Upcoming shows’ sheer diversity may banish the winter chill with cultural delights.

The Mattie Kelly Performing Arts Center’s offerings range from a Broadway classic’s Tony-winning revival to Celtic music and dance’s unbridled energy.

My feet are already tapping.

I have tunes like “Let the Sunshine In” and “Moonlight Serenade” swirling in my head — and sadly remember my dancing skills are nil when a cavalcade of energetic shows like these comes to town.

The New York Tenors, Jan. 12

It may be chilly outside, but things will warm up when The New York Tenors take to the main stage. Unlike the classical repertoire of the famed Three Tenors, Daniel Rodriguez, Andy Cooney and Michael Amante will showcase some of world’s greatest music that includes Broadway favorites, American Songbook standards and soaring opera selections.

Rodriguez, known as “The Singing Policeman” and “America's Tenor,” helped sooth the nation’s grief following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Internationally acclaimed Cooney — The New York Times christened him “Irish America’s favorite son” — has performed two sold-out shows at Carnegie Hall.

Amante, “The People’s Tenor,” is a combination of all-American good looks, romantic Italian charm and an incredible voice.

‘Hair,’ Jan.  30

When “Hair” burst onto the Biltmore Theatre stage April 29, 1968, it marked a new era in American musical theatre.

The Tony Award-winning revival coming to the Mattie Kelly Center is a fresh, exciting re-imagining of the 45-year-old classic.

The great Galt McDermot, Gerome Ragni and James Rado score is as jiggy as ever, with favorites including “Aquarius,” “Let the Sunshine In,” “Good Morning Starshine” and the exuberant title number intact.

“Hair” energetically depicts the 1960s and ’70s cultural movement that changed America forever as a group of charismatic, free-spirited young people passionately preaches a lifestyle of pacifism and free love in a society torn asunder during the Vietnam War.

The music moved original audiences and inspired subsequent Broadway revivals and countless community theatre and school drama productions.

This inspiring new production features an exuberant finale with the audience invited onstage to dance with the cast, offering a level of inclusiveness not often seen in musical theater.

‘In the Mood: A 1940s Musical Revue,’ Feb. 2

Get “in the mood,” as Glenn Miller exhorted, for the American swing era’s brassy, big band sounds. Relive when the Greatest Generation was young and the nation confronted World War II’s horror.

More than a concert, “In the Mood” is a big band theatrical swing revue chock full of songs that got folks jitterbugging on a “Jukebox Saturday Night” to the music of Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, Harry James, Erskine Hawkins, the Andrews Sisters and Frank Sinatra. 

Featuring a company of 19, including the In the Mood Singers and Dancers with the sensational String of Pearls Big Band Orchestra, the show’s music arrangements, vintage costumes — including the recreation of a USO show — and choreography are as authentic as it gets.

“In the Mood” takes a retro look back at when music ranged from up-tempo big band rhythms to mellow intimate ballads, and set a mood that inspired a future filled with hope, promise and prosperity.

It was a time like no other in our nation’s history: when music moved America’s spirit and helped win a war.

Women of Ireland concert, Feb. 15

Like Celtic stage extravaganzas “Lord of the Dance” and “Riverdance,” the local audience will enjoy the talents of some of Ireland’s finest female performers and Irish dance’s zest in this internationally touring spectacle.

Ireland's traditions of music, song and dance will come alive for all ages in “Women of Ireland,” an innovative full-stage concert production displaying Ireland’s next generation of leading female talent.

The most revered qualities of Ireland’s ethnic music travel from the Irish cottage fireside and village community festival to the international concert hall in a contemporary setting featuring world championship dancers. 

Want to go?

All performances are at 7:30 p.m. at the Mattie Kelly Performing Arts Center on the Niceville campus of Northwest Florida State College.

Individual tickets are $35 for all productions — except “Hair,” which is $45 — and are available by phone, 729-6000, or at www.mattiekellyartscenter.org.

Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. Tickets will also be available the night of each show, space permitting, starting at 6 p.m. There is a $2 per ticket processing fee.

Contact News Bulletin Arts & Entertainment Editor Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: PREVIEW: Mattie Kelly Center shows span Broadway to Ireland

CRESTVIEW — Trying quickly to prepare one of her husband’s favorite meals has won a local woman free groceries for a year, $500 in Crock-Pot Seasoning Mixes and bragging rights for when her friends pop over to sample her culinary creations.

Sherri Williams decided to modify her recipe for the braised short ribs her husband, Roy, enjoys. Since she was using one of the Crock-Pot Seasoning Mixes in a slow cooker, she entered the company’s cooking contest.

“I had a basic recipe in mind, but I used their Crock-Pot seasoning and it actually came out better than mine,” she said

She entered the Crockin’ in the USA Contest — which she learned about on Facebook — and won.

Click here for the complete recipe!

“Sherri was one of hundreds of entrants who took up the challenge to create a delicious, easy meal for her family with one of the new Crock-Pot Seasoning Mixes,” Crock-Pot spokesperson Megan Carroll stated in an email. “Sherri’s recipe … had the judges asking for seconds!”

‘I love cooking’

 “The funny thing about it is I didn’t start cooking in the Crock-Pot until about two years ago, though I’ve been cooking since I was 12,” Williams said. “I use it a few times a month now.”

She enjoys using her slow cooker so much that she bought three more.

“I have actually used at least three of them at one time before,” Williams said.

After a hard day’s work as a Destin condominium complex’s manager, Williams finds solace in her Crestview kitchen.

“Cooking is very therapeutic to me,” she said. “I can work all day and then go home and spend eight hours in the kitchen. I know it sounds crazy, but I love cooking.”

Convenience with slow cooking

Williams likes to try out new recipes for her friends and family, and her slow cookers figure prominently.

“Anything you can use in a Dutch oven you can put in a Crock-Pot. Just adjust the temperature,” Williams said. “They have one Crock-Pot you can actually program. I don’t have that fancy one yet. The ones I have now are doing just fine.”

The ease of cooking in a slow cooker is attractive for someone with a full-time job, Williams said.

“I like that I can prep everything the night before and put it on in the morning, and when I get home, all I have to do is finish it up and dinner’s ready in no time,” she said. “It’s also easy clean-up, too. Nobody likes to do the dishes.”

Williams said she often uses Crock-Pot Seasoning Mixes in her recipes because “you don’t have to use them for what they’re made for.”

“I’ve used those seasonings in quite a few things. I did soups, and I did some pinto beans with a ham hock and I used their barbecue seasoning,” she said. “I’ve actually mixed the packet with extra virgin olive oil and made a marinade. I like trying new recipes and I’m trying different things all the time.”

‘Superstar’ in the kitchen

Williams has entered — and won — several regional and national cooking contests. Her ribs won a grilling contest that sent her to the World Food Championship in Las Vegas, where she mingled with cooking pros from around the world.

 “My ribs got me there and I got to meet a lot of my foodie friends,” she said.

Williams’ love of culinary arts began in childhood in her grandmother’s little kitchen.

“My Grandma Logan was my inspiration,” she said. “She had the smallest kitchen I think (I’ve) ever seen, but the creations that came out of it were unbelievable.

“The funny thing is my mom doesn’t really like cooking. We had three (square meals), but it didn’t go much beyond salt and pepper.”

Williams’ flair in the kitchen contrasted with the simplicity of her mother’s cooking, she said.

“I have two brothers and two sisters, but I tell you what, they think I’m a superstar.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: CULINARY ARTS: Crestview resident wins nationwide cooking contest

CRESTVIEW — The north county’s artistic and cultural renaissance continued in 2012.

School visual and performing arts thrived, a new performing arts series celebrated its first year, and a new organization linked the business and cultural communities.

Here are my picks for 2012’s top five stories.

1.  Big Red Machine marches in Rose Parade

After 14 months of preparation, the Crestview High School band represented the city, Okaloosa County and Northwest Florida in the Jan. 2 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade.

The adventure began with a September 2010 phone call to CHS band director Jody Dunn, who recalled he didn’t recognize the number on his caller ID and took the call out of curiosity.

“I thought it was a joke,” Dunn said. “I had to call back the next day to make sure it was real.”

Working to raise more than a quarter-million dollars to fund the trip to Pasadena, the Big Red Machine found broad community support from parents, friends, businesses, civic leaders and local artists.

The Okaloosa County Board of Commissioners at its Dec. 6, 2011 meeting designated January 2012 “Crestview Band Month.”

2.  Chamber of Commerce establishes Arts & Culture Committee

The Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce placed emphasis on the value of arts and culture in the community as an integral part of the quality of life.

“It really is a question of livability,” committee chairperson Rae Schwartz said. “About a year ago, (Crestview City Councilman) Charles Baugh and I ended up at an all-day workshop with the Florida League of Cities that reminded us that businesses looking for a location or to relocate look at the livability of a community.

“That includes a lot of things, including recreation, shopping and schools, but it also includes cultural things such as the arts.”

The committee also benefits professional visual and performing artists, Schwartz said.

“Another thing people forget: (for) people who are artists and performers, this is their business,” Schwartz said. “This is how they make their living.

“We’re hoping to bring those folks into the chamber community. It will be good professionally and it will be good for us.”

3. Chamber calendar opens to community organizations

The Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce’s Arts and Culture Committee expanded the chamber’s online calendar to be a “true community calendar,” committee chairwoman Rae Schwartz said.

Establishing a one-stop resource where everything happening in the north county region can be found has been one of Schwartz’s longtime goals.

“How many times have you missed an event because you couldn’t find the information in time, or never noticed it at all?” she said. “How often has your group planned an event only to discover that it conflicts with other events on the same day?”

Community organizations may place their events on the calendar free of charge at www.crestviewchamber.org.

4.  Crestview High lipdub becomes a YouTube hit

The six-minute, 41-second Crestview High School lip-synch video, or “lipdub,” that captured school spirit and the community’s enthusiasm is still racking up views on YouTube — nearly 200,000 to date.

The all-student production was May graduate Ben White Jr.’s vision.

“It was a month-and-a-half of planning and we only had four or five practices with the singers,” Ben said. “The majority of the people in it were spontaneous.”

Industry experts who viewed the production praised White’s preparation and groundwork.

“It is easy to imagine the large amount of pre-shoot organization and planning required by that project,” three-time Emmy Award winning retired NBC News producer/director Paul Yacich said from his New Orleans home.

“If that were his only talent, he would still be qualified to set up complicated productions. A lot of effort went into that.”

See a link to the video at http://bit.ly/KikBVA.

5. Crestview community theatre returns

With its Nov. 16 and 17 production of “Arsenic and Old Lace,” the return of a Crestview community theater troupe became a reality.

The Warriors Hall production was the first show of a thespian group formed by Sean and Sandra Peters and folks at Journey Java Connection.

Filled seats in Warriors Hall indicated the community craves live theatre, even when two shows were running simultaneously, as happened that weekend when “Arsenic” clashed with the high school drama program’s production of “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

The show also proved the hall in the Whitehurst Municipal Building can accommodate theatricals, raising calls for the city to put in some theatrical lighting to increase the value of Warriors Hall as a community resource.

The new troupe meets at Journey Java Connection. Call 398-8814 for details.

The Florida Folklife Program of the Department of State’s Division of Historical Resources displayed local history, heritage and traditions Aug. 14. Baker Block Museum, among its Heritage Village’s historic buildings, hosted the occasion.

The dogtrot house’s porch served as a stage for a daylong program featuring discussions with state folklorist Blaine Waide. It included demonstrations of local traditions including beekeeping, storytelling, Bluegrass music, pine needle basket making and a performance by fiddler Samantha Purvines of Laurel Hill.

“You’ve got very distinct music and song traditions in the Panhandle,” Waide said. “In folklore, we don’t just study things in the past. We study continuity and change.”

Journey Java establishes downtown arts center

A Main Street coffeehouse established by a Methodist preacher and his wife steadily blossomed into more than the downtown community outreach originally envisioned.

The Rev. Sean and Sandra Peters’ Journey Java Connection has become a focal point for visual and performing arts. Wall space is dedicated to area artists, open-mic nights attract area performers, art classes teach a variety of visual techniques, and the Peterses’ love of theatre has led to the café becoming the home of Crestview’s new community theatre troupe.

Mix in killer scones, lunchtime sandwiches, Otis Spunkmeyer cookies, frozen drinks and bagels, and the non-profit establishment draws a diverse crowd, including serving as the chamber of commerce Art and Culture Committee’s monthly meeting place.

Chamber wine gala attracts its largest crowd

Sultry jazz music, aroma of cooking gourmet foods and the pop of wine bottle corks filled the air at Sunshine Aero Test Flight’s hangar at Bob Sikes Crestview Airport Sept. 29. More than 200 attendees mingled around tables featuring cuisine from multiple area eateries, wines from around the world, and silent auction items.

Dennis Mitchell, the Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce’s president-elect, said one of the things attendees found most appealing was the event’s unusual location.

“I would ask people, ‘Have you ever been to a wine gala in an airplane hangar before?’” Mitchell said. “When they say, ‘No,’ I tell them, ‘There’s a reason. This is the first one.’”

The gala in its first year took place in a festively decorated tent in the chamber of commerce parking lot.

Last year, it was in CCB Community Bank’s lobby.

Who knows where it will be in 2013, organizer Lynn Yort said, but a goal is to highlight member businesses.

CHS produces spring musical, revives drama program

The Crestview High School Thespian Society and Drama Club production of “The Sound of Music” in May was more than a delightful evening at a classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical.

It was a major collaboration between community drama supporters and a school that lost its academic drama program.

Local drama professionals pitched in with parents and enthusiastic students to pull off the show, building sets, designing posters and programs, and coaching student performers.

Restoring the school’s drama classes with the new school year led to November’s production of the stage version of Frank Capra’s slice of Americana, “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

 That was good news for the nearly 100 students eager to learn stagecraft and have performance opportunities.

For several, it’s the first step to studying theatre arts in college.

FOTA launches performing arts series

A night with Gulf Coast classical pianist, orchestra conductor, author and music instructor Dr. David Ott launched a series of performances in Warriors Hall by Friends of the Arts, the evolution of a committee formed to acquire and maintain a piano for the hall.

A highlight was a night of swing, big band and jazz music performed by the DownBeat Jazz Orchestra. In addition to tunes belted by vocalists Gina Walker and Sandra Daggs, the audience was treated to a demonstration of “juking,” a free-form urban dance style.

The Friends of the Arts meets monthly at the Crestview Public Library.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: TOPS IN ARTS 2012: North county cultural scene year in review

Crestview professional, wife and award-winning chef Sherri Williams shares her braised beef short ribs and radishes recipe with readers.

Try it yourself!

Serves four to six. Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook time: Eight hours, 15 minutes

Ingredients List:

1/3 pound thick bacon cut in pieces

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/3 teaspoon course pepper

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 pounds beef short ribs

4 garlic cloves, chopped

2 shallots, chopped

2 cups beef stock (sodium- free)                                 

1 cup merlot wine

2 bay leaves

1 packet of Savory Pot Roast Seasoning Mix

1 tablespoon herbes de Provence

1 teaspoon ground cloves or to taste

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon or to taste

2 tablespoons tomato paste

Additional salt and pepper to taste,

Optional: 1 large bag radishes, cut in half

Garnish with parsley & lemon zest

Directions:

In a large skillet over medium heat, fry bacon until crispy. Remove bacon and set aside.

Toss short ribs in a resealable bag with the flour, salt & pepper. Shake bag until ribs are evenly coated.

In the same skillet, add olive oil. Sear the ribs for two to three minutes on both sides. Transfer ribs and bacon to 6-quart slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients except for radishes to the slower cooker. Cook on low heat for six hours.

Add radishes, if using, and continue cooking for two more hours.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: CULINARY ARTS: Award-winning braised beef short ribs and radishes

CRESTVIEW — In August, local author Phillip Stewart took time out of his busy research schedule to accept an award from the Society of American Archivists.

Now, Stewart’s “Battlefilm: U.S. Army Signal Corps Motion Pictures of the Great War” has added another medal to his honors. His book was selected as the 2012 Branson Stars and Flags Book Award Program’s gold medalist in the Technical Reference category.

The Reeds Spring, Md.-based awards recognize achievement in military-themed books in categories that also include autobiography, nonfiction anthologies, historical fiction, inspirational and children’s books.

“For the first time in book form, there is concise information about the surviving motion pictures that were taken during what was known then as the Great War, over 90 years ago,” award facilitator Nancy Smith stated in a press release. “This, the second edition of ‘Battlefilm,’ details 488 film titles that cover America’s part in this conflict. Each of the 993 reels of action is described using data gathered from actual Army records.”

The Stars and Flags Book Awards contest was established five years ago to promote books with a military connection.

“Many of the judges are veterans themselves, and others include historians, teachers and avid readers,” the release stated.

Stewart has published eight books that help the public find historically rich, celluloid-based moving images preserved in the National Archives and Records Administration’s motion picture holdings. His “War Wings: Films of the First Air War” was last year’s Stars and Flags technical reference gold medal winner.

“Stewart has done extensive research to chronicle filmed action of World War I so that others can easily find it,” the news release stated. “His books tell other researchers exactly where to find specific footage. Both books are ‘must haves’ for World War I enthusiasts.”

Stewart, an Air Force veteran, volunteers as a film researcher for the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio. He and his wife Margaret moved to Crestview from New Jersey when he took a civilian job at Eglin Air Force Base’s Parks Photo Lab. Though laid off in December 2011, losing his Eglin job freed time to write more guides to the national film archives.

“These scenes of World War I action (and thousands more like them) exist today on silent, black-and-white motion picture film,” Stewart said. “They were shot on location, as history happened, by dedicated and courageous U.S. Army Signal Corps soldier-cameramen.”

Delving into miles of film footage at the National Archives is like a treasure hunt, Stewart said. Not many Americans know it exists or that they can view it freely during a visit to the College Park, Md. archives.

“I kind of made it my passion,” Stewart said. “There’s a lot of film archives out there. We as American citizens own it. We ought to know about and we ought to use it.”

Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Local author wins gold medal

NICEVILLE — The Northwest Florida Symphony Chorale’s open auditions for Spring 2013 are 6 p.m. Jan. 7 in Tyler Recital Hall. Auditions are in the Mattie Kelly Arts Center’s music wing on the Niceville campus of Northwest Florida State College. 

The Chorale, under music professor Lois Van Dam’s direction, is a select choral group that performs with the Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra and in independent concerts. This spring’s repertoire includes works by Brahms and Beethoven.

To arrange an audition time and receive audition music, email Chorale administrator Phyllis Lake at lakepa@cox.net. 

Contact Van Dam at vandaml@nwfsc.edu or 729-6009 for details.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Chorale auditions Jan. 7

CRESTVIEW — The Okaloosa All-County Band will perform a public concert on Feb. 1 at the Mattie Kelley Arts Center.

The competition from throughout Okaloosa County was fierce, but in the end, 27 members of the Big Red Machine recently were selected for the honor.

“It’s a little higher than normal,” band director Jody Dunn said of the number of his performers accepted to the county band.

Big Red Machine members had to perform before a judging panel to be selected for the all-county band, Dunn said. They were competing against students in other county bands, including the Niceville High School Eagle Pride, which performed in this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York.

“Those kids audition individually,” Dunn said. “They had to play 12 major scales in less than 2 minutes, they each had two exercises they had prepared, and then they had a sight-reading exercise they had to do.”

Equally pleased was local trumpet tutor Jeremy Cadle. Six of the Big Red Machine trumpeters accepted in the all-county band are from his studio. They earned the first three and the seventh, eighth and 10th chairs in the trumpet section.

“They only took 12 trumpets in all, and six of those are mine,” Cadle said proudly.

Crestview Okaloosa All-County Band members includeCydney Terryn, Olivia Dunn, Savannah Barefield, Foster Lux, Melissa Kannapel, Elizabeth Dunn, Brandon Joseph, Nick Overton, Vishnu Sriram, Coltin Fortner, James Harrington, Chancer Teel, Jacob Anderson, Joshua Williams, Austin Boyd, Cory Saeugling, Darren Smith, Evan Stegner, Jared Gaszak, Michael Nauta, Jonathan Baughman, John Cuthriell, Jason Heiserman, Keith Holcombe, Paul Delery, Koji Tilley and Nathan Shaw.

Want to go?

The All-County Band concert will be 7 p.m. Feb. 1 at the Mattie Kelly Arts Center at Northwest Florida State College in Niceville. Admission is free.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 27 Big Red Machine members to perform Feb. 1 as county’s best

There were the balance of the cards to be written, gingerbread cookies to bake and ice, the rest of the outdoor lights to clip up (memo to self: swing by a stationer’s and get more binder clips) and a box that had been gathering Christmas presents all year to be got down from the attic and its contents wrapped.

So instead I took the evening off and, in addition to enjoying the music of Sax to the Max at the library, wallowed in the sheer pleasure of the glorious voices of Schola Cantorum.

Concerts such as those presented Monday night by the four brilliant young saxophonists from the Crestview High band and the 11 trained vocalists of Schola Cantorum (“school of singing”) are the perfect antidotes to the holiday hustle and bustle that make so many people grumpy this time of year.

Taking a breather from “obligations” to pause and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas is reinvigorating. It helps put into proper perspective the busy bother we think is important, but which usually never fails to overshadow the part of the Advent season that actually is important. An evening of uplifting music helps tremendously.

Schola director Dr. John Leatherwood led his chorus through a diverse program titled “The Very Best Time of Year” featuring a baker’s dozen of traditional, familiar and classic selections.

“We’ll sing some things you have heard before, and some things you may never have heard before and you’ll probably never hear again,” he promised at the start of the concert.

Standouts include the lilting “Gentle Mary” and the “Wexford Carol,” the latter featuring a beautiful solo by Sara Florence.

“She did that so well we’re going to let her sing a stanza in French by herself,” Leatherwood said as he introduced “Quelle est cette Odeur Agréable?” (Whence is that goodly fragrance flowing?), a French traditional carol.

I was pleased the group included “Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow,” which I have enjoyed in previous Schola Cantorum Christmas concerts. It’s always nice to hear the perky spiritual, which in this rendition featured the men getting in a little choral doo-wop.

Announcing, “Now we’ll go into the other kind of pieces — the recognizable ones,” Leatherwood led the group into the title song and the hysterically funny, “The Twelve Days After Christmas,” which begins by telling the listener that the singer and her lover had a fight. The days leading up to the twelfth day of Christmas generally involve cooking the birds and shipping back the maids a-milking, lords a-leaping, et. al., made famous in “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”

(It’s actually a bit erroneous, because “The Twelve Days of Christmas” is actually a count up to Twelfth Night, not a count down to Dec. 25.)

During its four-concert performance schedule, Schola Cantorum performed before one of the largest audiences I have seen turn out in Crestview. That’s a good sign. Seems more and more people realize the cards, cookies and gift wrapping can wait while we pause to refresh ourselves in the really important parts of the holiday.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: REVIEW: Schola Cantorum performs music for the 'best time of year'