April 18: Rocky Town Throw Down Spring Jam 2015

February 20: The Issacs at the Florence Civic Center

The Uptown Gospel Series presents The Isaacs live in concert plus special guest Lesa Hudson!

The Isaacs, a multi-award winning family group who began singing 35 years ago are based out of Hendersonville, TN. The vocalists are mother Lily Isaacs, and siblings Ben Isaacs, Sonya Isaacs Yeary and Rebecca Isaacs Bowman. Playing their own acoustic instruments and joined by other band members, The Isaacs have a unique style that blends tight, family harmony with contemporary acoustic instrumentation that appeals to a variety of audiences.  Their musical style has been influenced by many genres of music including bluegrass, rhythm and blues, folk, and country, contemporary, acoustic and southern gospel. 

Inspirational Country Music favorite Lesa Hudson will open the night with her nationally acclaimed hits.  Lesa is a 3-time finalist for ICMA Female Vocalist of the Year and 2-time finalist for ICMA New Artist of the Year with several songs peaking at the Top 10 of the nationally acclaimed PowerSource Christian Country Top 100 chart.

http://www.florenceciviccenter.com/events/detail/theisaacs

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  Feb 20 , 2015
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  The Uptown Ballroom
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  $15 advance, $20 day of show
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  General Admission Seating tickets are $15.00 if purchased in advance or $20.00 day of show.  additional fees may apply

February 8: Artist Reception at Dr. N Lee Morris Gallery

FMU ARTISTS FEATURED AT LIBRARY EXHIBITION

On Sunday, February 8th from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m., the Dr. N. Lee Morris Gallery will host a public reception for faculty and staff members from Francis Marion University’s Department of Fine Arts, who will be conducting an exhibition at the gallery beginning February 2nd. Featured artists include Department Chair Lawrence Anderson, as well as Colleen Critcher, Dr. EunJung Chang, Greg Fry, Dr. Howard Frye, Steven Gately, Douglas Gray, Julie Mixon, and Walter Sallenger with works ranging from 3D art, ceramics, drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, and mixed media. 

The Dr. N. Lee Morris Gallery is located on the second floor of the Drs. Bruce and Lee Foundation Library. Refreshments will be served and admission to the reception as well as the exhibit is free. The exhibition runs through March 30th and is sponsored by Friends of Florence County Library. For more information, please call (843) 413-7060.

Call for Artists, Pianos and Locations

Touring internationally since 2008, Play Me, I’m Yours is an artwork by British artist Luke Jerram. Reaching over six million people worldwide – more than 1,300 pianos have already been installed in 45 cities across the globe, from New York to London, bearing the simple instruction ‘Play Me, I’m Yours’. Around April 15 street Pianos will appear in Florence and remain until May 3, 2015. They will be located throughout the city and  will be available for any member of the public to play and enjoy. The Street Pianos will be personalized and decorated by local artists.

Play Me. I’m Yours has an exceptional reach as a major piece of public art. The event began in 2008 in Birmingham, UK and has been produced in London, New York, Grand Rapids, MI, Paris, Albany, NY, Boston, Omaha, Glasgow and many more towns. Disrupting peoples’ negotiation of their city, Street Pianos are “designed to provoke people into engaging, activating and claiming ownership of their urban landscape”, says one of the organizers Reynolds Williams,  Like a musical equivalent of Facebook, Street Pianos provide an” interconnected resource for the public to express themselves meet new friends and build upon the community.”

Florence organizers are currently seeking locations, pianos and artists. Locations will be throughout the city, downtown, in parks, shopping centers and any where people gather. We welcome playable pianos as donations to this project. They will be kept and cared for, for future year events. Any artist interested in decorating a piano is encouraged to send us short letter of interest about your works. Inquiries should be sent to rmalfatti@sc.rr.com.

'Visit www.streetpianosflorence.com for more information about the project.'

September 17: Live @ Central: Journey- The Recipe for a Great Song: Buzz Rogers

Journey – The recipe for a great song – Buzz Rogers – There is music in the Rogers’s family blood.  Buzz sings, writes, and plays vintage guitars.  His son Frank is an award winning song writer who has received numerous Emmy's. All of this will be included in this program.

For the “Live @ Central” evening, the Program begins at 6:30.  There is a dinner at 5:30pm. Cost is $5 for adults and $2 for children. 

 Reservation for dinner at 843-662-3218.

October 10: Florence County Museum Opening Gala

FLORENCE COUNTY MUSEUM BOARD

ANNOUNCES OPENING GALA

The Florence County Museum Board invites you to participate in an

opening Gala on Friday, October 10, 2014.Tickets are available for

purchase at $125.00 per person; all proceeds benefit the Museum.The

Gala will provide participants an opportunity to be the first to view the

new building designed by Cooper Robertson and Partners from New

York, NY, in collaboration with Watson Tate Savory, Columbia, SC.

Guests will also have an opportunity to see newly installed permanent

exhibits designed by award winning exhibit design firm, HaleySharpe

Design as well as view two outstanding changing exhibits, William H.

Johnson: New Beginnings and Selections from The Wright Collection of

Southern Art.

The opening of the Museum has been long awaited by many. The

project began with funding provided by the State of South Carolina.

This generous contribution began a unique collaboration between

Florence County, Drs. Bruce and Lee Foundation, the State of South

Carolina and the Trustees of the Florence Museum.

For more information about how to purchase tickets, please call the

Florence County Museum at 843.676.1200. Gala is Black Tie optional

and begins at 7:30 pm. Trolleys are available to transport from near

parking areas during the event. Tickets are limited to 500.

September 28: Pianist Ko-Eun Yi opens Chamber Music Series in Florence

International award winning pianist opens Chamber Music Series

The first concert of the 2014-15 Chamber Music series at the Art Trail Gallery will be Sunday September 28 at 5PM. The opening concert will feature Ko-Eun Yi, pianist and winner of the 2013 Concert Artist Guild Competition. The approximately one hour concert will be followed by a meet the artist reception. Tickets are just $10 and available at the Art Trail Gallery, 185 W. Evans in downtown Florence. The program will include the Bach Prelude and Fugue in G, Carter Catenaires, Ravel  Jeux d’eau, and Chopin 24 Preludes.

Korean pianist Ko-Eun Yi, a winner of the 2013 CAG Victor Elmaleh Competition, has earned praise for playing with “élan and fire and a surplus of bravura technique” (Cincinnati Enquirer). She has garnered numerous top prizes in her young career, with recent successes at the 2010 World Piano Competition in Cincinnati and the 2011 Wideman International Piano Competition in Jackson, Mississippi. The Washington Post applauded her recent debut recital in DC: “a masterful technician ... Her finger-work was immaculate, inner voices were keenly drawn out, and there was no lack of power when needed.” 

At the October 2013 CAG competition, Ko-Eun was also awarded the Victor & Sono Elmaleh Piano Prize, and her 2014-15 itinerary includes her February 2015 New York recital debut at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall on the CAG New York Series.  Other upcoming engagements resulting from her CAG victory include concerto engagements with the Dupage Symphony Orchestra near Chicago and the Roswell Symphony in New Mexico, as well as recitals for the Trust Performing Arts Center in Harrisburg, PA.

Additional recent concerto highlights for Ko-Eun include performances with the Barcelona, Jerusalem, and Boston Symphony Orchestras, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Aspen Concert Orchestra, working with such conductors as Lawrence Foster, Leon Fleisher, and Christopher Wilkins. She toured South America playing Saint-Saëns concerto No. 2 with the New England Youth Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Benjamin Zander

Born in Seoul, Korea, Ko-Eun Yi began her piano studies at the age of three. She earned her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees at The Juilliard School studying with Jerome Lowenthal and completed her Professional Studies degree with André-Michel Schub at Manhattan School of Music. She is now pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Stony Brook University with Christina Dahl.

September 14: Comic-Con

Florence Comic-Con's second year is bigger and better than ever. Come on out and meet tons of artists and writers. Dealers galore selling everything from comic books to toys and beyond. Have your picture taken with The General Lee car from Dukes of Hazzard, the Ecto-1 from Ghostbusters, and the Mystery Machine from Scooby-Doo. Come see the Society of Creative Achronism, South Carolina Ghostbusters, the 501st Legion and lots of cosplayers. Also come and shake hands with one of the greatest F/X makeup artists on the planet Mr. Roy Wooley. Co-Star of Foxy and Co. now airing on SYFY and Season 3 and 5 contestant on SYFY's Faceoff show. Make sure you mark your calendar for September 14th, 2014 from 10am-6pm at SiMT.

General admission is $10.

For more information go to : http://www.legends-comics.com/home.html

Florence Comic Con 2014 will be held at the SiMT building just off of US-52 next to Florence-Darlington Technical College. For GPS users, the address is 1951 Pisgah Road, Florence SC 29501.​

September 8: Fall Decorative Painting Class with Pat Singletary

Next Monday, Sept. 8th we will be painting at the Art Trail Gallery in Florence. Our first fall project is a metal tray, either rectangular or oval. With fall colored leaves. This class is well suited for the beginner as well as more advanced artists. The class is from 6-8PM and costs $30.00 which includes everything you need. You will complete the project that evening. Soft drinks and water will be available for your enjoyment. Come, bring a friend and get ready to begin making or decorating your holiday gifts. Friends and families will not believe you did it yourself! Contact me for more details or to register. Pat Singletary on Facebook or call or text me - 843-373-3205.

2014-15 Chamber Music Series Calendar

Announcing the 2014-15 Series of

Chamber Music at the Art Trail Gallery

With Special Thanks to Our Presenting Sponsors!

Sept. 28, 2014 – Ko-Eun Yi, pianist

Sponsored by HILLIARD LYONS

Oct. 26, 2014 –  Laura Ball and Friends UNED!TED Series, “Beatles, Bach and Beer”

Sponsored by Judy & Ken Kammer and Debi & Panos Kalaritis

Nov. 23, 2014 -  Michael Bouvier, Baritone

Sponsored by Julia Krebs & Roger Hux and Mardi North

Feb. 22, 2015 – SC Chamber Music Festival Concert

Sponsored by Aggie & Alex Palkovich and Jane & Townsend Holt

Mar. 22, 2015 – Aurora Musicalis

Sponsored by FLORENCE SYMPHONY GUILD

Apr. 25, 2015 – Atlantean Trio

(Sponsorship Still Available)

$10 Performances (~1 hour) @ 5 PM and Include a “Meet the Artist” Reception

Tickets are Sold at the Door and

Full Season Tickets are Available for $50

Presented Under the Auspices of FDDC

First Fridays in Florence

FIRST FRIDAYS

On the first Friday of each month the Florence Downtown Development Corp and

Victors Bistro host a free concert in the James Allen Plaza located at 109 S. Dargan St.

The band plays from 6pm to 9pm, but the restaurant is open before and after the event.

September 2-26: Shapes: Sculpture and Photography

Opening of Shapes: Sculpture and Photography

Opening Reception

Friday, September 5 

5:30- 7:30

The Art Trail Gallery

185 West Evans Street

Florence, SC 29501 

September 12: Top of the Pot Singer/Songwriter Competition at the Clay Pot

The “Top of the Pot” Singer/Songwriters Competition is designed specifically for amateur musicians who have written their own lyrics/music. This round will feature the following artists/contestants:

7:00 P.M. Patrick Hill, song title: “Put Your Past Behind”
7:30 Henry Slone, song title: “I’m So Glad”
8:00 Marcus Goodman, song title: “All I Want Is Her Kiss”

166 S Dargan St

Florence, South Carolina 29501

September 21 and 22: FLT's Crowns Auditions

FLORENCE LITTLE THEATRE TO HOLD AUDITIONS FOR

 

Crowns

Written by Regina Taylor, Craig Marberry, and Michael Cunningham

Directed by C.J. Miller

Underwritten by Victor’s Bistro and Garden Room and Nucor Steel

 

AUDITIONS at FLT
Sunday, September 21 at 7:00pm

Monday, September 22 at 7:00

(Entire African American cast ages 17 and older)

 

A moving and celebratory musical play in which hats become a springboard for an exploration of black history and identity as seen through the eyes of a young black woman who has come down South to stay with her grandmother after her brother is killed in Brooklyn. Hats are everywhere, in exquisite variety, and the characters use the hats to tell tales concerning everything from the etiquette of hats to their historical and contemporary social functioning. There is a hat for every occasion, from flirting to churchgoing to funerals to baptisms, and the tradition of hats is traced back to African rituals and forward to contemporary times.  

 

Set in Darlington, South Carolina, Crowns creates a tapestry of voices that transcends time and place.

 

 

Production Dates: January 16-24, 2015

All auditions will be held at the Florence Little Theatre, 417 South Dargan Street, Florence.   Prior experience is not required and all audition materials will be provided. Anyone auditioning, please bring a photo!

 

 

FOR INFORMATION PLEASE CALL 662-3731

September 28:Chamber Music Series Begins at the Arts Trail Gallery

April 2: Memphis at FMU's Performing Arts Center

Thursday, April 2, 7:30 p.m. – Memphis. The Broadway musical Memphis is set in the night clubs of the segregated 50s, where a young white disc jockey falls in love with rock and roll and a black singer. Memphis is an original story about the cultural revolution that erupted when his vision met her voice.

Tickets: $59, $69 Tickets can be purchased online at www.fmupac.org , by phone at (843-661-4444), or in person, at the PAC Box Office at 201 S. Dargan St. in downtown Florence. The box office is open at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 27. Normal PAC box office hours are Monday-Friday, noon to 5 p.m.

December 19: A Christmas Carol at FMU's Performing Arts Center

Friday, Dec. 19, 7:30 p.m. – A Christmas Carol. Charles Dickens’, A Christmas Carol, is brought to the stage by The Nebraska Theatre Caravan, the professional touring wing of the Omaha Community Playhouse. The classic tale tells the story of bitter old miser Ebenezer Scrooge and the personal transformation resulting from supernatural visits on Christmas Eve.

Tickets: $29, $39. Tickets can be purchased online at www.fmupac.org , by phone at (843-661-4444), or in person, at the PAC Box Office at 201 S. Dargan St. in downtown Florence. The box office is open at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 27. Normal PAC box office hours are Monday-Friday, noon to 5 p.m.

November 15: Sister Act at FMU's Performing Arts Center

Saturday, Nov. 15, 7:30 p.m. – Sister Act. Straight from Broadway, Sister Act, produced by Whoopi Goldberg, Troika Entertainment and Nuns On Tour, LLC, is about a worldly singer who witnesses a mob crime. The police hide her as a nun in a traditional convent, where she has trouble fitting in.
Tickets: $59, $69 Tickets can be purchased online at www.fmupac.org , by phone at (843-661-4444), or in person, at the PAC Box Office at 201 S. Dargan St. in downtown Florence. The box office is open at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 27. Normal PAC box office hours are Monday-Friday, noon to 5 p.m.

October 24: A Midsummer Night's Dream at FMU's Performing Arts Center

Friday, Oct. 24, 7:30 p.m. – A Midsummer Night’s Dream. William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is the ultimate comedy of love, romance and the perils of being a teenager, and is brought to the stage by The Warehouse Theatre.

Tickets: $10, $15 Tickets can be purchased online at www.fmupac.org , by phone at (843-661-4444), or in person, at the PAC Box Office at 201 S. Dargan St. in downtown Florence. The box office is open at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 27. Normal PAC box office hours are Monday-Friday, noon to 5 p.m.

August 27: FMU Performing Arts Center Broadway Series Tickets Go On Sale

FMU Performing Arts Center launches Broadway and More Series

FLORENCE – Francis Marion University’s Performing Arts Center is bringing an impressive schedule of Broadway shows and dramatic theater to the area this year through its new “Broadway and More” series.

The four-show lineup includes the musicals Memphis and Sister Act, the holiday classic A Christmas Carol, and Shakespeare’s comedy for the ages, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Tickets for all four shows go on sale Wednesday, Aug. 27, at 10 a.m., at the PAC box office and online. Ticket prices vary. Check out the PAC website (www.fmupac.org) or call for details (843-661-4444).