February Arts Calendar of Events
The St. Petersburg Celebration of the Arts, a non-profit annual festival during the month of February whose goal is to unify St. Petersburg’s cultural organizations around a common theme, with this year’s topic being “Love”. Last year, Mayor Kriseman proclaimed February to be “St. Petersburg’s Celebration of the Arts Month”. Below is the schedule for this year’s the St. Petersburg Celebration of the Arts, which commences on February 1st. For more details check out www.artsofstpete.com.
Classical Revolution
Tuesday, February 1, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Local musicians present a free program centering around the theme of love. Contributions are welcome.
Webb City Cellar by Green Bench Brewery (LEFT)
Star-Crossed Lovers
Thursday, February 3, 11 am – 1 pm
The Florida Orchestra Coffee Concert, with conductor Michael Francis (RIGHT), presents Romeo and Juliet’s tragic story, featuring works by Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, and Bernstein.
Mahaffey Theater
Handel’s Semele
Friday, February 4, 8 pm – 11 pm
St. Petersburg Opera Co. presents Handel’s brilliant English opera performed by Holly Flack as Semele, Sara Couden as Juno, and Kyle Tomlin as Jupiter. Sung in English with English text above the stage. Mark Sforzini (LEFT), Executive and Artistic Director.
The Palladium
3 First Dates
Saturday, February 5, 9 pm – 10 pm
Six improv comedians pair up to go on three first dates in front of the audience, and it’s a train wreck of laughter! 3 First Dates is one of Spitfire’s best original comedies, now in its third year.
Spitfire Comedy House (RIGHT)
Handel’s Semele
Sunday, February 6, 2 pm – 5 pm
St. Petersburg Opera Co. presents Handel’s brilliant English opera performed by Holly Flack as Semele, Sara Couden as Juno, and Kyle Tomlin as Jupiter. Sung in English with English text above the stage. Mark Sforzini, Executive and Artistic Director.
The Palladium (LEFT)
Handel’s Semele
Tuesday, February 8, 7:30 – 10:30 pm
St. Petersburg Opera Co. presents Handel’s brilliant English opera performed by Holly Flack as Semele, Sara Couden as Juno, and Kyle Tomlin as Jupiter. Sung in English with English text above the stage. Mark Sforzini, Executive and Artistic Director.
The Palladium (sample of Handel’s English opera-Right)
Youth Aliyah: Healing Body and Spirit Through the Love of the Arts
Thursday, February 10, 7 pm – 8 pm
The Hadassah St. Petersburg Chapter presents a free, virtual lecture by renowned author and psychologist Carol Goodman Kaufman. Through Youth Aliyah’s therapeutic music, arts, and theater programs, impoverished, at-risk children discover talents and build confidence and self-esteem. Contact bellallure1@aol.com for the Zoom link. Hadassah St. Petersburg
Shabbat of Love
Friday, February 11, 7:30 pm – 9 pm
A love-filled Friday evening service with Rabbi Jenn Mangold. Together we celebrate the gift of lovingkindness, followed by a reception at 9 pm. In-person at Temple Beth-El (RIGHT), or virtually via the TBE St. Pete Facebook page and YouTube.
Temple Beth-El
Shakespeare and Love
Saturday, February 12, 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm
A free lecture by Shakespearean scholar Professor Sara Munson Deats. Deats has superbly addressed each of our previous annual themes, including Shakespeare, Tolerance and Acceptance, and The Sea.
Opera Central (LEFT)
Gallery Love Songs with Erik Kroncke
Saturday, February 12, 6 pm – 6:30 pm
Erik Kroncke and the St. Petersburg Opera Singers perform love songs from opera at the Mirella Cimato Gallery. The gallery will be featuring artwork by artist and psychologist Mary Khosh (artwork RIGHT). The performance is free.
Opera Central
3 First Dates to Celebrate Love and the Arts
Saturday, February 12, 9 pm – 10 pm
Six improv comedians pair up to go on three first dates in front of the audience, and it’s a train wreck of laughter! 3 First Dates is one of Spitfire’s best original comedies, now in its third year.
Spitfire Comedy House (LEFT)
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1
Stravinsky: The Firebird (Complete)
Saturday, February 19, 8 pm – 10 pm
A Florida Orchestra Masterworks Concert. Michael Francis, conductor, and Conrad Tao, on piano.
Mahaffey Theater (RIGHT)
POPera: Love and Madness at the Opera
Saturday, February 19, 8 pm – 10 pm
The St. Petersburg Opera Company presents a themed event for the St. Petersburg Celebration of the Arts. Through operatic excerpts, love, passion, death, and nightmares: the beginnings of love and the descent into madness follow a reversal.
Opera Central (LEFT)
3 First Dates
Saturday, February 19, 9 pm – 10 pm
Six improv comedians pair up to go on three first dates in front of the audience, and it’s a train wreck of laughter! 3 First Dates is one of Spitfire’s (RIGHT) best original comedies, now in its third year.
Spitfire Comedy House
POPera: Love & Madness at the Opera
Sunday, February 20, 3 pm – 5 pm
The St. Petersburg Opera Company presents a themed event for the St. Petersburg Celebration of the Arts. Through operatic excerpts, love, passion, death, and nightmares: the beginnings of love and the descent into madness follow a reversal.
Opera Central (Sample Opera RIGHT)
Love and More
Tuesday, February 22, 8 pm – 10 pm
The Tampa Bay Symphony, under the direction of Mark Sforzini, presents The Sound of Music Selections, Richard Rodgers, arr. by Robert Russell Bennett, Fräulein Maria Triptych, Mark Sforzini, Prelude & Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde, Richard Wagner, Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet, arr. by Nino Rota, orch. by Mike Townend, TBD: 5th Annual Composition Competition Winner, and Les Préludes, Franz Liszt. (Right art representing love)
The Palladium
Love in Sparta
Wednesday, February 23, 1 pm – 2:30 pm
A free, virtual lecture in collaboration with The National Arts Club featuring Paul Cartledge, Cambridge University Professor Emeritus, honorary citizen of modern Sparta, Commander of the Order of Honor awarded by the President of Greece. The ancient Greeks had at least two words for love, agapê connoting more or less pure love and erôs signifying sexual lust. In Sparta (LEFT), male-male sexuality played a distinctive role educationally and politically, even leading to a unique vocabulary. The Spartans likewise devised a local twist on marital romance and male-female relations. Whether ancient Sparta may be regarded as a normal or abnormal Greek culture will also be discussed. Registration.
The National Arts Club
A Reunion Story
Wednesday, February 23, 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm
A free lecture presented by The Florida Holocaust Museum, about a love story between two friends who were miraculously reunited after 80 years. Betty Grebenschikoff saw Ana María Wahrenberg in 1939 when they were 9 years old. They shared a tearful hug in a Berlin schoolyard before their families were forced to flee the country and the Nazis on the cusp of World War II. In a reunion facilitated by the USC Shoah Foundation, the FHM and the Interactive Jewish Museum of Chile, the two women and their families reconnected in November 2020 on a Zoom call. They vowed to meet in person, and one year later, they did. Presented bilingually, in English and Spanish, as an in-person event and live-streamed from the FMH Facebook Page. Seating is limited for the in-person event. Click here to RSVP.
The Florida Holocaust Museum (RIGHT)
Love Eternal: A Tour of the Museum of Fine Arts Collection
Thursday, February 24, 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Join Dr. Stanton Thomas, Senior Curator of Collections and Exhibitions, for an intimate tour centered on the Museum of Fine Art’s (LEFT) collection’s themes of love and desire. These masterworks celebrate the artistry and passion of artists through the ages, from ancient depictions of Venus through the romantic exuberance of Georgia O’Keeffe. Free with admission, limited to 20.
Museum of Fine Arts (LEFT)
Arias, Zarzuelas, and Art Songs of Romance
Friday, February 25, 11:30 am – 2 pm
Spinto tenor Guillermo Lopez Guiterrez (RIGHT) perform love songs at the St. Petersburg Opera Guild Luncheon. Lopez is hailed as one of the promising voices in Mexico and the United States. He recently performed the role of Gastone in La Traviata with the Saint Petersburg Opera Company and Parpignol in La Boheme with Opera Tampa.
The Club at Treasure Island
The Power of The Force is in the Music
Saturday, February 26, 2 pm – 4 pm (Matinee), and 8 pm – 10 pm
The Florida Orchestra Raymond James POPS Concert and conductor Enrico Lopez Yañez (LEFT) take you on a journey through the most popular, critically-acclaimed theme songs from the Star Wars saga composed by the Jedi master of movie music, John Williams, including memorable love themes from the series. The Empire Strikes Back–otherwise known as the Han-Leia, or ‘Love,’ theme–captures all the tragic emotion and the drama of the film’s magnificent last sequence: when Han Solo, not knowing if he’ll survive, kisses Leia, only to be torn away from her by his captors. The Princess blurts out, “I love you,” and as he descends into the chamber, Han replies, “I know.” It’s the last line he speaks in the movie.
Mahaffey Theater
3 First Dates
Saturday, February 26, 9 pm – 10 pm
Six improv comedians pair up to go on three first dates in front of the audience, and it’s a train wreck of laughter! 3 First Dates is one of Spitfire’s best original comedies, now in its third year. (RIGHT)
Spitfire Comedy House
Other Participants in the Celebration of the Arts
PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS: For the Celebration of the Arts in St. Petersburg Florida this February:
Birch & Vine
Parkshore Grill (Sample Dish RIGHT)
The Library
All content provided by the St Petersburg celebration of the Arts. All of the above images are samples of the locations and performances for editorial purposes all right reserved. You may also be interested in the St Petersburg Seafood Festival here. Also check out Orchid Madness for lovers.
The post The St. Petersburg Celebration of the Arts appeared first on Destination Tampa Bay™.
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