Romanza’s Collage Concert Series will begin on Oct. 28 with guitar wizardry. The concert will feature Jonathan Dotson, virtuoso guitarist, in a program spanning the years from early music of the 1500s to classical works and popular rock and jazz stylings. Dotson, a St. Augustine native, has played classical guitar on four continents, writes and arranges music for guitar and is the senior guitar instructor at the Jacksonville School of the Arts.
The second concert will be Nov. 11. Singer, songwriter and guitarist Yael ZaZa Flamenca will present “Soirée á Paris,” a program that will immerse audiences in the songs and stories of Edith Piaf. Yael speaks and sings in eight languages: French, Italian, Spanish, English, Portuguese, Hebrew, Russian and Serbian. She is also adept at singing American rock and pop favorites and jazz standards.
The Jan. 20 concert will present Jacksonville favorites the On Point A Cappella Quartet, who are known across the United States and internationally. On Point sings a variety of music from barbershop favorites to popular, rock and jazz favorites.
In observance of Black History Month, masterful pianist and recitalist Richard Alston will present a lecture/concert on Feb. 3. A graduate of the Juilliard School of Music, Alston has performance credits ranging from recitals, guest soloist with orchestras, live opera, many recordings and is a sought-after teacher in the northeastern U.S. Alston will present a talk titled “Classically Black: Piano Compositions by Composers of African-American Descent.”
Although Romanza is mostly known for the annual Romanza Festivale in May, with its 17 days of presentations featuring music, dance, art, theatre and more, Romanza also produces the very popular St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Celtic Festival in mid-March.
All of the Romanza’s Collage Concert Series performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. in The Waterworks, 184 San Marco Ave., St. Augustine. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at romanzafestivale.com.
