Composer’s Forum at the White House

The Central Florida Composer’s Forum presented their 4th annual Composer’s Salon Concert at the Timucua Arts Foundation (2000 South Summerlin, Orlando, FL 32806). Seven local Central Florida composers: Eric Brook, Stan Cording, Paul Harlyn, Dr. Chan Ji Kim, Dr. Seunghee Lee, Sharon Omens, and Rebekah Todia,  featured original compositions including local and world premieres in a diverse array of musical stylings. Instrumentation included, piano, violin, flute, saxophone, bassoon, bass guitar, percussion, and electronic music. This was a rare chance to hear music from some of Central Florida’s best composers. This sketch was done quickly at the beginning of the concert. I did a second sketch from  the second floor which I posted some time ago.

In July of 2016 I invited local artists to the Falcon Bar (819 E Washington St, Orlando, FL 32801) to create 49 portraits, one for each of the victims of the mass murder at the Pulse Nightclub. Benoit invited me to exhibit these 49 portraits in the entry to the concert. They were hung high in the wooden rafters and filled every inch of the available space. I was told that one of the composers complained about the portraits being on display since they felt it interfered with the atmosphere of the night’s performances. I am always shocked to hear of other artists complaining about art. To hell with propriety, it was an appropriate gesture. At the end of the evening, people had cell phones out shooting photos of the portraits in the rafters.