Diversions 6.19.14

Diversions YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, JUNE 19, 2014

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Bailey Sloan masters the center ring.

PAGE 4

Tour a home on Siesta Key with a view.

PAGES 8-9

BLACK TIE Social Studies: The Goldsmiths PAGE 10

ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT | LEGENDARY ROCKER

Pho to

by M

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by Mallory Gnaegy | A&E Editor

Some people are content with a $135 birch rocking chair from IKEA, while others prefer a $35,000 sculpted amboyna burl rocking chair.

Woodworker Parker Converse pleases the latter.

ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT COVER STORY CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, JUNE 19, 2014

// ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT: LEGENDARY ROCKER

by Mallory Gnaegy | A&E Editor (continued from page 1)

Some people are content with a $135 birch rocking chair from IKEA. Others prefer a $35,000 sculpted amboyna burl rocking chair — Parker Converse pleases the latter.

Mallory Gnaegy

“I’ve always said, ‘Someday, I’d like to create something that beautiful,’” Parker Converse says of the first time he encountered a sculptural rocking chair.

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arker Converse built his first sculpted rocking chair for his 94-year-old grandmother, Rosebud. It took him six weeks. If an angle was off one degree on one piece, the whole chair was off. It took patience, but he was proud of it. His work has only gotten better since.

When his grandmother died, the chair became his mother’s.

And when his sister had a child, she borrowed the chair. Three generations in 13 years have enjoyed the chair.

“It’s not like a couch from Robb & Stucky,” he says. “This is a really personal item and is built to last generations.”

It’s that way for every one of his chairs. Forbes described him best as a “bespoke tailor.” The chairs consist of a minimum of 72 hand-carved pieces. He adapts the arm shape, headrest shape, curve and seat to the patron’s preference. He even takes measurements to perfectly customize the chair to the owner’s shape.

Instead of having to conform one’s body to a chair, the chair’s flexible back braces conform to the person sitting in it. It’s like Goldilocks — every chair is just right.

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// ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT ferent from venture capitalism, which was what he did for the bulk of his professional career.

Converse and his wife, Louise, moved in 2001 to Sarasota from Key West, and neither could find jobs in the fields in which they wanted to work.

“I remember waking her up one morning at 3 a.m.,” he says.

“I said, ‘It’s time to make chairs.’”

He’d been thinking about creating rocking chairs since 1986.

That’s when he saw his first beautifully made rocking chair

by Sam Maloof, the ultimate authority on sculpted rockers. He found a chair maker in Virginia, Hal Taylor, who taught him the craft.

These days he can produce a chair in 10 days. He’s made more than 80 out of his Sarasota workshop at Tuttle Avenue and Hyde Park Street. Converse works from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily while listening to everything from opera to Coldplay to The Beatles. His yellow lab, Maggie, keeps him company in his office-showroom, but she hates the sound of power tools.

His showroom displays finished chairs — each has a name.

Typically, the chairs are named after former girlfriends: Pamela, Cassandra, Georgia, Katherine, Amy, Victoria, Dorothy, Valerie.

He stops naming names so as not to get in trouble.

“I gotta live with my wife,” he says with a laugh.

The chairs are high-class ladies — they cost $5,000 up to nearly $35,000 each.

“I know my chairs are expen-

13 — number of years Parker Converse has built chairs 80 — approximate number of chairs

Converse has built in his career

10 — approximate days it takes to build one chair sive,” he says, “but if someone is going to spend that kind of money on a chair, they want woods that clearly say, ‘I’m unique. I’m special. I’m a really interesting chair.’”

The lower-end woods are American hardwoods such as walnut, cherry or curly maple that come from Virginia, Pennsylvania and California. The higher-end woods are exotic tropical woods. For instance, the most expensive was amboyna burl from Laos (one of the most valuable woods in the world).

The chair he built from that wood took six months to make because the wood grows without a distinct grain.

But you can’t find his lowerend woods in hardware stores.

They come from a wood dealer who dries the wood for three years before it gets cut into 2-inch slabs and shipped across

the country. In comparison, IKEA uses particle board.

His customers appreciate craftsmanship. One was a modest man, a fourth-generation cattle rancher who lived on 2,000 acres. The man wanted a rocking chair to sit in while he led Bible study sessions at his home.

He lived in a small ranch house, where he had Converse over for dinner.

“He admitted his tastes are simple, but that he has two indulgences in life — his rocking chair and his Range Rover,” Converse says.

Converse is a craftsman by nature. His father, Courtland B. Converse, was a marine engineer who designed both the deepestdiving submarine and the first solid-wing sailboat. He built the prototypes in their home’s basement, which was so big Converse drove go-carts inside it.

YOUROBSERVER.COM // Visit our website to see a video of Parker Converse in his workshop.

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His penchant for using his own two hands, the ritual of practicing grueling patience to produce a piece of perfection, has been there all along.

“There’s no job you can’t bring

excellence to,” he says. “I don’t care if it takes more time, I just want to do the best work I’m capable of.” *** For more information on Parker Converse’s chairs, visit parkerconverse.com.

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, JUNE 19, 2014

// ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT: SPOTLIGHT

by Mallory Gnaegy | A&E Editor

BAILEY SLOAN

STEPS RIGHT UP

E

“As ringmistress, looking at everyone is more exhilarating than being on a flying trapeze or high wire. Everyone’s attention is on you,” Bailey Sloan says.

very summer, The Circus Arts Conservatory, in collaboration with The Ringling, presents the Summer Circus Spectacular. The familyfriendly show offers a variety of acts. This year, there’s a comedic clown routine from Chris Allison; a hand-balancing man, Christian Stoinev, and his dog, Scooby; quick-change act Olga and Vladimir Smirnov; and Sarasota’s very own “Queen of the Air,” Dolly Jacobs.

This year, 16-year-old Sailor Circus performer Bailey Sloan will be ringmistress. Diversions sat down with her to hear a little more about her history. Here’s what the 10th-generation performer had to say.

Photo by Mallory Gnaegy

YOUROBSERVER.COM // See a video of Bailey Sloan introducing the Summer Circus Spectacular.

!

G W N O I N W O H S

How did you get into being a circus performer?

In fourth grade I was a swimmer. I didn’t like my coach; I wasn’t advancing or making progress and said I didn’t want to do it anymore.

My dad (who used to be a circus performer) suggested I try the circus. I didn’t want to stop doing it. I love it.

Tell us about your circus heritage.

I can date it back on paper to six generations. There’s someone else (in my family) who can take it back all 10. … The thing I like to brag about the most is that my great-grandfather had the world record for the tallest stilts in the world. My family was mostly stiltwalkers.

Do you ever walk on stilts?

(In addition to being the ringmistress) I do high wire, Spanish web, cradle and flying trapeze. We have a pair of stilts for the high wire, so I may do that this year for my big senior blow out.

So, you grew up hearing circus stories? Tell us your favorite.

Sloan isn’t legally my dad’s and my last name. It’s the performing last name. My father was born in England.

His name was supposed to be King Henry Dean Barnum Yelding Sloan, but they gave my grandmother a big fuss for naming him King Henry. King Henry was a family name from my grand-

IF YOU GO Summer Circus Spectacular When: 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Tuesday through Friday; 2 and 5 p.m. Saturdays. Runs through Aug. 2.

Where: Historic Asolo Theater, 5401 Bay Shore Road Cost: Tickets $15 Info: Call 359-5700 or visit ringling.org. mother’s side. Dean was from my grandfather’s side. Barnum was a circus name (that’s why they named me Bailey).

But, because (she was flustered), she forgot to add Sloan on the paperwork. So, legally he’s just King Henry Dean Barnum Yelding and I’m Bailey Yelding.

Is this what you want to do professionally?

Yes and no. I would love to have circus in my life for a long time, but my true passion is writing. I would love to be an author, but I have to figure out if I want to perform as soon as I graduate or go to school and get a degree. … I have my whole next year of school to figure it out.

Are you excited for the show?

Yes, I’m definitely excited! I’m nervous, but I’m pumped. I want to go now. I never thought of circus as a job. It’s never been something I’ve (dreaded) like, “I don’t feel like doing this today.” It’s always something I’ve wanted to do, and I enjoy doing it. I want to keep doing it.

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THURSDAY, JUNE 19, 2014

// ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT: HIGHLIGHTS

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by Nick Friedman | Staff Writer

WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP COUNCIL PRESENTS ‘A SPECIAL IMPROV’ Benefiting Boys and Girls Clubs of Sarasota County Thursday, June 12, at Florida Studio Theatre

Photos by Nick Friedman

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THURSDAY, JUNE 19, 2014

// ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT: REVIEWS

MUSIC

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Summer Circus Spectacular WHEN: Times vary. Runs Tuesday, June 17 through August 2 WHERE: Historic Asolo Theater COST: $15 for adults and $12 for children Enjoy family-friendly comedic performances, hand-balancing acts, magic and more at this series, presented in collaboration with The Circus Arts Conservatory of Sarasota.

There was an electricity pulsing through the Opera House Saturday evening as the Sarasota Music Festival, with conductor Larry Rachleff, presented its second symphony concert and proved there’s a certain connective tissue that links music and musicians when the talent, attitude and aptitude are there.

Although this program was considered “symphonic,” there was one work on the program — Richard Strauss’ Serenade, Opus 7 — that was very much a chamber work. Led by Rachleff, faculty artists Leone Buyse, Allan Vogel, Charles Neidich, Frank Morelli and William Purvis, along with their student counterparts, performed the work, scored for pairs of flutes, oboes, clarinets and bassoons, plus four horns and a contrabassoon. This may be an early work by Strauss, but it encompasses all the beauty of his later operas and fragments of his songs; it’s ravishing in sound but as pure and perfect as the Mozart “Gran Partita” that may have inspired it. Even though it is a work for only 13 instruments, like so much of Strauss’ music, it is grand in both perception and concept. And it was played that way.

Berlioz’s Overture to “Beatrice and Benedict,” the work that opened the program, is colossal in every way. It offers difficulties for players three times the age and experience of the students in the Sarasota Music Festival, but, with Rachleff’s clear leadership, triplets were tossed off with ease and, best of all, precision and pitch were perfect. As we said last week, Rachleff knows how to treat silences, and Berlioz wrote rests into this score that, in unmusical hands, could sound like conclusions rather than connections.

Singing was what these young musicians did with their instruments. With Rachleff at the helm, they breathed through phrases, connected ideas and brought out the important themes without overwhelming inner voices.

The same magic happened in Barber’s gorgeous violin concerto. Elena Urioste, who was a student at the Sarasota Music Festival just a few years ago and has since gone on to solo with major orchestras from the New York Philharmonic to the Chicago Symphony, was the dazzling but sensitive soloist. She produced a singing line from her instrument, from the achingly beautiful opening theme to the never-ending perpetual motion of the finale. In between, the words to James Agee’s exquisite poem, “Sure on This Shining Night,” set

by Barber in a most famous song, echoed through Urioste’s playing. Barber borrowed

Elena Urioste

Courtesy

from his own song (“Sure on This Shining Night” is from his Opus 13, and the violin concerto is Opus 14). The middle movement has fragments of the poem sifting through the notes: “Sure on this shining night I weep for wonder, wandr’ing far alone, of shadows on the stars.” It’s all there, and with Urioste, the orchestra and Rachleff singing the concerto, it was truly shining.

Mozart’s Symphony No. 41, the “Jupiter,” concluded the program in grand style.

Rachleff conducted it in a way that showed its link to the future. Beethoven’s architecture and vertical voicing is firmly imprinted in Mozart’s last symphony. They’d heard each other’s music by then, and they were duly impressed and influenced.

Here, again, Rachleff breathed through the rests so the silences were incorporated into the music. This was a student orchestra playing like experienced professionals: tapering phrases, building crescendos and singing through lines with an understanding far beyond their years. Perception doesn’t always keep pace with technical talent, but Rachleff managed to bring both together. And, for an encore, he gave us 45 seconds of what he said was an incredible moment in music: repeating the double fugue and canon with five voices in the coda, bringing everything in the “Jupiter” together as only Mozart (with a little help from Rachleff, the inspiration of youth and, possibly, the muse of Beethoven) could do.

— June LeBell

YOUROBSERVER.COM // Visit our website to read film critic Pam Nadon’s review of “The German Doctor.”

For a list of local ev ents, or to submit your own, visit ThisWeekI nS

arasota.com/calen da

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// ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT: REVIEWS

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the vocal stylings of Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Robert Goulet and, yes, Elvis (not flat-out imitations, but loving homage). We discover (via multiple examples) that Stephen Sondheim truly digs the baritone voice. But, for reasons unknown, sometime in the early Clinton era, Sondheim winds up in a pop music minority — as baritones fall from the pop charts and high-voiced male singers rise. Why? Here, Kudisch opens it up for audience input.

“Name a contemporary Broadway musical with a popular baritone aria,” he demands. After much mumbling, the answers return: “Les Miserables” and “Ragtime.”

That’s about it.

As Kudisch points out, “The age of the castrato has returned.”

But have no fear.

This uncommon performance of the common man’s voice electrifies all ears.

Like wide ties and sideburns, each scorned style eventually returns in heroic force. Judging by this revue, the baritone is due for a comeback.

If Kudisch and company have any say in the matter, now would be a good time.

They’ve made their voices heard.

— Marty Fugate

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“Baritones Unbound” is making a joyful noise in the latest Asolo Rep production.

The baritones in question: Broadway heavyweight Marc Kudisch and opera contenders Mark Delavan and Jeff Matsey — fine singers, all. We’ll get back to them in a minute but, first, let’s deal with the title: “Baritones Unbound.”

The title begs a question we can’t ignore: What is a baritone?

Well, according to the public domain authority of the “Encyclopedia Britannica,” “A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice types. It is the most common male voice.”

“Most common?” To Kudisch, the chief creator of this musical history lesson, those are fighting words. And being defined as the vocal range between two other vocal ranges? He didn’t care for that either. (Attentive readers will note: He is a part of the baritonal trio.) This revue is Kudisch’s considered response.

Though “revue” doesn’t hit the nail on the head.

It’s a “greatest hits” compendium of baritone brio, true. But it’s also shamelessly trying to make you root for the baritone team. Director David Dower and Musical Director Timothy Swain pull out all the stops and do exactly that — creating a sonic wall of pure persuasion. On top of that, it’s also a captivating aural history lesson.

The first act unfolds in an all-purpose baroque waiting room: its digital walls flashing images of composers and translations as the music demands (excellent production design by Alexander V. Nichols).

The vocal action kicks off in the Dark Ages and takes us up to the invention (or reinvention) of polyphony and harmony at the dawn of the Renaissance. It’s all church music, up to that point. But commedia dell’arte performers quickly steal the church style and take it to the streets.

Somewhere along the line, the emerging form of opera buffa steals it back and gradually starts taking itself more and more seriously, until buffoonish opera finally morphs into opera seria. The trio of baritones illustrates these transformations with operatic snippets ranging from Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” to Rossini’s “Figaro.” Before long, Gilbert and Sullivan get into the act. In Darwinian fashion, their comic operas give birth to another mutation: musical theater — with Hammerstein and Kern’s “Show Boat” getting credit for the launch. (Although Paul Robeson gets a nod for his soulful “Old Man River.”)

The second act takes us into a contemporary man cave, resounding with

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DIVERSIONS

YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, JUNE 19, 2014

// HOME&GARDEN: TOUR OF THE WEEK

by Heather Merriman | Black Tie Assistant Editor

STAYCATION LIVING Within walking distance of both the Siesta Key Public Beach and Siesta Key Village, the beachfront home located at 636 Beach Road on almost two acres of land overlooking the Gulf of Mexico is a great place to live to feel as though you’re on vacation. Boasting more than 8,000 feet of living space, this Key West-style home is spacious, with a private backyard and a direct path to the white sands of Siesta Key beach. Designed by the Tichenor Group and built by McGuiness Construction in 2000, the home underwent a reno-

ON SIESTA KEY

vation in 2010.

The home features four bedrooms (three of which are beachside), a den and four-and-a-half bathrooms (most rooms in the house offer views of the beach). Balconies spanning the width of the home allow you to enjoy the sunsets and entertain with a view. Driveways on both sides of the home provide entry to the five-car garage, and an elevator is an added feature.

Priced at $5.95 million. For more information, call Linda Dickinson at 356-9954 or Kelly Quigley at 350-3304.

THE HOUSE 636 Beach Road has more than 100 feet of beach-front land and sits on almost two acres on Siesta Key.

THE VIEWS The view of the sandy beaches of Siesta Key and the Gulf of Mexico, from the second-floor porch balcony

The porch balcony off the main floor spans the width of the home and provides great space for entertaining and enjoying the view.

Photos by Heather Merriman

The colorful lifeguard stands on Siesta Key Public Beach are visible from the home.

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// HOME&GARDEN THE LIVING SPACE

The master suite opens to the main-level balcony and has two walk-in closets and a vanity area.

The en suite master bathroom has his-and-her sinks, a walk-in shower and a garden tub with views of the water.

THE BEACH A private path offers convenient access to the beach from the backyard.

The home has three additional bedrooms with en suite bathrooms, two of which look onto the beach.

The five-car garage, with entrances on both sides, is located on the first floor.

The living room features a marble fireplace. Built-ins and sliders open up the room to the porch balcony.

The kitchen has bar seating inside the home. A window opens the kitchen to bar seating on the porch.

The wooden stairs leading down to the garage from the main floor have a Key West look, which matches the architectural design of the home.

YOUROBSERVER.COM // Visit our website for more photos of our “Tour of the Week” home.

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, JUNE 19, 2014

// BLACK TIE: SOCIAL STUDIES

by Heather Merriman | Black Tie Assistant Editor

MEL AND JAN GOLDSMITH Mel and Jan Goldsmith have been real estate agents in Sarasota for 17 years, but, before that, they were globetrotting partners in the fashion industry. We sat down with the two in their home on Longboat Key to talk about their lives in the city, working for Calvin Klein and traveling the world for the sake of fashion.

Mel

Jan

After also working for Levi Strauss and Brittania Jeans, I moved to New York in 1982 to work for Calvin Klein, specifically for his partner, Carl Rosen, who owned the denim division. I was the vice president of men’s and young men’s jeans. On my first day of work, I met Jan.

I worked with Kathy Harwick, and Tom Ford was her assistant at that time — that was very exciting.

She used to do fashion shows on CNN Saturday mornings. You would see other well-known designers, and they would show their different collections. That was probably my most exciting job.

My mother’s and father’s families were in the retail fashion industry. They owned stores, so I grew up in the business and I always loved fashion — I always knew that was what I wanted to do. While I was in college, at the University of Memphis, I started working for Federated Department Stores, starting in fashion merchandising. I became a buyer for about three years and then ended up going with one of the vendors I was buying from, Faded Glory Jeans.

They were the first ones to do prewashed fashion denim with embroidery and studs and leather trim.

WE MET in 1982, but we didn’t

date for many years, until about seven years later, when we met once again in a restaurant. We worked in the Garment Center, and it was the thing to go out to all the newest, trendiest restaurants, and that’s how we met. There was a hot restaurant opening on the Upper West Side called Sfuzzi’s, and we ran into each other and said we should get together sometime — and we’ve been together ever since.

IT WAS like “Sex and the City” — you get dressed up and go to the hottest new restaurants. The restaurants wanted a certain age, a

I grew up in New York, about 35 minutes out of the city in Long Island.

My father was in the piece good fashion industry. I was always interested in fashion. Ever since I was a young girl, I loved to shop and loved clothes.

certain dress and a certain circle.

We had access to all the wonderful clothes, and our friends were the same, because we were all in the industry.

WE LIVED in Manhattan and we worked in the Garment Center. It was an interesting life, living in New York and spending our summers in the Hamptons. I had to travel a lot, so we would go to Aspen during the holidays, and a lot of our traveling was searching for fashion. In the summer and fall we would go to Europe and we would do a two-week trip and go to London, Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Düsseldorf and

Photo by Heather Merriman

Cologne. We would go to all the clothing shows, shop the retail stores, go to clubs and literally buy clothes off of people — if it was something we wanted to make samples of, we’d meet them the next day at their hotel or wherever and give them lots of money for that piece we wanted. We would spend weekends in Vegas, Dallas, Miami — there was lots of traveling.

WE ENDED UP moving to Sara-

sota in 1997. Mel’s mother had passed away in May of that year, and his father was 87. He wanted to get out of the Garment Center.

I was getting ready to turn 50, and I knew it was the time to make a change. I had been traveling for more than 30 years. I was always on the plane, and it was time to consider making a change, and that was really what promoted it. I always knew that real estate was my next career. I had always enjoyed property and so on, and being in the sales business, it was

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WE LEASED our condo in Manhattan to the Polish Embassy for four years and moved here — we thought we’d give it four years to make sure we had made the right decision. My parents moved down here from Memphis, Tenn., in 1968 when I was a freshman in college. I spent my summers, spring breaks, all the holidays down here.

WE DECIDED to do real estate as a team. We went to real estate school together, started it within two weeks of moving here and went to night school. Michael Saunders, herself, interviewed us, and we’ve been with Michael Saunders & Co. for more than 16 years.

WHEN WE’RE not selling real estate, we like to go boating. I’ve been a boater, a fisherman and have been into water sports my whole life. Seeing homes from the water is such a different way

Courtesy photo

to view the home than from the street. We sell a lot of waterfront property, so we’ll take our clients out on the boat — it’s a whole different perspective from the water.

WE LOVE to go to the theater. We

go to all the plays here at Florida Studio Theatre, Asolo, Van Wezel, and we still go to New York and sometimes up to Tampa for theater. We love Broadway. Entertainment, music, fashion, dining out — we still love and do all of the same things we did back then.

WE REALLY do love living here

in Sarasota. It’s funny; I’ve lived in what some could say are the best cities in the United States: New York, Dallas, Atlanta, San Francisco, and I’ve traveled enough to know that this is a very special place. For it’s size, the culture and the beauty, it offers a lot. It’s a good place to live.

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