Scene & Heard

 + They did it
Thomas Savage, president of the Sarasota Public Art Fund, wore red last Wednesday at the capping-off party for “Complexus.” He wore red in honor of the bright-red steel sculpture at the corner of U.S. 41 and Gulfstream Avenue. Before the party, $526,000 was raised, leaving the group with $24,000 to go to keep the sculpture on the bayfront permanently.

Season of Sculpture provides a free and open outdoor museum, but it’s the generosity of patrons that make it so. Savage touched on the controversial “Unconditional Surrender” brought in by Season of Sculpture.

“Art should challenge,” he says.

Interestingly enough, the funding for “Unconditional Surrender” took four years; the funding for “Complexus” was raised in under a year. The remaining $24,000 was collected Wednesday night, and there were many witnesses, including the piece’s sculptor, John Henry; Mayor Suzanne Atwell; Susan McLeod, chair of the board of Season of Sculpture; Dr. Larry Thompson, president of Ringling College of Art and Design; and other friends and patrons of fine art.

Henry discussed how the piece was made as a monument for Sarasota, “to honor the cultural jewel of a city.”

+ Noise Ordinance takes effect
The first Noise Ordinance began as a grassroots collaborative project to bring local musicians together in a CD showcase. One can only assume from the name “Noise Ordinance” that the project also ties to the restrictions on sound in downtown Sarasota. Live music is banned between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. on weekdays and 11:59 p.m. and 7 a.m. Saturday and Sunday nights.

The event was initiated in February 2010 by Ed Midler, of sarasotamusicscene.com, and Claire Franklin and Katherine Derr, of local band Waking Giants.

Last Saturday, the CD release party for Noise Ordinance 3 took place at Cock & Bull. Thirty-six bands (selected from more than 80 submissions) played on two stages, and more than 1,000 people were in attendance throughout the day.

The crowd was full of students, young professionals and the young at heart. And no one said, “Turn down the volume!”

+ It's a small world after all
I was visiting family in Kansas last month when I learned my cousin's partner, Marcus Deloach, would be performing in Sarasota with Gloria Musicae Sunday Nov. 11. DeLoach is a baritone and an operatic composer who stands out when our family sings Christmas carols around the piano. During our visit, we started talking about Sarasota because he had performed here once before.

"Have you come across June LeBell, by any chance?" he asked me.

Why, yes, of course, she's The Observer’s music critic. Well, it turns out DeLoach and LeBell are old friends.
LeBell was the first female announcer on renowned classical music station WQXR, for which she broadcast for 30 years. Beginning in 1995, LeBell led "On Wings of Song," a series by the Marilyn Horne Foundation featured on WQXR. DeLoach was featured in the first season of the program.

What a small world, after all!

+ Behind the seams
By now, you’ve heard about Sarasota Ballet’s circus-themed “The Nutcracker.” If not, you can read all about it online at YourObserver.com. The brand-new ballet is coming Dec. 14 and Dec. 15, to the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall.

With a new ballet, there’s new everything — including costumes. Peter Docherty designed them, he’s a friend of Sarasota Ballet Artistic Director Iain Webb and “The Nutcracker” choreographer Matthew Hart. In the Diversions feature story earlier this month, we featured renderings of the costumes. Now you can see what the real-life costumes will look like, because the dancers had their fittings early last week.

Keep reading Scene & Heard to get exclusive behind-the-scenes looks and updates about Sarasota Ballet’s upcoming production.

Hot Ticket
‘Waist Watchers’ — PLATO’s comedy is about four women and their relationships with food, diet and exercise in a beauty-centered world. It opens at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15, and runs to Jan. 6, at The Ramada Waterfront Sarasota, 7150 N. Tamiami Trail. Tickets are $35. Call 363-1727.

‘1776’ — Asolo Rep’s “1776” tells the story about how John Adams and the rest of the delegates of the Continental Congress conceived the United Sates. It opens at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 16, at FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail. Tickets are $26 to $75. Call 351-9010 for more information.