VERO BEACH — Series subscriptions for the Emerson Center’s 2015 Celebrated Speakers Series are now on sale for $275 for the 4 p.m. show and $255 for the 6:30 p.m. show. They are still available for purchase until Jan. 17, 2015. Single tickets will go on sale Dec. 1.
The tickets are for the engaging and informative speakers in the four-program series at The Emerson Center.
The much anticipated series launches with General David Petraeus on Saturday, Jan. 17. In the most critical days of America’s military role in the Middle East, General Petraeus provided steady, sensible leadership for our combat troops. Petraeus guided the development and implementation of the Army/Marine Corps field manual on counterinsurgency. After the 2007 surge in Iraq, Petraeus took command of the U.S. Central Command. In 2010, he was sent by President Obama to command NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan. The following year, Petraeus retired from the Army after 37 years of service and was named Director of the CIA. In November 2012, he resigned as Director, citing his extramarital affair with his female biographer. Today, General Petraeus is the chairman of KKR Global Institute, a visiting professor at CUNY’s Macaulay Honors College, a Judge Widney Professor at the University of Southern California, and a member of the advisory boards of several veterans’ organizations.
An exception to Emerson’s usual Saturday performances, ex-lobbyist Jack Abramoff will appear at 4:30 and 7 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 8. Abramoff rose to become the nation’s most successful and prominent legislative promoter before becoming enmeshed in a harrowing political scandal. In the 1980s, he honed his lobbying skills by moving major Reagan administration initiatives through Congress. Next he built a profitable lobbying practice by developing a seemingly unlimited capacity to raise funds to fuel the political system. But, in an instant, his world collapsed after an investigation by The Washington Post exposed his methods of buying favors from lawmakers. Abramoff landed in federal prison. His name became synonymous with government corruption. Now Abramoff comes clean, revealing his lobbying techniques and acknowledging his errors. In his book, Capitol Punishment: The Hard Truth About Washington Corruption From America’s Most Notorious Lobbyist, Abramoff lays out specific reform proposals in a nine-point American Anti-Corruption Act.
Next to the podium is a face known to millions of viewers of network news shows and insightful specials on the Discovery, History, and Science channels. Well-known Scientist Dr. Michio Kaku, who is among America’s most recognized futurists with a unique ability to make sense of complex theories of physics, will speak to two audiences on Saturday, Feb. 28. After serving in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam era, Kaku became a protégé of physicist Edward Teller, the father of the hydrogen bomb. With Teller’s encouragement, Kaku launched a career that has touched many of America’s loftiest educational institutions. His messages continue to simplify complex physics including string theory. Dr. Kaku has written several international best-sellers, one of which was How Science Will Revolutionize the 21st Century. He has written for TIME, The Wall Street Journal, and Discover. His 2008 book, Physics of the Impossible, was judged the number-one science book in the United States. Kaku is outspoken in his belief that the U.S. could easily fall behind the rest of the world in the coming technological onrush. A passionate communicator, he frequently draws attention by making predictions that make headlines.
On Saturday, March 21, ending on a high note, is the final celebrated speaker, Producer/Director Lee Daniels. Remember The Butler? Were you touched by Precious? Did Monster’s Ball make you think? Well, all these films are the creative products of Lee Daniels, a Missourian who is redefining the art of movie making by touching the heart and soul of our nation and its people. Daniels claimed an Oscar nomination for Best Director (Precious, 2009) and is highly recognized for The Butler (2013), the heart-felt story of the White House servant who observed a nation’s evolution during eight presidential administrations. Daniels will tell about his determined journey to break into the Hollywood movie business. He’ll share unique insights about working with stars such as Halle Berry, John Cusack, Matthew McConaughey, Zac Efron, Nicole Kidman, and Forest Whitaker. Lee Daniels’ movies are realistic and often gritty. He said, “The media underestimates the intelligence of the moviegoer. We need to be fulfilled. People want to sit down and think, and I try to make people think.”
Tickets for Emerson Center performances may be purchased either online at www.TheEmersonCenter.org or by calling the Box Office at (772)-778-5249. Student tickets for balcony seating will be sold for $25 for the 6:30 p.m. performance only. Tickets will be sold at the door with a student ID. Active Duty Military are eligible for balcony tickets for $25 at the 6:30 p.m. performance only for General Petraeus.
The Emerson Center is conveniently located on the campus of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Vero Beach, on the SE corner of 16th Street and 27th Avenue. It has more than 300 parking spaces, an auditorium which seats more than 800 people in comfortable padded seating, a raised stage that offers everyone unrestricted views, and professional state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems. Ask about the new elevator to the 2nd floor balcony and the seating for the physically challenged.
