Symphonic Chorale to host annual Sing Out Feb. 24 & 25
Have you ever noticed that singing puts a smile on your face? It may be no more than your morning shout-out in the shower that starts your day off right, or perhaps it is your weekly choir rehearsal. If you love to sing, the Symphonic Chorale of Southwest Florida has an opportunity to do just that. Mark your calendars for the 4th Annual Sing Out Southwest Florida Choral Festival Feb. 24 and 25. No auditions are necessary, just bring along that love of singing. All community singers are invited, as well as high school and college student singers and visitors to the southwest Florida area who miss their regular singing experience and would love to devote a weekend to the choral art form. Sing Out! will be held at the newly opened New Hope Presbyterian Church at 10051 Plantation Road in Fort Myers, conveniently located for singers from Fort Myers and all neighboring communities. Sing Out begins with a workshop at 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 24. The workshop will continue on Saturday Feb. 25, along with a morning and afternoon rehearsal. A festival concert (open to the public) will be the culmination of these efforts and will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 25, complete with all Sing Out participants, soloists and instrumentalists. Sing Out has been attracting a wider audience as it grows every year. Sing Out 2016 was created around the theme of “The French Connection” and featured a total of 150 singers onstage, literally doubling the Symphonic Chorale! Not bad for a program that began as a day-long educational workshop focused on vocal skillbuilding, musicianship, articulation and breath control. Feedback, however, led to
the festival format of today’s Sing Out. Much as participant’s appreciated honing their skills, what they really wanted to do was sing. This year’s Sing Out will feature the movements of the mass, thus the theme “Mass Appeal” and favorite movements have been chosen from well-known masses. The repertoire includes the Kyrie from Schubert’s Mass in G Minor, The Gloria from Haydn’s Mass in Time of War, Credo from Robert Ray’s Gospel Mass, the Sanctus and Benedictus from Mozart’s Requiem and the Agnus Dei and the Dona Nobis from Bach’s B Minor Mass. As if that list of beautiful music wasn’t enough to convince you to sign up for Sing Out, consider this. Singing is also good for you. Singing has been researched and proven to lower stress, relieve anxiety and elevate endorphins, a hormone linked to feelings of pleasure. In a Time magazine article from August 2013 by Stacy Horn, “group singing is the most exhilarating and transformative of all. It takes something incredibly intimate, a sound that begins inside you, shares it with a roomful of people, and it comes back as something more thrilling: harmony.” Join the Symphonic Chorale of Southwest Florida at Sing Out! Community Choral Festival this month, and let your endorphins fly. Information and registration are available at www.SymphonicChorale.org . The $50 registration includes music, snacks/water, lunch on Saturday, and one free festival concert ticket. High school and college student singers may register free of charge thanks to sponsorship by the L.A.T. Foundation.
Funk Fest Punta Gorda set for March 3 & 4
Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk is set to headline the 8th Annual Funk Fest Punta Gorda along with 14 other national acts March 3 and 4. There will be two stages and 15 bands including funk powerhouse from Colorado, The Motet, Tim Reynolds and TR3 from The Dave Matthews Band, Here Come The Mummies, Grammy winner Big Sam’s Funky Nation, reggae superstars Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, New Orleans Funk Naughty Professor, The Fritz, Voodoo Visionary, Greg Billings Band, The Black Honkey’s, Walker Lukens, Black Taxi from Brooklyn, NY, Das Funk Haus, and Soulixer. The event will also incorporate a food truck village, more than 15 eclectic ven-
dors and more. Funk Fest Punta Gorda will take place at City Marketplace in Historic Downtown Punta Gorda. Doors open at 3 p.m. on Friday, March 3 and 1 p.m. on Saturday, March4. There are exciting ticket options from weekend passes to VIP experiences. Get your tickets at www.FunkFestPuntaGorda.com
HAPPENINGS Arts & Entertainment MAGAZINE
FEBRUARY 2017
35