Arts + Entertainment 4.27.23

A+E INSIDE:

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BLACK TIE INSIDE:

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ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

THE EFFECT

ichael Donald Edwards is taking his final bow as Asolo Repertory Theatre’s producing artistic He’s not the same as when he arrived in Sarasota. Neither is the

Over the course of his 18-year run, Edwards profoundly transformed Asolo Rep and developed a new skillset in the process. Under his stewardship, the theater company upgraded its audio, visual and lighting technology. It expanded spaces for rehearsals and storage for sets, props and costumes and added residences for visiting actors.

By strengthening the theater company’s relationship with Sarasota’s philanthropic community, Edwards was instrumental in raising money

Howard Millman was Asolo Rep’s first managing director from 1968 to 1980 and then its producing artistic director from 1995 until 2006. He applauds the way Edwards brought the company into the future during his tenure. “When I returned to the Asolo, my job was to keep it alive and breathing,” Millman says. “Michael’s job was to grow the company — and he did that brilliantly. I’m thrilled at the direction he took the Asolo. He Millman and others agree that Edwards made a huge impact on the company. He was clearly an agent of change. But he had no grand design

in mind on day one.

Edwards says he had a positive impression of Asolo Rep before accepting the position as its producing artistic director in 2006. But it was an outsider’s point of view. He had previously been the associate artistic director of Syracuse Stage and served as artistic director of Shakespeare Santa Cruz.

In 2005, Edwards came to Sarasota to guest-direct the Asolo Rep’s production of Michele Lowe’s “The Smell of the Kill.” As a result, directing was Edwards’ only connection to the company when he began his leadership role.

“I was originally focused on directing,” he says. “I discovered that producing and fundraising for one of

SEE EDWARDS PAGE 2

During his 18-year run in Sarasota at Asolo Rep, Michael Donald Edwards profoundly transformed the theater company.

“I never expected to be here this long. I signed a three-year contract and stayed for 18.”

MICHAEL

EDWARDS

our nation’s leading performing arts organizations was just as interesting and rewarding.”

In his early years as Asolo Rep’s producing artistic director, Edwards still thought like a director. He focused on the plays he’d be directing, not the big picture.

“My idea of creating a season was picking shows that I wanted to direct,” he said in an interview with The Observer. “I directed three plays in my first two seasons. I don’t know how I did it, but it’s what I really wanted to do.”

How did he plan to transform Asolo Rep?

“That question came up repeatedly,” Edwards recalls. “The people surrounding me kept asking me that — board members, theater supporters, actors. What did the Asolo lack?

How would you change the company? I made changes, yes. But I didn’t originally have them in mind.”

Edwards’ focus gradually expanded. Jill Santoriello’s “A Tale of Two Cities” accelerated his big-picture thinking. Santoriello’s musical theater adaptation of Dickens’ classic was Broadway-bound. In fall 2007, it was still in the “tryout” phase — theater lingo for a test drive in offBroadway venues before its official launch. The Asolo Rep production would be one of its tryouts.

While the kinks were being worked out on the musical in Sarasota, it became apparent that Asolo Rep’s theater was unequipped to seamlessly produce a play designed for the Great White Way. Edwards directed the ambitious production and struggled to meet its demanding standards. That experience revealed exactly what Asolo Rep lacked.

“Asolo’s performance space at the FSU Center for the Performing Arts wasn’t up to Broadway standards,” he says. “Our existing sound system was woefully inadequate, as was most of our aging technology. To stage this musical properly, all the equipment had to be enhanced, rented or bought.”

That’s just what Edwards did. The price tag was steep, but the results

were worth it. To properly stage “A

Tale of Two Cities,” he upgraded the theater company’s facilities. Those improvements didn’t vanish when the musical left town. Asolo Rep could now stage more ambitious musicals.

That possibility raised a tantalizing question ... What else was possible?

“The musical (‘A Tale of Two Cities’) became a portal to change,” Edwards says. “Over time, it led to upgrades of every aspect of the institution and its infrastructure.”

As Edwards describes it, a positive feedback loop was established. Broadway-quality, commercially successful productions would expand Asolo Rep’s audience. The resulting income would be used to improve production capabilities. The company could then stage even more ambitious plays, and further expand its audience. And so on.

Now Edwards had a vision. He still had the mind of a director. But he began to act like an artistic director. That meant thinking like a producer and becoming the public face of the company. Incubating nationally significant plays and musicals would be the result.

Edwards’ focus shifted to community engagement, production quality and fundraising. He cultivated relationships with area philanthropists. Thanks to their support, Edwards began to make his vision a reality.

Simply put, he identified what Asolo Rep lacked. And got to work filling the gaps.

SPACE, THE FINAL FRONTIER

Asolo Rep’s physical plant was a big missing puzzle piece. Several pieces, actually. The backstage infrastructure at the FSU Center for the Performing Arts was not up to par. After “A Tale of Two Cities,” Edwards continued to upgrade lighting, audio, visual projection and other technological capabilities — and bring them to the cutting edge.

The company also lacked a dedicated rehearsal space and rented its cramped, off-campus scene shop. In 2012, Edwards filled this gap with the Robert and Beverly Koski Production Center on Tallevast Road.

That facility now comprises rehearsal studios, along with scene and costume shops to design and

store sets, props and costumes. (It’s still a work in progress.) The company also bought 10 condominiums in Serenata for visiting actors to live in. During the height of the pandemic, Edwards made sure that Asolo Rep’s show went on with an exterior Terrace Stage. Its 2020-21 outdoor season included a condensed version of Lerner and Loewe’s musical “Camelot” and a rolling world premiere of a new play, “The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer,” celebrating the civil rights activist’s legacy.

DAYS OF THE NEW

While Asolo Rep remains a safe place for Shakespeare, Edwards also made it a launching pad for Broadway musicals like “Bonnie and Clyde.” (Some were flops; a few were hits. That’s show biz.) The company established its Ground Floor program in 2020 to nurture work by new playwriting talent, with a special focus on the voices of marginalized identities, communities and origins.

FINANCIAL STABILITY

Under Edwards’ leadership, Asolo Rep paid down debt on its existing

facilities. He cultivated relationships with area donors, such as the Koskis and the late Warren and Margot Coville. Edwards didn’t depend solely on philanthropy but based his operating budget on a diverse revenue stream. In 2019, his “Staging Our Future” initiative set a target of $21 million for the company’s endowment. Asolo Rep has now raised 85% of that goal.

As Edwards sees it, marketing, fundraising and philanthropy were vital to achieving his artistic vision for Asolo Rep. It might be commercialism — but it’s how he made his vision real.

“Our healthy financial status is a means to an end,” he says. “It wouldn’t mean anything if we weren’t staging passionately exciting plays and musicals by the best talent working today.”

In Edwards’ view, it’s all about the art. In the beginning, that revolved around his artistry as a director. He’s proud of his work on plays like “Equus” and “A Tale of Two Cities.” But Edwards is equally proud of empowering directors like the late Frank Galati, Peter Amster and Josh

Rhodes in productions like “Ragtime,” “The Three Musketeers” and “The Sound of Music” on the Asolo Rep stage.

The directors Edwards has worked with are just as proud to have taken cues from him. “It’s been like having a tennis pro teach you how to play tennis,” Amster says. “He’s challenged me; he’s inspired me; he’s supported me creatively in the process of directing. We have very different styles, but he can pinpoint exactly why something’s not working and how to fix it. What more could a director ask for?”

On June 30, Edwards will cross the finish line of his long-distance run at Asolo Rep. “I never expected to be here this long,” he says. “I signed a three-year contract and stayed for 18.”

Peter Rothstein’s run as Asolo Rep’s new artistic director begins the moment Edwards leaves the theater company. Edwards’ advice to his successor? “Stick to your vision, but enjoy the conversation with the community.”

EMMA JOLLY CONTRIBUTOR

Igo back and forth between what love language defines what I need, or rather what I want.

Millennials are always craving reassurance, so words of affirmation seem like a good fit. But no, thanks.

Over the last year, my husband instituted day-date Saturdays where we put our phones away, listen to music all the way up with the windows all the way down and try tacos all over town.

Then it hit me: My husband found a love language that speaks to my soul more than any other — tacos.

Here is my love letter to the places “shelling” out the best tacos in town.

CASA MASA

2773 Bee Ridge Road., Sarasota; 941-922-TACO, CasaMasa-srq.com

Let’s Taco ‘Bout It: Inspired by his travels to Mexico, owner Rob Disilvio flies in authentic Oaxacan cheese, makes blue corn tortillas from scratch daily and fires up flavors that floor my foodie heart, stomach and soul. The use of blue corn in tacos, chips and pizzas (yes, pizzas) elevates each bite. “The essence of a sandwich is the bread; the essence of a taco is the shell,” says Disilvio, who has been in business six years. I would go to Casa Masa for breakfast, lunch and dinner if I could. Open daily from 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Top Taco: Pork Al Pastor ($4). This is by far the best in town! Sweet pineapple paired with verticalcooked shards of pork that perpetuate my passion for pastor tacos.

Spec-Taco-ular Second Place:

Talk of the taco town

— no needed — these tasty tacos and not just on Tuesdays. Once I went to the actual restaurant and realized they served sangria, draft beer and margaritas as well as churros— it was game over for this corn sandwich connoisseur.

Top Taco: Campechano: rib eye and chorizo ($3.99). Name a better combo — I’ll wait. Savory ribeye with the slight heat found in chorizo (seasoned chopped or ground pork sausage) is a match made in taco heaven.

Spec-Taco-ular Second Place: Sopes ($5.75). Just another crazy yummy corn-based vessel for the Campechano (or steak, barbacoa, pastor, chicken, carnitas, lengua, fish, shrimp, chorizo, tinga or vegetarian option).

BIRDROCK TACO SHACK

1213 13th Ave., W, Bradenton; 941545-9966, BirdRockTacoShack.com

to Robin’s apartments off U.S. Route 41. Vibrantly decorated and family-friendly, The Spot’s menu has me wondering why I took so long to walk through those doors. On a Saturday afternoon, the entire restaurant was packed. There were authentic smiles on each patron as they shared a meal with their loved ones. I found out quickly why everyone was so happy ... Top Taco: Birria Tacos ($2.99 each or three tacos and consumme for $11 or four tacos without consumme, $11). Dripping in broth, crisped to excellence and filled with the tastiest beef, cheese, diced onion and cilantro, these beautiful birria masterpieces made all of my worries wander away. I will dream about the cheesy, creamy yet crunchy, creations whenever I hear the word taco from here on out.

Pork Belly Mexican Pizza ($11-$16). I was going to tell you to get the camarones taco ($5.50), but that was before Disilvio delivered a dish that dazzled my delectable dining experience beyond measure. Pork belly, black bean paste, black garlic crema, salsa macha, red onion, micro cilantro — all on a pizza made of that blue corn beauty. Deliciosa!

EL PRIMO TAQUERIA

1111 Manatee Ave. E., Bradenton; 941-744-9299, LosPrimosTaqueriafl.com

Let’s Taco ‘Bout It: Don’t drive too fast going down Manatee Avenue or you’ll miss the next stop on our taco tour. Located next to a vacant gas station, the four-table authentic Mexican eatery below a bright green roof prepares plates that please my piehole more than most places.

Mouthwatering handmade tortillas, vibrantly colored spicy salsas and marvelously marinated meat served by a staff that makes you feel like family — except my family doesn’t serve tacos like this.

Top Taco: Chicharron, Pork Grinds ($1.75+). Primo’s pork grinds are

phenomenal. Each bite is crispy, jam-packed of crunchy skin that also feels delicate at the same time. I can’t wait to go back and enjoy this pristine pork!

Spec-Taco-ular Second Place: Carnitas, shredded pork ($1.75+). Please don’t stop with the pork, Primo. This shredded pork is perfectly praiseworthy!

BITIA’S TAQUERIA

3436 17th St., Sarasota; 941-3668081, facebook.com/BitiasTaqueria

Let’s Taco ‘Bout It: Finding a table at Bitia’s at any time on any day is like finding a spot in the long-term parking lot at SRQ Airport — best of luck and off to the cellphone lot for you. But before I lose you, let me tell you this authentic Salvadorean and Mexican establishment is worth the wait. Or if you don’t have time to fight for a seat, order online or check the wait time.

Top Taco: Barbacoa, shredded beef ($1.50). Looking for a hardshell taco with shredded American cheese, sour cream and stuff? Turn around and go to Taco Bell. Bitia’s tacos are authentic, appetizing and way above average. The juice from the barbacoa seeps into the shell and the cilantro complements each mouthful. Once my taco was gone, I immediately wanted another.

Spec-Taco-ular Second Place: Buche, pork belly ($1.50). You want a succulent taco full of tender, velvety and buttery notes? Look no farther.

REYNA’S TAQUERIA

935 N. Beneva Road., Suite 701, Sarasota; 941-260-8343, 8201 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota; 941-2714624, ReynasTaqueria.com

Let’s Taco ‘Bout It: This feature would not be possible without my love affair with Reyna’s Taqueria. When that whole COVID thing started, I ordered Reyna’s at least once a week. I justified my addiction by reassuring my husband, “We’re helping the local restaurant industry.” But the truth is I wanted

Let’s Taco ‘Bout It: Located in Village of the Arts, the new location of BirdRock radiates eclectic entertainment both in restaurant vibes and in your mouth with its flavorful food. There are vegan options, gluten-free choices and picture-perfect plates just waiting for foodies wanting to post on their social media pages. In business for eight years, owner and chef David Shiplett and his team curate a magical menu that I will eat my way through if it’s the last thing I do.

Top Taco: Tie between cold water lobster with smoked chile mayo, cabbage, lime and corn tortilla ($12) and beef short rib with Korean barbecue, tomato pico, fried onion and flour tortilla ($9).

Spec-Taco-ular Second Place: The Thai peanut, Brussels sprouts, caramelized shallots, chile taco with a flour tortilla ($8) has been a staple of BirdRock for years. Now I know why. Shiplett said he knew it was going to be a hit when nonvegan diners were requesting the dish time and time agin.

THE SPOT TACOS AND MORE

2303 First St., Bradenton; 941-7412011, TheSpotTacos.com

Let’s Taco ‘Bout It: Once dishing delectable cheesy goodness from the Bradenton Flea Market, this taco joint now has its own brickand-mortar establishment attached

Spec-Taco-ular Second Place: Tinga, chicken ($2.50 for corn, $3 for flour). If you aren’t into what was just described in my choice for top taco, I want you to know that the chicken tacos also guac-ed my world.

ROCCO’S TACOS

243 N. Cattlemen Road, Sarasota; 941-477-8226, RoccosTacos.com

Let’s Taco ‘Bout It: You can’t talk tacos without the talk of the town, Rocco’s Tacos, which just opened at University Town Center on March 6. With daily happy hours and special happenings like Margarita Mondays, Taco Tuesdays and a full brunch menu, the elevated and entertaining space is brimming with fun. Between the robust aromas and the attractive atmosphere, Rocco’s guarantees an appetizing and amusing time for every foodie.

Top Taco: Macha shrimp tacos ($20). Filled with crispy shrimp, peanut salsa macha, shaved cabbage, avocado, pico de gallo and sesame seeds, these tacos, offered with handmade tortillas or lettuce wraps, are shrimply the best savory dish.

Spec-Taco-ular Second Place: Vegan al Pastor ($19). Yummy in my normally-not-plant-based belly. The plant-based protein mixed with pineapple salsa, onion, cilantro and lime provides not only a vegan option at the new space, but is also gluten-free.

Here is my love letter to the area’s most tempting taquerias.

THIS WEEK

THURSDAY

‘EVOLVING/REVOLVING:

JEHANNE’

7 p.m. at Jane B. Cook Theater at FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail

$10-$45

Visit SarasotaContemporaryDance. org.

Sarasota Contemporary Dance closes its season with “Jehanne,” a work inspired by Joan of Arc. Continues Friday, Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday.

JOHN DICROSTA

7 p.m. at McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre, 1923 Ringling Blvd.

$25 Visit McCurdysComedy.com.

John DiCrosta’s humor may contain some of the dozens of character voices that have been featured in “The Transformers” films, video

OUR PICK

‘BRIDGE TO THE OTHER

SIDE’ SCREENING

Sarasota nonprofit Resilient Retreat and Wingspan Productions team up for “Resilient Reels,” a benefit screening of the award-winning film “Bridge to the Other Side,” a Q&A with director KT Curran and an after-party to raise awareness of physical and emotional fatigue among first responders.

IF YOU GO

When: 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. on April 30

Where: Resilient Retreat, 13010 Fruitville Road

Tickets: Online donations and registration requested Info: Visit ResilientRetreat.org.

games,and Nickelodeon TV shows. Runs through April 30.

‘SUNSET BOULEVARD’

7:30 p.m. at Manatee Performing Arts Center, 502 Third Ave. W., Bradenton

$30-$42

Visit ManateePerformingArtsCenter. com.

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Tony Awardwinning “Sunset Boulevard” is based on the Billy Wilder film of the same name about faded silver screen glory. Runs through May 14.

‘TRIBUTE TO BALANCHINE’

7:30 p.m. at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave. $35

Visit SarasotaBallet.org.

To mark the 40th anniversary of the death of choreographer George Balanchine, the Sarasota Ballet performs a triple bill of his ballets — “Divertimento No. 15,” “The Four Temperaments” and “Western Symphony.” Continues Friday and 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

‘BIG SEXY: THE FATS WALLER REVUE’

7:30 p.m. at Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, 1012 N. Orange Ave.

$20-$50

Visit WestcoastBlackTheatre.org.

Nate Jacobs’ original tribute features Fats Waller’s signature songs. Runs through May 28.

‘BACKWARDS FORWARDS BACK’

7:30 p.m. at Urbanite Theatre, 1487 Second St.

$25-$39

Visit UrbaniteTheatre.com.

In this world premiere, a soldier returning from war fights his PTSD with virtual reality technology. Runs through April 30.

‘VISIT JOE WHITEFEATHER (AND BRING THE FAMILY!)’

8 p.m. at Florida Studio Theatre’s Gompertz Theatre, 1265 First St. $25-$39 Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

Faced with a decline in tourism during the 1970s, a small Pennsylvania town decides to rename itself in honor of a dead Native American war hero who never even visited Beaver Gap while he was alive. Runs through May 21.

FRIDAY

JAZZ AT TWO: RODNEY ROJAS

JAZZ ENSEMBLE

2 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota, 7935 Fruitville Road $15-$20

Visit JazzClubSarasota.org.

Enjoy jazz standards, blues, bossas and some favorites from the American Songbook.

‘THE BALLAD OF OLD MANATEE’

4:15 and 6 p.m. at Manatee Village Historical Park, 1404 Manatee Ave., East Bradenton $27

Visit AtTheHat.org.

The world premiere musical is inspired by true events from early Bradenton and Manatee County history. Continues Fridays and Saturdays through May 6.

SATURDAY

PAMELA Z

8 p.m. at Harry Sudakoff Conference Center at New College, 5845 General Dougher Place $15 Visit NewMusicNewCollege.org.

Pamela Z will perform a program of solo works for voice, real-time electronic processing, sampled sounds, interactive video and more.

‘CLASSIC CONJURING’ WITH HOWARD STEVENS

8 p.m. at CinéBistro, Crossings at Siesta Key, 3501 Tamiami Trail, Suite 1100 $25 Visit HowardStevensMagic.com.

DON’T MISS GLIMPSE OF THE ARTIST: A COMMUNITY CELEBRATION

When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through

April 30

Where: The Community Room, The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, 5401 Bay Shore Road

Tickets: Free Info: Visit TheSAACC.com.

Presented by the Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition this show has three sections — “History, Present and Future.” The exhibition, co-curated by La’Tiara Love and Lauren David, includes works by Sean Presley, Gregory Rumph, Clifford McDonald and other community members, including students at Booker Elementary School. Use the QR codes in each area to discover what motivates the artists.

Guests will experience mystifying close-up illusions at the hands of Howard Stevens, an alias for a magician who practices medicine by day. Seating is limited to 20 people.

SUNDAY

‘50 YEARS LATER: A TRIBUTE TO THE WOODSTOCK GENERATION’

7:30 p.m. at Venice Community Center, 1 Indian Road, Venice $35 Visit VeniceTheatre.org.

It’s a long way from Yasgur’s Farm in Bethel, N.Y. to Venice, Fla., but the music makes the trip beautifully. Guest Director Ron Ziegler will sing lead vocals and play rhythm guitar.

TUESDAY

‘IMAGES OF DANCE’

7:30 p.m. at the Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave. $30 and up Visit SarasotaBallet.org.

Dancers of The Sarasota Ballet Studio Co. join students of The Margaret Barbieri Conservatory for this special program.

WEDNESDAY

MODERN WORKS FESTIVAL

6:30 p.m. at Urbanite Theatre, 1487 Second St. $5-$20 Visit UrbaniteTheatre.com.

The Modern Works Festival is a playwriting contest, reading festival and celebration of women in theater. Festivalgoers who see all three finalists — “Westminster” by Brenda Withers, “The Apiary” by Kate Douglas and “Therapy” by Jena Rashid — are eligible to vote for a winner. Runs through May 7.

MATT VENUTI AND THE ULTIMA ZONE MULTIMEDIA PERFORMANCE

7 p.m. at Rising Tide International, 5102 Swift Road

$15 in advance; $20 at the door Visit at RisingTide.org.

Award-winning composer and multi-instrumentalist Matt Venuti will perform at an event that is part concert, part film and part deep sound immersion.

‘NocheUnidos’ fundraiser melds New and Old worlds

Superstars

Mariachi Cobre will perform with the Venice Symphony at the Van Wezel to benefit nonprofit UnidosNow.

The U.S. has long been described as a “melting pot,” but UnidosNow Board Chair Kelly Kirschner has a different metaphor: He sees a country founded by immigrants as a “fruit salad.”

Kirschner, the former mayor of Sarasota who helped found UnidosNow in 2010, sees another metaphor in the “NocheUnidos” performance that will take place April 28 at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall.

IF YOU GO

‘NOCHEUNIDOS

2023’

When: 7:30 p.m. on April 28.

Where: Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail.

The benefit for UnidosNow will bring together superstars Mariachi Cobre and the 72-piece Venice Symphony for an evening that combines music from the New and Old Worlds. “People are surprised when they hear that a mariachi band is playing with a symphony,” Kirschner says, “but for me, it’s a metaphor for the U.S.”

Tickets: $35 and up.

Info: Visit VanWezel.org.

Kirschner, the dean of the division of executive and continuing education at Eckerd College, was motivated to co-found UnidosNow after 2010 U.S. Census figures showed Hispanics made up 20% of the population in Sarasota, surpassing Blacks for the first time. When Kirschner dug deeper into the statistics, including city data, he learned that only 2% of Sarasota’s Hispanics were registered to vote and just a third of this group went to the polls.

According to its website, UnidosNow’s mission “is to elevate the quality of life of the growing Hispanic/Latino community in the Manatee and Sarasota region through education, integration and civic engagement.”

Toward that end, one of the nonprofit’s initiatives is a college prep program that has sent local Hispanic students to Ivy League schools such as Harvard and Yale, state colleges and technical institutes.

One dynamic part-time worker and volunteer in this program was the late Hector Tejeda, a retired Merck executive who moved to the Sarasota area. Tejeda, who died unexpectedly in September 2022, will be celebrated during the “NocheUnidos” concert, which is the main annual fundraiser for UnidosNow.

“Hector’s legacy embodies the hopes and aspirations we have for all of our local Hispanic and immigrants youths,” Kirschner wrote in an op-ed piece April 20.

Tejeda, a graduate of Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., became involved in UnidosNow after he saw

an ad on Craigslist for a part-time job working with Hispanic high school students in the college-prep program, which was just getting started at the time.

“Not willing to risk his resume being ignored via email, Hector went directly to the nonprofit’s office and told the small team why he was the ideal candidate for the job,” Kirschner wrote. “He was hired on the spot, and over the ensuing eight years as a woefully underpaid employee — and then as a dedicated volunteer — Hector influenced the lives of thousands of students and families.”

Kirschner and Tejeda shared a connection to Guatemala. Kirschner was a Peace Corps volunteer and later a U.S. Agency for International Development employee in the troubled Central American country in the late 1990s. Tejeda, who was born in Guatemala, was brought to the U.S. by his single mother in 1956, shortly before the beginning of the country’s long-running civil war.

Kirschner and others are excited about “NocheUnidos,” not least of all because the guest conductor will be Ismael Sandoval, a first-generation Mexican immigrant who came to the U.S. at the age of three. Sandoval is currently the assistant conductor of the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera in Tennessee.

“The mission of UnidosNow is to help students achieve their American dream,” says Cintia Elenstar, executive director of UnidosNow. “Ismael serves as the perfect representation of the event and UnidosNow as a whole. He’s an individual that has surpassed so many odds and expectations to become a nationally recognized conductor.”

“We’re extremely excited about bringing together so many incredible collaborators for this event,” Sandoval said in a statement. “It is bound to be a night full of incredible energy with an emphasis on building bridges with other cultures and traditions. We hope that this night will bring a lot of positivity and light to the community and to everyone in attendance.”

Known as the “Rolling Stones” of Mariachi music, Mariachi Cobre is a 52-year-old band that was originally discovered by Walt Disney. The band has performed with the Boston Pops, Julio Iglesias and Linda Ronstadt among others.

Gates open at 5:30 pm • Free Parking

Troy Quinn leads The Venice Symphony in a concert of great American music including a salute to the Armed Forces.

Vocal group Liberty Voices will accompany the orchestra.

*Rain Date May 28

Forks & Corks

Sunday, April 23, at the Ringling Museum of Art | Sarasota-Manatee Originals

Hundreds of guests braved the heat for some good food and drinks during Forks & Corks food and wine festival’s returning Grand Tasting event at the Ringling Museum of Art on April 23. Sarasota-Manatee Originals held the event, in its 16th year, which showcases delectable dishes from local Sarasota establishments and wines from around the

world. Guests picked up Champagne and checked out various wines before heading into the museum. Attendees mixed and mingled across the courtyard while sampling wine from around 100 wineries. This year’s event celebrated 20 years of Sarasota-Manatee Originals, an organization that helps promote local restaurants.

Celebration Luncheon

Thursday, April 20, at Sarasota Municipal Auditorium | Benefiting Girls Inc.

Girls Inc. put on a show during its annual Celebration Luncheon April 20 at the Sarasota Municipal Auditorium.

Hundreds came to support the nonprofit’s work to teach girls to be strong, smart and bold. The event recognized Renee Phinney, Cynthia Howard, Charlotte Bauman, Claudia Cardillo and Sofia Zavala for their community work. Board Chair Chris Pinckney and Co-chairwomen Kay Mathers and LaShawn Frost opened the program before President and CEO Angie Stringer spoke.

— HARRY SAYER

Interactive Dinner & Auction

Josh Provides celebrated five years of its lively interactive dinner and auction fundraiser at Michael’s On East on April 19.

The event — benefiting the nonprofit’s programs for those living with epilepsy and seizure disorders as well as their families — brought together hundreds of supporters at a series of tables where they cooked up meals with direction from chefs Phil Mancini and Jamil Pineda.

Guests first heard from board Chair Ed Scharf and Chairwoman Sandi Chapnick before they got to business cooking up stir-fried vegetables, pesto rigatoni, flat-iron steak and more.

— HARRY SAYER

Wednesday, April 19, at Michael’s On East | Benefiting Josh Provides