Boca hosts a centennial street party, Shakespeare gets operatic at the Kravis, and thinkers and doers converge at TEDx Delray Beach. Plus, Richard Blanco, Pompano Jazz Fest and more in your week ahead.
TUESDAY
What: “The Key is Happiness”
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach
Cost: $30
Contact: 561/832-7469, kravis.org
For the past 15 years, the non-sectarian nonprofit inSIGHT Through Education has been focused on combatting prejudice by expanding learning and tolerance through programming like this. In “The Key is Happiness,” Arno Michaelis, a former white supremacist turned peace advocate; and Dydine Umunyana Anderson, a survivor of the genocide in Rwanda; will share a stage at the Kravis’ Rinker Playhouse, as they share the commonalities among their differences through humor, emotional narratives and, yes, insight.
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY
What: Pompano Jazz Fest
When: Music starts at 1:45 p.m. Friday and 10:45 a.m. Saturday
Where: the Great Lawn, 20-98 N. Pompano Beach Blvd., Pompano Beach
Cost: Free, with paid VIP options available
Contact: pompanobeacharts.org
Now in its fourth year, this free festival continues to expand and reflect the ever-evolving definitions of jazz, from its traditional forbears through its numerous fusions and innovations. A dozen acts will perform across two stages, with the Great Lawn welcoming main stage headliners such as Randy Brecker, the Grammy-winning trumpeter whose eclectic musical palette has brightened recordings by everyone from Horace Silver to Lou Reed; saxophonist Joshua Redman, performing pop and jazz favorites with vocalist Gabrielle Cavassa; and singer-songwriter Judith Hill, who famously backed Michael Jackson and Prince, and whose latest release Letters From a Black Widow meditates on her life after their sudden deaths.
FRIDAY TO SUNDAY
What: Palm Beach Opera: “Roméo et Juliette“
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday
Where: Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach
Cost: $25-$170
Contact: 561/832-7469, kravis.org
Completed nearly 300 years after the premiere of William Shakespeare’s “The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet,” Charles Gounod’s French-language 1867 opera remains one of the tale’s most essential adaptations, one that takes moderate liberties with the source material but retains its beating heart and tragic conclusion. (Other interpreters, believe it not, gifted the star-crossed lovers with a happy ending!) The violent aspects of Shakespeare’s Capulet-and-Montague feud are toned down in favor of an effulgent romanticism, with four love duets between the title characters taking center stage. Among Gounod’s lyrical and passionate music, look for nods to Bach, Mozart and Wagner.
SATURDAY
What: Boca Street Fest
When: Noon to 4 p.m.
Where: Mizner Park Amphitheater, 590 Plaza Real, and throughout Mizner Park
Cost: Free
Contact: myboca.us/2021/mizner-park-amphitheater
As you’ve probably heard by now, Boca Raton celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, and the city has planned a bevy of events to honor the centenary, from special exhibitions at the Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum to programming at the upcoming Festival of the Arts. The first major celebration will take place this weekend, at Mizner Park, with the christening of what will hopefully become a new annual tradition: a street fair complete with a beer garden, a marketplace of vendors for food, businesses and local makers; and live music courtesy of SoFla reggae staples Spred the Dub, rock gods Wolfhawk (featuring Lynn University President Kevin Ross), and upbeat pop-punkers Leave It To Us. If you can’t find a spot in Mizner, park for free at nearby City Hall, the Downtown Library and the Administration Building.
What: TEDx Delray Beach
When: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; 4:30 to 10 p.m.
Where: Old School Square, 51 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach
Cost: $28-$75
Contact: tedxdelraybeach.com
Loosely organized around a theme of “Point Break,” this latest iteration of TEDx riffs on surfer lingo to gather thinkers, artists, scientists and influencers who “ride the waves of change, push past limits, and discover the infinite potential that lies beyond transformation.” TEDx Delray Beach is a daylong affair. Its family-friendly first half invites attendees to participate in a GirlTREK Manifestation Mile Walk, join a Climate Action Plan, interact with AI demonstrations, participate in environmental roundtable discussions, enjoy free healthy snacks and a cash bar of bespoke mocktails, and more. The speakers begin at 4:30 p.m. at the 18+ evening event and include former Yale research scientist Scott Kelso, who studies coordination dynamics in nature; Katie Williams, a marine conservationist who helps to restore coral ecosystems; Eric Berg, a postdoctoral researcher who focuses on propaganda and extremism; and many more.
MONDAY, JAN. 27
What: Richard Blanco
When: Noon
Where: Wold Performing Arts Center at Lynn University, 3601 N. Military Trail, Boca Raton
Cost: $15
Contact: 561/237-9000, lynn.edu/events
From making history in 2013 as the first immigrant and first openly gay person to read a poem at a U.S. presidential inauguration, to being commissioned by a major magazine to write one of the first poems about the coronavirus pandemic, Richard Blanco is never more than a step or two removed from major national and global events. Few poets can claim such a lofty mantle, and the plaudits have continued: He has collaborated with classical musicians for a tribute to 70th anniversary liberation of the Nazi concentration camps, and U2 projected Blanco’s inaugural poem “One Day” at stadiums around the world during its 2017-2019 Joshua Tree Tour. At this appearance, part of Lynn’s Dialogue Speaker Series, Blanco will read select poems and then converse with Lynn professor Robert Watson about his service as a poet laureate and his commitment to social justice.
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