INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Solo pianist and Grammy award winner George Winston will be featured as a special benefit presentation of the Masters of Music Series, on Friday, Nov. 20, 7 p.m. at The Emerson Center in Vero Beach. CenterState Bank is the evening’s sponsor.
This concert will feature Winston’s solo piano Winter Show, which will include melodic fall and winter type songs, some of Vince Guaraldi’s Peanuts pieces, pieces inspired by the New Orleans piano and the stride piano traditions, and songs from his newest solo piano album, Spring Carousel – A Cancer Research Benefit.
Since this is the kick-off of the holiday season, all attendees are invited to bring a non-perishable canned food donation to the concert for The Food Pantry of Indian River County’s collection area in the main lobby. Additionally, Winston donates his merchandise to be sold by the Food Pantry who will ultimately retain 100 percent of the profits of those sales.
Following The George Winston concert is Folksinger Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul & Mary fame on Wednesday, Jan. 13, 7 p.m; the number one Paul McCartney tribute band: The McCartney Years on Thursday evening, Feb. 11, 7 p.m. and closing the series on Friday, March 4 at 7 p.m. are musical legends The Kingston Trio.
This new season of musical performers is one that is highly diversified and laced with a walk down memory lane. Masters of Music is designed to offer great music, close to home, with no traffic, convenient parking and great musical acoustics while allowing audiences to sit back, relax and simply enjoy.
MusicWorks, a 501-c-3 organization, uses its concerts throughout the country to help where performing arts have been adversely impacted by funding cuts and reduced donations from both public and private sources. Benefits from of each performance will be given back to the partnering organizations including The Emerson Center, The Cultural Council of Indian River County and The Food Pantry of Indian River County. Other sponsors include ABC Printing, Digg Gardens, East Coast Lumber, Indian River Magazine, Majestic Theatre and New Vision Eye Center.
Tickets may be purchased either online at www.TheEmersonCenter.org or by calling the Box Office at (772) 778-5249. Both single tickets and series tickets are now available and priced from $38 to $225. Student tickets are $23 for a balcony seat location.
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 that 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. There is an elevator to the 2nd floor balcony and seating for the physically challenged is available as well as hearing devices.