The Asolo Theatre Company
Education and Outreach Programs
Carole Kleinberg, Education Director
Asolo Theatre Company
5555 N. Tamiami Trail
Sarasota, FL 34243
Tel: (941) 351-9010, ext. 3310
education@asolo.org
www.asolo.org

The Asolo Theatre Company is a professional acting company performing in rotating repertory in the Harold E. and Esther M. Mertz Theatre. Each season provides exciting theatrical performances and rich educational opportunities for adults and students.

Family Workshops
Have a delightful family experience exploring family-related issues raised in selected Asolo plays. The fee of $5.00 per person includes workshop, lunch, and matinee performance.

Classes & Workshops
Fascinating, fun and fulfilling theatre classes for everyone from beginners to professionals! Classes include: Beginning Acting, Intermediate Acting, Scene Study, Improvisation and many more.

Kaleidoscope
A musical theatre workshop for older teens and adults with developmental disabilities which includes classes in acting, music, movement, and art. The workshop, a partnership between the Asolo Theatre Company and Children’s Haven and Adult Community Services, Inc., has two components, a five week summer program which culminates in an original performance at the Asolo Theatre. Advanced graduates of the summer program are invited to participate in the year-round Kaleidoscope Touring Company, which is available for performances at schools and for community organizations.

Florida Studio Theatre
Youth Education Programs
Pam Smith, Education Administrator
941-366-1350
1241 North Palm Avenue
Sarasota, FL 34236
pam@fst2000.org
www.fst2000.org

The Florida Studio Theatre School is dedicated to nurturing the individual creativity of youth. We see children not just as individuals, but as creative individuals. From the beginning student to the serious performer, the FST School is a program designed to advance the young actor. Upon completion of the 4-year program, actors will possess a professional understanding of the theatre which includes a solid acting method, stage technique and professional performance opportunities. In addition, the students will involve themselves in the entire creative process, from writing to playmaking.

FSU Dance Sarasota
Anjali Austin, Director
1226 N. Tamiami Trail, Ste 201
Sarasota, FL 34234
(941) 373-7812

FSU DanceSARASOTA is a program of Florida State University Department of Dance, offering innovative and dynamic learning opportunities in ballet and contemporary dance techniques. Classes are led by FSU faculty, MFA degree candidates and guest artists, and are appropriate for grades K-12, no experience required

Florida West Coast Symphony
Youth and Education Programs

The Florida West Coast Symphony’s Education Programs serve students from Tampa/St. Petersburg to Englewood/Port Charlotte. Since it’s founding, the philosophy underlying the Symphony’s youth and education programs is to serve not only the most musically talented and privileged students, but also all interested young people, regardless of ability or financial circumstances. A Scholarship Program was established in 1951, which along with contributions from local foundations and individuals, assists deserving young people with the cost of private lessons, attendance at summer camps and clinics, and music education at the college level.

YOUTH ORCHESTRA PROGRAMS

ACADEMIC YEAR: September through April (26 weeks)
Each Saturday morning and Monday afternoon during the school year, nearly 300 young music students aged 7 to 21 come to the Symphony Center in Sarasota for two and a half hours of intensive rehearsals. Throughout the year, the youth orchestras present eight concerts, free of charge to the Sarasota, Manatee, and Charlotte communities. Scholarships available. Audition required for placement.

Edward & Ida WILKOF YOUNG ARTIST’S CONCERTO COMPETITION
In 1966 a Young Artist’s Competition was established. Outstanding young musicians from the local area compete annually for the opportunity to perform as soloists in concert with the most advanced Youth Orchestra. The finals are presented in recital format and are open to the public. Many of these young people have gone on to become professional musicians.

SUMMER AT THE SYMPHONY: July (3 weeks)
A Summer String Program was introduced in 1977 and by 1983 included a Wind, Brass, and Percussion Program. Over 300 students, beginners to advanced, come to the Symphony Center to study with Symphony musicians and school music teachers. Classes are offered in technique, large performing ensemble, and electives in rhythm and musicianship. Scholarships available. Limited class size - no audition required.

CONSERVATORY MUSIC CLASSES
For the past three seasons, Florida West Coast Symphony has offered music classes to those both “young and young at heart.” Early Childhood music classes introduce preschoolers and their parents to creative music making, elementary-aged students to Orff, other percussion instruments, and the joys of performing; and Adults to Music Theory, Music Appreciation, Beginning through Advanced String Instrument classes, and chamber music coaching for advanced musicians. Classes are open for the novice through the experienced musician at an affordable fee and meet September through April.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAMS
Since 1953, Manatee and Sarasota County fourth and fifth-grade students (nearly 10,000 each year) have been coming to the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall to hear live orchestral music in Children’s Concerts produced and presented by the Florida West Coast Symphony. The Conservatory & Outreach Director works with music teachers on the concert’s program and class preparation activities months prior to the concert.

Each year the community is invited to affordable Family Concerts to hear the Florida West Coast Symphony perform music chosen especially for children and their families. Recent projects have included a collaboration of Symphony volunteers, United Way, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Boy’s and Girl’s Club which resulted in 300 at risk children and their mentors attending the concert followed by an after-concert “picnic”. Instrument petting zoos for the community to try musical instruments and opportunities for artistically talented youngsters from the tri-county area to conduct the Florida West Coast Symphony are also offered.

OPUS I Project: School Partnership is designed to offer outreach concerts and workshops performed by Chamber Ensembles of the Florida West Coast Symphony in Manatee and Sarasota schools. In 2002-03, seventeen performances were presented in the schools. This program is currently offered to schools at no charge through community sponsorship.

OPUS II Project: YES YOU CAN / Florida West Coast Symphony Partnership offers Music Classes as part of an extra-curricular cross-cultural youth program for at-risk students. Florida West Coast Symphony musicians and school music teachers teach music classes which include ethnomusicology and the study of world cultures, piano instruction, and hands-on training for string, wind, brass, and/or percussion instruments. Classes are held at a neighborhood housing project, churches, and an elementary school.

COMMUNITY CONCERT CLUB is a special program to encourage families to attend concerts with their school-aged children. Club membership is available to any school-aged student, Kindergarten through twelfth-grade and costs $15 (one-time fee). Membership includes a t-shirt, Concert Club card, and Concert Club schedule offering nearly 30 concerts available each season to Concert Club members and their immediate family for $3 per ticket.

STUDENT DISCOUNT TICKETS to Florida West Coast Symphony concerts are available to students with valid ID and may be purchased in advance at half of the regular ticket price. All tickets must be purchased in-person from the Ticket Office at the Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center. All ticket sales are subject to availability.

STUDENT RUSH TICKETS to Florida West Coast Symphony concerts are available to students with valid ID and may be purchased five minutes before the concert begins for $3.00 per ticket. All ticket sales are subject to availability. Student Rush tickets are non-transferable and cannot be combined with any other discount offer.

SARASOTA MUSIC FESTIVAL: June (3 weeks)
This prestigious festival was named the official “Teaching and Performing Festival of the State of Florida” and celebrates its 40th year in the 2004 season. Up to 100 student participants come to the festival from the United States, Canada, Russia, and many other foreign countries. These students attend master classes, are coached by guest faculty artists, and perform in chamber groups and in the Festival Orchestra. Concerts featuring faculty artists are the highlight of the concert season and are attended by area residents.

Want more information? Check out our website: www.fwcs.org

THE HECHT SCHOOL OF MUSIC
AT THE FLANZER CENTER
Dr. Jane Hoffman, Director
582 S. McIntosh Road
Sarasota, FL 34232
(941) 378-8528
flanzermusic@aol.com

The Hecht School provides professional musical instruction and helps expand the interests of students of all ages and levels by offering a variety of classes and instruction on piano, woodwinds, percussion, guitar, voice and violin. Group classes are also available for children with innovative approaches such as the Boomwackers who learn about rhythm and improvisations through hand drums, a Teen Blues Band, musical theatre, Kindermusik classes, and Kinder Keyboard: Musik Garten.

OPEN CIRCLE PLAYERS
Touring Interactive Musical Story Theater
P O Box 37
Sarasota FL 34230
Susan Slack, Executive Director
Tel: 941-378-9849
opencircle@cs.com
www.opencircleplayers.com

The Open Circle Players offer on-site performances of multicultural folktales. This professional touring troupe incorporates sing-alongs in different languages, audience volunteers on stage and timeless tales into humorous and entertaining 45 minute programs for pre-K to 5th grade audiences. Two actors visit schools, libraries, private and civic venues with a backdrop, colorful costume pieces, percussion instruments and three engaging stories in each production. Study guides provide tie-ins to social studies, science, math and language arts. Executive Director, Susan Slack brings 20 years of experience of working with children to the company and creates programs to fit special themes.

The Players of Sarasota
Jolie Schroeder, Education
838 N. Tamiami Trail
Sarasota, FL 34236
(941) 365-2494
playersschool@theplayers.org
www.theplayers.org

The Players Performing Arts School offers classes in musical theatre, acting, dance and voice year-round for students pre-K through adult. Summers feature additional Stage Door Workshops in two five-week sessions for students 7 - 17.

SARASOTA BALLET
Jennifer Gemmecke, Director of Education
5555 N. Tamiami Trail
Sarasota, FL 34236
(941) 359-0099, Ext. 102
jgemmeke@danceacademy.org
www.sarasotaballet.org

The Sarasota Ballet Academy offers year round instruction for ages 3 to pre-professional. The July International Summer School is an intensive four weeks of training in ballet, pointe, modern and jazz for students 13 and up. Dance, et cetera is a series of Saturday morning performances highlighting the budding talents for youthful dancers, choreographers and musicians.

Sarasota Opera
Sarasota Youth Opera Programs
61 N. Pineapple Avenue
Sarasota, Florida 34236
Karl Hesser, Director of Education
Tel: 941-366-8450 ext. 249
khesser@sarasotaopera.org
www.sarasotaopera.org

Sarasota Opera is home to one of the finest youth opera programs in the country - the Sarasota Youth Opera. Under the direction of Artistic Director Victor DeRenzi, the Sarasota Youth Opera is an exciting year-round program bringing the joy of opera and singing to the community. The Sarasota Youth Opera consists of programs such as the Youth Opera Choruses, an annual Youth Opera Production, Youth Opera Summer Workshops, and OPERA-tion (Opera-shon) - a curriculum-based arts education program beginning in the classroom and culminating with a live performance of an opera production.

Sarasota Youth Opera programs are designed:

• To serve as a comprehensive training program for young people, ages nine to 18.
  
• To create outstanding performance opportunities both on stage and in the community.
• To focus on classical music, exploring the musical and theatrical techniques used in opera.
• To involve youth in the non-performance aspects of opera: production, design (scenic, costumes and props), and technical.
  
• To arrange opportunities for the participants to attend live performances.
  To create interchange with skilled professionals from the opera and theater world.
• To admit all who apply, regardless of skill level.
• To provide a safe and welcoming environment.
• To bring together all members of the community through outreach, regardless of age or background.

SOULSPEAK
535 Columbia Court
Sarasota, Florida 34236
Justin Spring, Artistic Director
Tel: 941-366-6468
soulspeak1@comcast.net
www.soulspeak.org

SOULSPEAK is a non-profit corporation founded to increase public awareness of poetry and promote the healing power of poetry in collaboration with other arts, both traditional and healing. SOULSPEAK uses a contemporary version of ancient, oral poetry that allows children to spontaneously express their hopes, fears, and conflicts without shame or embarrassment. Over 50 schools and institutions and 3,000 children (mostly at-risk) have participated in SOULSPEAK programs. SOULSPEAK also produces poetry CDs, books and video documentaries from its programs. Programs for children include Therapeutic SOULSPEAK, Great Poets SOULSPEAK, and SOULMASK.

VAN WEZEL PERFORMING ARTS HALL
Leslie Lacktman, Education Director
777 N. Tamiami Trail
Sarasota, FL 34236
(941) 955-7676, ext. 246
leslie_lacktman@ci.sarasota.fl.us
www.vanwezel.org

In addition to Schooltime Performances and the Arts Odyssey, one of the John F.Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts prestigious Partners in Education Programs, the Van Wezel offers a variety of master classes, Curtain Calls, residency programs, lectures and demonstrations to further educate and reach out to the children in the community. Saturday Morning for Kids is a series of specially selected programs to give the youngest audiences an introduction to theatre that they are sure to remember for years to come.

VENICE LITTLE THEATRE
Sandy Davisson, Education Director
140 W. Tampa Avenue
Venice, FL 34285
(941) 486-8679
VLTFEducation@aol.com

The Venice Little Theatre’s annual TheatreFest Summer Camp features theatre crafts, singing, dancing and acting for children, as well as performance skills, which culminates in a performance at the end of each session. Offered for grades K-12, June and July.

Venice Symphony
PO Box 1561
Venice, FL 34284
Jean Peters, Executive Director
Tel: (941) 488-1010
venicesymphony@aol.com
www.thevenicesymphony.org

Venice Summer Music Camp
A two-week afternoon summer program offering instruction, games, theory, conducting, and a recital for family and friends.

Music in the Schools (Third Grade)
Musicians demonstrate instruments and our Conductor explains the physics of sound and music through the use of instruments, hoses, and tuned water-filled bottles. The students are then invited to a full symphonic concert. There is no cost to the schools or students.

Venice Symphony
Youth String Ensemble
Young string players meet once a week to improve their skills, participate in ensemble performances, and present a recital for family and friends.