By Wilma Allen
It isn’t just birds that will be singing this April. The island will be bursting with song next month thanks to Amelia Island Singers, Amelia Island Opera, and the Fernandina Beach Songwriter Festival. They have scheduled exciting Irish, Broadway and opera concerts, plus regional and local singer/songwriters for programs sure to satisfy the most discerning and eclectic musical tastes.
On April 5 and 6, Amelia Island Opera will present “Songs of the Sea with The Galway Girls,” a New York and Philly-based Irish group known for dazzling vocal and instrumental arrangements, delightful harmonies, and creative takes on traditional Irish music. In celebration of Fernandina’s 200th anniversary, the program will feature pirate songs, sea shanties and colorful tales of seafaring adventure. Appropriately, it will take place at the Amelia Island Museum of History where the island’s rich nautical history and maritime artifacts are on full display.
On April 12, Amelia Island Singers and Amelia Island Opera are joining together for one night only to present “Music of the Stage: From Opera to Broadway.” The concert will showcase the island’s impressive 80+ member chorus, professional opera stars, a 30-piece orchestra hand-selected by Amelia Island Singers maestro, Toni Myers, and hit songs from Broadway musicals including Man of La Mancha, Phantom of the Opera and Carousel, and highlights from Rigoletto, Nabucco and other much-loved operas. With such a huge production and an expected large audience, the concert will be in the spacious sanctuary of First Baptist Church.
The Fernandina Beach Songwriting Festival takes the stage from April 11 to 14, when singers, writers, musicians, and fans from all over the Southeast will join local artists to share their songs and stories. You’ll find them at bars and other locations around town. Shows at the Green Turtle, The Alley and Heymann Williams Realty will be free of charge; ticketed shows are set for St. Peter’s church, Marlin & Barrel, and Amelia River Cruises.
These diverse concerts reflect the efforts of local art organizations and performance venues to bring new and different musical experiences to area residents and guests. Expect to see more of this in the future.
For tickets to “Songs of the Sea” visit Amelia Island Opera. For tickets to “Music of the Stage: From Opera to Broadway,” go to Amelia Island Singers. For the Songwriters Festival schedule and tickets, visit Fernandina Beach Songwriters Festival.
Online info shows that: Sounds on Centre free community concerts, April 5th, 6-8 PM downtown on Centre Street. Bring your lawn chair and dancing shoes. Featured band is Amelia Blues Band!