Brazilian Guitar Quartet Returns by Popular Demand To Bach Fest Society 2011

After a sold-out performance in the 2006-2007 Season and numerous requests for another visit, the Brazilian Guitar Quartet returns to the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park Visiting Artist Series in 2011. 

The quartet's mastery of classical guitar repertoire and traditional Brazilian repertoire makes each concert experience unique and memorable. This season's concert includes Bach's Overture, Aria, and Gigue from Orchestral Suite No.3, selections from Albeniz's Iberia, Villa-Lobos' Quarteto Popular, and selected short pieces from Variations on a Brazilian Ballade by Brazil's Composer of the Year, Ronaldo Miranda.

Where/When

Sunday, January 30, 2011 at 3:00pm
Tiedtke Concert Hall, Rollins College
1000 Holt Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789

Tickets

Performance tickets range from $30 to $40.

Call the Box Office at 407.646.2182 or visit www.BachFestivalFlorida.org.

More Info

Praised by the Washington Post for the "seductive beauty" and "virtuosic gusto" of its playing, the Brazilian Guitar Quartet has established itself as one of the world's leading guitar ensembles. The group's unique combination of regular six-string and extended-range eight-string guitars allows for the exploration of an original and unusual repertoire. In ten years the BGQ has performed more than 300 concerts on four continents, receiving ecstatic audience responses, garnering rave reviews, and entertaining sold-out halls.

About the Bach Festival Society

The Bach Festival Society celebrates 76 years of outstanding musical offerings and Annual Festivals in 2011. Located in Winter Park, Florida, it is one of the longest continuously operating Bach Festivals in the country and among America's great oratorio societies. The Bach Festival Society brings the highest caliber of classical music to Central Florida. Performances are held in the intimate settings of Tiedtke Concert Hall and Knowles Memorial Chapel on the beautiful campus of Rollins College.

For more information regarding the season or to order tickets, please call the Bach Festival Society at 407.646.2182 or visit us online at www.BachFestivalFlorida.org.

Read more: 

http://tunes.broadwayworld.com/article/Brazilian_Guitar_Quartet_Returns_by_Popular_Demand_To_Bach_Fest_Society_130_20110110#ixzz1Ai6AOp1S

Florida Tourism industry will feel effects of gulf oil spill for years

As chairman of the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association, he testified on Capitol Hill about fallout from the spill before a presidential commission investigating the disaster. He speaks regularly with Kenneth Feinberg, the attorney named by President Barack Obama to oversee payouts from the $20 billion BP victim compensation fund.

In a recent interview with the St. Petersburg Times, Overton talked about early friction over the fund, why he's convinced the oil spill caused last summer's tourism slump and problems for the industry that linger long after BP capped the Deepwater Horizon well.

How did you get to know Feinberg?

I first met him when we were testifying before the House Subcommittee on Energy. Everything he said initially, he didn't deliver on. Like he could deliver emergency payments in seven days. He really didn't understand the complexity of our business model. But he's a good listener and did a great job learning our business.

You were still criticizing him until a couple of weeks ago, right?

He took that position on proximity — that if you didn't have oil on the beach you weren't going to get paid. When he reversed it, that turned things around. Then he'd say, "Keith, you'll get paid. Just be patient." Six to eight weeks would go by and no one got paid.

I was inundated with calls to intervene from Florida representatives in Washington who said to either get this guy out or get him moving. It took him writing checks to get belief in the industry that everything would be okay.

How's the relationship now?

It's time our industry show him a little love. It's just fair that we take the politics out of it. I talk to him on the phone two or three times a week, and we e-mail all the time. I ask him about clearly compensable claims that are denied or administratively held up. And we've got to get (a formula for) long-term settlements taken care of.

A lot of people are skeptical that the downturn in local tourism resulted from the oil spill that never came here. How do you know it wasn't caused by the sluggish economy?

Once we got past the cold winter, things were looking up. There was pent-up demand for travel and such good deals, people were ready to release it. Things were supposed to be better and turned out not being better. BP is the only factor that caused that to happen.

Did the TradeWinds get stuck with empty rooms last summer when your customers went elsewhere?

Our occupancy didn't suffer. We had to react and did it by discounting. We shifted our focus from outside of Florida. There was a much broader misunderstanding of (where oil came ashore) in the Northeast and Midwest.

We targeted nearby travelers who knew things here were okay and could take advantage of the heavy discounts — in some cases 50 percent of what we'd normally charge. But it costs the same to service all those rooms (regardless of the room rate). It squeezed our profit in the five months when we (normally) make all our money.

Are there any feeder markets where the TradeWinds is still feeling effects of the spill?

We're down 30 percent in the U.K. market. Obviously, the (exchange rate) of the euro and the (British) pound to the dollar aren't what they used to be. But BP got more bad press there than in the U.S.

British travelers book package deals and for the most part they're two-week trips. So, they get a bill that reads the pound equivalent of $7,000 and say, "Am I going to risk that to go there?"

Will domestic travelers think twice about vacationing in Florida in the future?

One underlying thing people need to recognize is Florida has a brand that's the most powerful in all tourism: sunshine, beautiful beaches, blue water,Florida luxury villas and seafood. That brand has been damaged, and the impacts will last many years.

Keys tow captain gets award for kayaker rescue

A Florida Keys tow boat captain is being recognized by the Coast Guard for helping rescue a woman injured when a barricuda leaped into her kayak.

Tow captain Kevin Freestone was given the Coast Guard's Public Service Commendation Award on Wednesday in Marathon for his actions last October. The award is for acts of courage or assistance in Coast Guard missions.

Freestone was able to maneuver his boat into shallow waters where Coast Guard vessels could not go. He brought the injured woman on board and took her to a local marina where she was transported to a hospital in Miami.

The woman, Karri Larson, suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung when the barricuda struck her. She has recovered and attended Wednesday's ceremony.

If you are planning to go kayaking in Florida , do book your Florida Holiday Rental

2010 a mess for Florida tourism

The US state of Florida is still reeling in the wake of the ongoing recession, a record cold winter and the effects of the Gulf oil spill.

All of these factors have in turn contributed to a stall in tourist traffic to the state throughout 2010.

The Hubbard family, owners and operators of a marina complex and seafood restaurant in Madeira Beach on Florida’s Gulf coast, experienced turmoil last year.

“It was incredibly scary, because we didn't know if we were going to get oil” on nearby Florida beaches, said Kathleen McDole, a Hubbard sister whose Friendly Fisherman restaurant saw a 20 percent decline in business compared to 2009, according to USA Today.

Florida’s tourism industry employs approximately 1 million people and accounts for more than one-fifth of the state’s total sales tax revenue.

Prior to the oil spill, the state of Florida experienced freezing temperatures in January, spooking potential visitors and driving business away.

CEO and president of Visit Florida Chris Thompson was aware of the implications of these unfortunate events.

2011 is here and Florida is fabulous as ever so hope you book one of the Florida luxury villas and holiday in Florida soon

“The collective impacts of the economic downturn, and certainly the oil spill, were as significant a challenge as we've (ever) had to face.

“We realize we are in the recovery and restoration stage, and it's yet to be determined the extent of those two stages,” he said.

In light of the recent business downturn, Mr Thompson said Florida is expected to reap benefits from the Tourism Promotion Act, which was passed by Congress in February and created a non-profit corporation to promote U.S. tourism overseas

Florida man says he'll live in lions' den for 30 days

Jim Jablon smooches Lea, an African lioness. He's been penned with Lea and Ed, a male lion, since Saturday.

SPRING HILL, Fla. --

Whilst most of us keep complaining even when we get accommodated in a luxury Florida villa, here is a man who would like to sleep in a cage to raise funds for his wildlife.

A Florida man says he's going to spend the next month living in a fenced enclosure with two African lions.

James Jablon of Spring Hill hopes the stunt will raise money for his wildlife center, Wildlife Rehabilitation of Hernando.

Jablon entered the lions' den Saturday. He says he's going to sleep on hay near the lions named Lea and Ed and eat when they eat.

He says he's also going to build a place to sleep and hide in the trees in the enclosure, in case the lions fight with each other. His adventure is being streamed live online through January 31.

About 100 animals live at the center about 40 miles north of Tampa. It was started for native wildlife needing medical treatment, but Jablon says he's now being asked to provide homes for exotic pets.

Disney Florida Resident Ticket Price Increasing, Too

According to the OC Register, that the price of the annual California “winter deal” ticket is increasing significantly – but with the price, guests enjoy additional flexibility. This afternoon, word is coming in that the Florida resident ticket comparable to the West Coast deal is also increasing.

The 2011 iteration of the deal – the “4 Day Wild 4 Disney” ticket – is now on sale for $119. The same deal in 2010, then called the “Play 4 Days” ticket, was $99. The pass is good for four days of single park admission between January 2 and May 22 (with blackouts around the Easter holiday.) There are no other restrictions on the ticket; guests can choose to go to all four parks, the same park four times, or any combination in between.

Guests can add a “park hopper” feature to the ticket, which enables them to hop from one park to another on the same day, for an additional $27. Likewise, admission to the water parks can be added on for the same amount. The cost of the child’s ticket is the same as adult ticket.

While the price hike is significant, Walt Disney World is still charging less for the pass than they did in 2008, before the global economy – and Orlando tourism – went soft.

Disney price increase does raise a few eyebrows but you can save enough to go to Disney world by holidaying in one of the discounted Florida luxury villas

To learn more about the deal, vist DisneyWorld.com and look for “Florida Resident Discounts.”

Disney World says goodbye to Block Party Bash

New Year's Day is a day of beginnings, but it marked the end for a Disney World parade. The Block Party Bash ended its run at Disney's Hollywood Studios on January 1.

People who took their trip to Disney leaving their Florida Luxury Villas on New Year would have witnessed The Block Party Bash which was a rolling parade that stopped for a "street party" a couple of times along the parade route. It featured characters from DisneyPixar movies including Toy Story, Monsters Inc. and The Incredibles.

The Green Army Men from Toy Story served as hosts and narrators of the dance party, inviting park guests out into the streets to dance to "Celebration" and "Shout" along with the characters and Disney dancers clad in technicolor outfits.

Disney announced last fall that the Block Party Bash would be closing in January. It is being replaced by a new parade, the Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun!

The new parade debuts Jan. 16. It will include four DisneyPixar characters not currently seen at Disney Parks parades: Remy and Emile from Ratatouille and Carl and Russell from Up.

It is believed that the new parade will use the music from the Pixar Play Parade, which will be put on hiatus for most of 2011 at Disney's California Adventure.

There will be no afternoon parades scheduled at Disney's Hollywood Studios between Jan. 2 and Jan. 15.