May 23-29: Concerts, art exhibits and summer camps at FIT make this week's list of events
Out with a blast
The Space Coast Symphony ends its ninth season with “Suliman Plays Tchaikovsky,” a tribute to the composer’s powerful violin concerto.
The concert begins at 7 p.m., Saturday, May 26, at Holy Trinity Episcopal School’s Scott Center, 5625 Holy Trinity Drive, Melbourne.
Superstar violinist Suliman Tekalli returns to Florida to provide his take on Tchaikovsky’s “Violin Concerto in D Major,” written in 1878.
Currently living in New York City, Tekalli has performed on stages all over the world and uses a 1683 Stradivarius on loan through the Stradivari Society.
Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Purchase advance tickets at SpaceCoastSymphony.org. The concert is free for students 18 and under or with valed identification.
For more information, call 855-252-7276.
Out of town
Enjoy the works of some of Florida’s best artists at the opening reception for “The Out-of-Towners,” the latest exhibition at the Studios of Cocoa Beach.
Participating are Heidi Stavinga and Alan Metzger from Clearwater, Kenan Sar and Karin Connolly from Orlando, David Hunter from Winter Park and Pete Steenland of Daytona Beach.
Attendees can enter a free drawing for a print by Studios artist and photographer Don Martin. Wine and food bites will be served. Visitors can also view the Studios’ first annual Student Art Show, which will be on display featuring the work of county students aged kindergarten through high school.
The free reception opens from 6 to 9 p.m., Friday, May 25. “The Out-of-Towners” show runs through July 23 at the gallery, 165 Minuteman Causeway. The Studios of Cocoa Beach is a nonprofit, co-op gallery with a stable of 30 local artists and a comprehensive schedule of workshops and classes for both adults and children.
For more information, call 321-613-3480 or visit studiosofcocoabeach.org.
Hail to the founders
Join the celebration at the third annual Founders’ Festival, formerly known as the Crane Creek Festival, hosted by the Greater Allen Development Corporation.
Festivities begin with a reception from 7 to 9 p.m., Friday, May 25, at Groundswell Startups, 2412 Irwin St., Melbourne. Admission to reception is $15.
The party continues from noon to 7 p.m. Saturday at the corner of Prospect Avenue and Lipscomb St. along the banks of Crane Creek and ends with a Gospel Fest from 2 to 7 p.m., Sunday, May 27.
For more information, call 321-724-1557.
A-camping we will go
Dozens of academic, art and sports camps await students at Florida Tech with a plethora of subject matters.
Whatever the student’s interest, there is a good chance the Melbourne university is offering a camp that covers the subject. Registration is now open for camps in academics, sports, art and more for ages 3 to 18.
Here is just a small sampling of what is available:
- GEMS, or Girls in Engineering, Math and Sciences. Participants ages 10 to 18 will experience research in various areas of science, including marine and environmental sciences, electrical and computer engineering and mechanical and aerospace engineering.
- Snorkeling Camp for ages 6 to 13 and a lead-in to SCUBA diving. Participants will learn in a safe and fun environment the fundamentals of snorkeling, including emphasis on proper usage of mask, fins and snorkel. All skills are intermingled with pool games. There is also an introduction to basic first aid and environmental conservation.
- Brick Academy. Legos are used to illustrate STEM concepts for students ages 3 to 18.
- ArtVentures Camp at Florida Tech’s Foosaner Art Museum. Seven weeks of morning, afternoon and full-day camps for ages 4 to 15. Morning sessions explore themes such as “Voyage” and “Dive,” while afternoon camps focus on painting, printmaking, sketchbook and more.
Camps are also available for youngsters diagnosed with high-functioning autism, Asperger’s or learning differences. Summer@CIP, for example, offers students in grades 10 to 12 or recent high school graduates fun while working on social and independent living skills.
For dates and registration fees, visit camps.fit.edu.
Age has its benefits
Wickham Park Community Center, 2785 Leisure Way, Melbourne, will host a fair for seniors from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Thursday, May 24.
The free event features information and fun to help attendees live longer, better lives through a healthy, informed lifestyle.
Guests will enjoy food samples, free refreshments and desserts by Sam’s Club Bakery, plus giveaways and door prizes. The first 400 seniors will leave with a free goody bag.
For more information, contact 321-773-1454
'Not Quite Sew'
Now on display at Florida Tech’s Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts is “Maggy Rozycki Hiltner: Not Quite Sew,” an exhibition of Hiltner’s embroideries handstitched from salvaged and recycled materials. The works critique gender and familial relationships through the portrayal of idealized and subversive subject matter.
Simultaneously with “Not Quite Sew,” the Center is presenting “Apron Strings: Ties to the Past.” The show examines the modest apron’s rich and varied history and its role in the changing attitudes toward women and domestic work by focusing on aprons dating from the 1930s through the present.
The shows run through Aug. 11.
The Ruth Funk Center, at the university’s campus at 150 W. University Blvd., is open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and from noon until 4 p.m. on Saturdays. Admission is free.
For more information, call 321-674-8313 or visit textiles.fit.edu.
Ahoy, mateys!
The historic Cocoa Village Playhouse launches its Stars of Tomorrow Summer Musical Series on a piratical note with “Pirates Past Noon Kids” at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday, May 25 and 26, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 27.
The show, based on the best-selling Magic Tree House Collection, has Jack and Annie journey via their magical tree house to the pirate-intensive Caribbean of the 18th century.
Tickets are $11 to $14. For more information, call 321-636-5050 or visit CocoaVillagePlayhouse.com.
Email toastofthecoastfloridatoday@gmail.com.