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ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2015
YOUROBSERVER.COM
SCENE & HEARD
Roman Coppola
Ringling College’s new film focus
Composing and performing classical music since he was 13 years old, Jerry Bilik hopes to bring classical music to a whole new generation of audiences.
One of the most groundbreaking families in all of cinema helped usher in a new chapter in Sarasota's film community on Saturday. Roman Coppola, an Academy Award-nominated screenwriter, producer and director, who helped create films and TV series including “Moonrise Kingdom,” “On The Road” and “Mozart in the Jungle,” led the groundbreaking ceremony for the Ringling College of Art and Design's new Soundstage. Located on the corner of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Cocoanut Avenue, the new 30,000-square-foot film production facility will give students in the college's Studio Lab program access to film-industry professionals. The facility will allow students to work with stars such as Dylan McDermott, Marisa Tomei, Spike Lee, Ann Roth and Ed Burns.
If ain’t Baroque, fix it
Michael Donald Edwards
Nick Reichert
Composer Jerry Bilik is on a mission to put classical music back in the mainstream by appealing to listeners — not musicians.
When writing original music, Bilik uses the modus lascivus system. It expands what composers can do on the page without sacrificing sound.
NICK REICHERT A+E EDITOR
J
erry Bilik has never been a fan of modern classical music. In his opinion, at the start of the 20th century, composers stopped writing for their audience, and started writing for themselves and other experts. In an effort to be more innovative, composers strayed from the traditional, sweeping symphonies listeners loved and gravitated toward more daring, dissonant sounds. PAGE 2
Theatrical equality On Nov. 21, Equality Florida, the state’s primary advocacy group for LGBT rights and awareness, honored one of Sarasota’s leading artistic voices. Michael Donald Edwards, producing artistic director for the Asolo Repertory Theatre, was honored with Equality Florida's highest honor, the Voice for Equality Award. Edwards was selected for this honor because of his OUT@AsoloRep initiative, which brings members of the local lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community together for a night of theater.