NICEVILLE — The classic music album format was already on the wane when Northwest Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra members were born, but tonight the talented musicians will have a hand in its revival.

The students will join members of the Pensacola-based White Tie Rock Ensemble to perform "The Beatles: Abbey Road" in concert as Brian Brown, the youth orchestra's new director, makes his debut.

“As my first concert with the NFSYO, I wanted to create a fun and entertaining event that would help raise funds needed for scholarships and support for our youth symphony programs," Brown said.

White Tie Rock Ensemble leader Jonathan Clark said his group's mission is to help classic album music live again in the age of digital music downloads.

“Our classic concert series enables any fan, 8 to 80, to enjoy a timeless art form," Clark said. "At our events, liner notes are read, cover art appreciated and the B-side is not forgotten."

With its famous cover photo of the four lads from Liverpool — including the barefoot and out-of-step Paul McCartney — crossing Abbey Road in London, the 1969 album resulted from The Beatles' last recording session together.

The legendary band officially split up the following year.

Many songs from "Abbey Road" — including "Something," "Here Comes the Sun" and "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" — have become rock standards, and the album was The Beatles' best-selling record.

Just as The Beatles used electronic musical sound effects on "Abbey Road," the NWFSYO continues the band's pioneering tradition of enhancing rock music with unexpected instruments.

"Long live the side long epic!" Clark said. "Long live the concept album!”

WANT TO GO?

WHAT: "The Beatles: Abbey Road" performed by the White Tie Rock Ensemble and the Northwest Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. May 15

WHERE: Mattie Kelly Arts Center, Northwest Florida State College, Niceville

TICKETS: $22 at the Box Office, 729-6000 or at www.MattieKellyArtsCenter.org

NOTES: Proceeds benefit the Northwest Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra

Email News Bulletin Staff Arts and Entertainment Editor Brian Hughes at brianh@crestviewbulletin.com, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: A trip down 'Abbey Road': Album's art lives again for NWF Symphony Youth Orchestra

Schola Cantorum's spring concert was one of those marvelous evenings that during the event, leave audiences wanting more and afterward, eagerly awaiting the community chorus' next performance.

That opportunity won't arrive until Schola's annual Christmas concert. In the meantime, the group anticipates growing beyond its current 12 members as vocalists from the now-disbanded Okaloosa Chamber Singers seek new choral music performance opportunities.

"When You Believe," the May 5 concert held at the First Presbyterian Church of Crestview, was a delightful mix of traditional choral selections and Broadway standards.

Particularly enjoyable among the non-show tune selections were Mozart's "Regina Coeli" and John Davis' enchanting "You Are the New Day" — "a new piece to us," director John Leatherwood said.

It's showtime!

And then the curtain rose on a glorious cornucopia of music from the Great White Way and West End.

Favorites included Rebecca Wendel and Sara Florence's duet on "In His Eyes" from "Jekyll and Hyde," and Richard Montague's solo of "To Each His Dulcinea" from "Man of La Mancha."

Leatherwood countered Montague's song with "The Impossible Dream" from the same Mitch Leigh, Joe Darion musical. Montague returned to solo on "Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat" from "Guys and Dolls."

That show doesn't rank high on my list of Broadway favorites, but does feature some great songs, and "Sit Down…" is one of them. Montague performed it very well. 

The concert's title number, "When You Believe," the 1998 Academy Award-winning Best Original Song from "The Prince of Egypt," concluded the evening with gusto.

With the audience hesitant to leave, Leatherwood jokingly said, "I'm sorry; that's all we know."

We know he's fibbing, and come December, we'll be back for more.

I hope you'll join us.

Monday's audience was entirely too sparse for such great music by such accomplished singers.

Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, brianh@crestviewbulletin.com, follow him on Twitter, @cnbBrian, or call 682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: REVIEW: Show tunes highlight community chorus spring concert

CRESTVIEW — Baker, Crestview, Niceville and Shalimar residents are celebrating medals they won during the recent Area A 4-H Horse Show in the Jackson County Agricultural Center in Marianna.

Honors are as follows:

•Emily Stuckey of Baker, first place in senior training level dressage.

•Klarissa Williamson of Crestview, junior saddleseat overall champion.

•Kelvin Williamson of Crestview, senior western showmanship champion.

•Keenan Williamson of Crestview, first place in junior saddleseat showmanship.

•Two Okaloosa County team members tied for first place in senior english overall highpoint.

The team also brought home these awards:

•First-place awards: senior hunter under saddle, senior hunt seat equitation, handy hunter, first-level dressage, junior hunter showmanship, saddleseat type gelding, saddleseat equitation and saddleseat road hack.

•Second-place awards: senior hunter showmanship, working hunter, junior hunter under saddles, junior hunt seat equitation, junior equitation over fences, senior ranch riding, ranch ground handling, hunt seat equitation, pony hunter under saddle, junior saddleseat showmanship and junior training level dressage.

•Third-place award: junior hunter hack.

The show, which included participants from Escambia to Leon counties, took place April 12 and 13.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Okaloosa County 4-H members celebrate horse show medals

Last year the IRS doled out over 110 million income tax refunds averaging $2,803. Another way to look at it is that collectively, Americans overpaid their taxes by nearly $310 billion in 2012.

Part of that is understandable: If you don't have enough tax withheld throughout the year through payroll deductions or quarterly estimated tax payments, you'll be hit with an underpayment penalty come April 15. But the flip side is that by over-withholding, you're essentially giving the government an interest-free loan throughout the year.

If you ordinarily receive large tax refunds, consider withholding less and instead putting the money to work for you, by either saving or investing a comparable amount throughout the year, or using it to pay down debt. Your goal should be to receive little or no refund.

Ask your employer for a new W-4 form and recalculate your withholding allowance using the IRS' Withholding Calculator on the IRS website. This is also a good idea whenever your pay or family situation changes significantly (e.g., pay increase, marriage, divorce, new child, etc.) IRS Publication 919 can guide you through the decision-making process.

Meanwhile, if you do get a hefty refund this year, before blowing it all on something you really don't need, consider these options:

Pay down debt. Beefing up credit card and loan payments can significantly lower your long-term interest payments. Suppose you currently pay $120 a month toward a $3,000 credit card balance at 18 percent interest. At that pace it'll take 32 months and $788 in interest to pay it off, assuming no new purchases. By doubling your payment to $240 you'll shave off 18 months and $441 in interest.

Note: If you carry balances on multiple cards, always make at least the minimum payments to avoid penalties.

The same strategy will work when paying down loans (mortgage, auto, personal, etc.) Ask the lender to apply your extra payment to the loan principal amount, which will shorten the payoff time and reduce the amount of overall interest paid. Just make sure to ask whether there's a prepayment penalty before trying this strategy.

Boost your emergency fund. As protection against a job loss, medical emergency or other financial crisis, try to set aside enough cash to cover six to nine months of living expenses. Seed the account with part of your refund and then set up monthly automatic deductions from your paycheck or checking account going forward.

Increase retirement savings. If your debt and emergency savings are under control, add to your IRA or 401(k) accounts, especially if your employer matches contributions; remember, a 50 percent match corresponds to a 50 percent rate of return – something you're not likely to find anywhere else.

Finance education. Enroll in college courses or vocational training to gain additional skills in case you lose your job or want to change careers. And ask whether your employer will help pay for job-related education.

You can also set money aside for your children's or grandchildren's education by contributing to a 529 Qualified State Tuition Plan. As an incentive, the government allows your contributions to grow tax-free until they're withdrawn.

And finally, to check on the status of your refund, go to the IRS's Where's My Refund site. You can usually get information about your refund 24 hours after the IRS acknowledges receipt of your e-filed return or about four weeks after filing a paper return.

Jason Alderman directs Visa's financial education programs. For details on Practical Money Skills, go to www.practicalmoneyskills.com.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: PRACTICAL MONEY SKILLS: Spend your tax refund wisely

Mother's Day is May 11. If you're wracking your brain for ways to show your mom appreciation for all the sacrifices she made while raising you, here's a thought: Why not offer to spend some time helping to sort through her financial, legal and medical paperwork to make sure everything is in order?

While flowers and candy offer immediate gratification, I'll bet your mom will truly appreciate the long-term value of getting her records in order now so that she – and you – will be able to take appropriate actions later on, should the need arise.

Some of the areas you might want to organize include:

Retirement income sources. Gather these documents so your mom will have a better idea how much income she'll have available throughout retirement:

•Register your mom at the mySocialSecurity website to gain access to personalized estimates of retirement, disability and survivors benefits, lifetime earnings records and estimated Social Security and Medicare taxes paid.

•You'll also need your dad's statement to determine any potential spousal or survivor benefits for which she might be eligible, so sign him up as well.

•Annual statements for pension, IRA, 401(k) or other retirement savings plans for which she's eligible. (Check your dad's statements too in case she's eligible for spousal death benefits.)

•Bank statements for checking, savings, money market and CD accounts.

•Company stock and bond certificates, and statements for other investment accounts.

Outstanding debts. Also gather monthly statements and outstanding balances owed for major expenses including: home mortgage or other property loans, home equity loan or line of credit, car loan or lease, credit cards, medical bills and personal loans.

Other important documents. Your mom should have documents instructing how she'd like her affairs to be handled, both while she's living and after death. Look for:

•Medical, homeowner/renter, auto, life, disability and long-term care insurance policies.

•A will (and possibly a trust) outlining how she wants her estate managed after death.

•Durable power of attorney and health care proxy specifying who will make her financial and medical decisions if she becomes incapacitated.

•Also, a living will tells doctors which medical treatments and life-support procedures she does or doesn't want performed.

•Birth certificate, marriage license, Social Security card, funeral plans, safe deposit box information, etc.

•Contact information for professional service providers (doctors, pharmacy, lawyer, financial advisor, bank, insurance companies, etc.) Also give these providers your own contact information in case of emergencies.

Review these documents regularly and make updates whenever her situation changes. For example, make sure that designated beneficiaries for your mom's will, life insurance and retirement plans accurately reflect her current wishes.

If you need help guiding financial discussions, Social Security has created a special website for women that provides information on retirement, disability and other issues – in English and Spanish. They also have a retirement estimator where you can enter her earnings information from their records to estimate her projected Social Security benefits under different scenarios (age at retirement, future earnings projections, etc.)

Another good resource is the Women's Saving Initiative, a program jointly developed by Heinz Family Philanthropies, the Women's Institute for a Secure Retirement (WISER) and Visa Inc. This program features a free book called "What Women Need to Know About Retirement," which you can download as a PDF or audio file from the Practical Money Skills resources page.

If you need professional help, consult a licensed financial planner who can design a personalized retirement strategy. If you don't know one, try the Financial Planning Association.

________________________________________

Jason Alderman directs Visa's financial education programs. Follow him on Twitter or visit  the Practical Money Skills for Life website.

 www.twitter.com/PracticalMoney

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Help your mom get organized for Mother's Day