Photo by Ibrahim Rifath on Unsplash
Explore the vibrant musical tapestry of South Florida in our latest episode! From musical mind travel to local hidden gems, let one story of serendipitous musical adventures spark your own journey of exploration and inspire fresh discoveries in your local music scene.
I’m Mindy Peterson, host of Enhance Life with Music podcast, where we explore the ways music makes our lives better. And this is Microhance, a micro-dose of musical enhancement.
My husband and I live in a Minneapolis suburb, but spent an extended time over the holidays with our daughter who lives in South Florida. Without really planning to, I ended up having many serendipitous and delightful musical experiences while I was there. It was like a South Florida music smorgasbord. I wanted to tell you these little adventures, in part because some of them are available in YOUR area; and in part, just to grease the wheels of your creativity, to see what musical charcuterie board YOU come up with for the area you live in or are visiting.
MindTravel with Murray Hidary
I found out about one event through my sister, Betsy, who also lives in South Florida. Betsy texted me about a night-time piano concert on the Ft. Lauderdale beach. Needless to say, I was intrigued. Betsy and I went together to the MindTravel with Murray Hidary concert, and it was definitely a new and memorable musical adventure for me. MindTravel is a series of music-driven mindfulness experiences designed to help people find greater connections with themselves, each other, and nature. These events are held globally in a wide variety of settings; so you can check to see if one is available near you.
The beach concert that Betsy and I attended was a live-to-headphones “silent” piano experience – all participants wear headsets so the beach stays quiet and you hear the digital piano concert in your ears as Murray plays, but also the ocean waves in the background. As Murray plays, he also gives some narrative here and there, that functions as a guided meditation. Murray has a very powerful story about the loss of his sister and what led him to create the MindTravel experience. People were invited to sit, stand, or walk up and down the beach as they listened to the concert. And I have to tell you, right in the middle of the concert, the moon rose up – it was huge and brilliant yellow, and was creating this moonbeam path on the water that was really incredible.
I won’t give away the full details of this experience, because it’s one that you really do have to experience yourself to fully grasp; but it is a powerful and unique blend of music, nature, and mindfulness that was clearly a very moving experience for participants.
Murray offers a variety of MindTravel events, including pop-up and virtual events, and at locations including botanical gardens, planetariums, moving meditation walks, and floating pool concerts. He’s even performed in the desert of the Middle East and on the ice in Antarctica. You can learn more at mindtravel.com
Candlelight Concert
Another musical event was a gift of a concert. My daughter knows me very well, and my Christmas gift from her and her fiance was a concert – they gave me tickets for all three of us to go to a Candlelight Concert. Candlelight Concerts are available in over 100 cities, so check to see if there is one available near you. These concerts are offered in a wide variety of themes and genres – always in unique, intimate settings lit with thousands of candles to enhance the ambiance and listening experience. Our concert had a Christmas & holiday theme, but there are Candlelight Concerts with themes of Halloween, Valentine’s Day, spring, movie soundtracks, classical, jazz, and more. Local ensembles are chosen to best suit the program, whether solo piano, string quartet, brass band, or vocals & guitar.
Our concert took place in a historic movie theater. The musicians were phenomenal, and I loved that each one took a turn introducing a set. They explained which songs they would be playing and some context of the song, whether it was historic background, their personal connection with the song, or some interesting trivia about the piece or composer.
This concert was the PERFECT gift (thanks, Adrienne & Luke!). You can learn more about Candlelight Concerts at https://candlelightexperience.com/
Andrea Bocelli Concert
Another concert I attended WAS planned out in advance. Betsy and I for years have met up somewhere different every December for a trip to celebrate my birthday. This year, since I was already in Florida where she lives, we splurged on concert tickets instead and went to see Andrea Bocelli in concert at Hard Rock Live. This is a 7,000-seat concert venue adjacent to The Guitar Hotel, a 450 foot tall hotel that looks like back-to-back guitars. It has floor-to-ceiling glass and LED lights built into all sides that are programmed to change color and intensity. There are occasional light shows where the lights are choreographed to different songs. Six lights mimic the guitar strings. It is definitely a sight to see, especially at night when it’s lit up.
This concert was AMAZING. My expectations were high, and Bocelli exceeded my expectations. He sang a wide variety of songs, had a full roster of guests singing with him, including his young daughter; every guest was mind-blowing; and the program represented a wide variety of genres. The guests sang solos, duets with Bocelli, duets with each other. There were other arts incorporated into some of the numbers, including dance and a visual artist painting a portrait during a song that was then auctioned off to benefit Bocelli’s charitable foundation. This was a full-on neuroaesthetic experience that I highly recommend. Checkout Bocelli’s tour schedule at https://www.andreabocelli.com/.
Latin Divos
Thanks again to Betsy, I got tickets to a Latin Divos concert. This group is a pop/opera trio with Latin flavor; they are incredibly talented AND entertaining! They were performing at First Presbyterian Church of Delray Beach, as part of the First Delray Concert Series. If you’re near Delray, be sure to check out this concert series. If you’re not near Delray, check out the houses of worship in your area. You may be surprised to find that they have a concert series featuring affordable tickets with outstanding talent (and convenient parking!), that benefit a great cause.
Wayne “Mister Trombone” Perry
One final musical adventure: a performance by Wayne “Mister Trombone” Perry. This guy is amazing – super talented and charismatic – and is a friend of my sister’s. He plays all over the world, and I was lucky enough to catch him (thanks to Betsy) playing at a bar in Palm Beach one night. See where he’s playing next at https://www.mistertrombone.com/; and check out the bars and food establishments in your area to see what live talent is playing. You just may discover your new favorite local musician or band!
Summary
I hope that hearing about my sonic smorgasbord in South Florida gives you some ideas for your own new musical tastings or adventures! I’ll put links from these events in the show notes. If you’d like to learn more about my sister Betsy’s application of music with horses, check out Ep. 52 (which will also wet your appetite for the upcoming 2024 Olympics). And if you have a South Florida musical experience to recommend for my next trip there, please let me know!
You can always connect with me on email (mindy@mpetersonmusic.com), Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn.
I’m Mindy Peterson, and I hope this inspires you to enhance your life with music.
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