The week is filled with music.
A concert sure to stir your heart is set for this Sunday, when the mighty Rodgers organ of St. John of the Cross comes alive under the masterful hands of one of the Treasure Coast’s most respected concert organists, Ryan Kasten, St. John’s director of music ministries. The concert is part of the church’s Fine Arts Series, and will include works by Vierne, Widor, Elgar, Franck and Dupre. According to allevents.in, Kasten has performed with the Rockford Symphony Orchestra and the Bach Chamber Choir and Orchestra in Rockford, Illinois; has presented solo recitals throughout the U.S.; and debuted at Carnegie Hall as accompanist for the Rock-Valley Community Chorale. The concert begins at 4 p.m. and is free. 772-584-9744.
Jazz at the Plaza. If you’re in a jazz frame of mind, the place to be midday this Saturday is the Plaza, 884 17th St., when the Treasure Coast Jazz Society presents the John DePaola Quintet, paying tribute to the Cannonball Adderly Quintet. Adderly was a jazz alto sax man in the hard bop era of the ’50s and ’60s, according to Wikipedia, best known for his 1966 soul jazz single “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy,” a big crossover hit on the pop charts. DePaola has toured with Broadway musicals and symphony orchestras in the company of Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra Jr., Tony Bennett and others, says the TCJS. Leading off on the jazz bill at 11:30 a.m. is the ever-smooth Vero Beach High School JazzTrio. The DePaola Quintet takes over at 12:30 p.m. A cool two-fer for a (probably) warm Saturday. 772-234-4600.
Jazz galore: On Thursday, April 19, there will be cool jazz for a warm evening in, of all places, the Vero Beach Museum of Art’s Beckwith Sculpture Garden. Perhaps not where you’d expect a concert, but that’s precisely where you’ll find the museum’s popular Concerts in the Park series. On the 19th you can enjoy “spirits,” the museum says, while listening to live music by Don Bestor, amidst “a landscape of monumental sculpture, trees and flowers” – that’s three of your five senses right there. Concert time: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Admission: $10 for museum members; $12, general. P.S.: It’s rain or shine. 772-231-0707.
When well-known concert pianist and teacher Dr. Marcos Flores performs Saint-Saens’ “Piano Concerto No. 2” in the final concert of the Vero Beach Chamber Orchestra’s 10th anniversary season, he won’t be playing just any old piano. As befitting Saint-Saens’ most popular piano concerto and Flores’ exceptional artistry, a 7-foot grand piano will be brought to the VBHS Performing Arts Center (through a partnership with Atlantic Music in Melbourne) specifically for the Sunday, April 15 performance. Now that’s classy. Flores will also perform “Pavane” by Gabriel Fauré, and Mendelssohn’s “Symphony No. 1.” Flores has performed in numerous venues, including Carnegie Hall, and with such renowned artists as international opera diva Deborah Voigt and Pagano himself, and as soloist with the Atlantic Symphonic Orchestra. He currently serves as director of worship arts for Christ by the Sea United Methodist Church. (For more, read Michelle Genz’s feature on Flores’ upcoming performance on Page 40.) The concert begins at 2 p.m. Admission is free. 772-562-6125.