Sinfonia Gulf Coast’s 2021-2022 season lineup is big. As in big Broadway stars and singers, film cult classics, legendary bands, classical connections, blockbuster movies and more. Putting together a season that will thrill is an artform and Sinfonia Music & Artistic Director Demetrius Fuller has answered the call for the 16th time. We talked with the maestro to get the inside scoop on the upcoming season and here is what he had to say: ZW: You are kicking things off with a delicious nod to Broadway. Tell us why.

DF: September 14 we are featuring A Tribute to Broadway Featuring Shoshana Bean. We chose this date because it marks the official reopening of Broadway. We wanted to create a cabaretstyle evening and showcase a true artist who has a tie to Broadway. We have that in Shoshana Bean. From the Broadway perspective, her debut was as Shelly in the original revival cast of Hairspray, she was Idina Menzel’s replacement for Elphaba in Wicked, and most recently she was Jenna, the lead in Waitress. She's an amazing singer with No. 1 hits on Billboard, and she's been on TV and film across the gamut performing with the likes of Ariana Grande, David Foster and even Michael Jackson. Everyone says experiencing our intimate events at Seagar’s is kind of like bringing New York to our little area, so we wanted to keep that feel for sure.

ZW: Psycho in Concert (Oct. 23) is terrifying in a fabulous way. Tell us a bit about this classic thriller.

DF: We always try to make things relevant by tying in all aspects of culture, whether it's classical culture or pop culture. Everybody knows the Alfred Hitchcock film Psycho. This was a fun opportunity to stage a classic film and concert in the Mattie Kelly Cultural Arts Village the week before Halloween. The famous shrill, spine-tingling sound in the film score is accomplished solely by strings, so we will be featuring Sinfonia’s string players performing live which will surely amplify the terrorizing moments that captivated movie buffs from the start.

ZW: November 13 you are featuring the Classical Mystery Tour a tribute to The Beatles.

Now, that’s a great way for everyone to “come together.” sinfonia gulf coast | 29