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Sinfonia Gulf Coast Annual Crescendo! Kick Off Lunch, Vintner Dinners & Main Event

February 13, 2025 by SoWal Staff

Crescendo! 2025 is a series of special events in January, February and March to benefit Sinfonia Gulf Coast and its music education and community engagement programs throughout Okaloosa and Walton Counties. Programs that include musicians/guest artists in schools, free orchestra concerts, bus transportation for students, Sinfonia Youth Orchestra program, Arts in Medicine initiative with Sacred Heart Hospital, and Link Up concerts for third through fifth graders in partnership with Carnegie Hall and more.

Crescendo! is Sinfonia’s most important event each season because it raises the funds to keep all of our educational outreach and community engagement initiatives free to the school districts that we serve," says Sinfonia Music & Artistic Director Demetrius Fuller. "This includes our Link Up partnership with Carnegie Hall, guest artists in schools, ensembles in residence that provide services throughout our community and our annual Paint the Music program in partnership with Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation. That aside, it is a blast and sets the social scene for the spring and summer. What not to like about incredible vintners paired with celebrity chefs and a big blowout main event all to raise funds for these important initiatives?

Read a conversation With Sinfonia Music & Artistic Director Demetrius Fuller about Sinfonia Gulf Coast & the 2024-2025 Season. Learn more about Fuller below.

CRESCENDO! Kick Off Lunch - Get Tickets
Thursday, January 30, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Bijoux Restaurant + Spirits

Help kick off Crescendo! in style at Bijoux Restaurant + Spirits located in The Market Shops in Miramar Beach. Enjoy a delicious lunch prepared by award-winning chef/co-owner Jack McGuckin, sip elegant wines, indulge in delectable desserts, shop for the must-have accessories of the season from The Jewel, door prizes and raffle items and more. Crescendo! benefits Sinfonia Gulf Coast and its music education and community engagement programs throughout Okaloosa and Walton Counties.

CRESCENDO! Vintner Dinners - Get Tickets

On Friday, Feb. 28 at 6 p.m. Crescendo! weekend will begin with a series of carefully curated vintner dinners hosted in elegant homes, hotels and halls. throughout the Emerald Coast. Each dinner pairs the talents of local and national “celebrity” chefs with some of the country’s most acclaimed vineyards for a delicious evening of food and wine. As the Vintner Dinner lineup indicates, several proprietors and winemakers will attend to introduce and personally pour and their wines.

This year, Marisol & Tony Gullo will open their stunning home in Churchill Oaks to host Post Parade represented by Emily Andrews, in addition to a special champagne selection courtesy of Maureen Fiacco of Imperial Importers alongside the culinary talents of chef Dan Vargo, proprietor of Fine Coastal Cuisine.

At The Henderson Beach Resort, Elizabeth & Jared Boswell will welcome guests for an elegant pairing featuring Caldwell Vineyard, with John Caldwell, proprietor, and Mario Moreno, estate manager, presenting their acclaimed wines. The evening’s gourmet experience will be helmed by executive chef Tyler Simmons of The Henderson Beach Resort.

For a luxurious dining experience at Seagar’s Prime Steaks & Seafood, hosts Yana Morgan & Justin Shane will present a spectacular collaboration with Perchance Estates, as Katherine & Dean Papadakis, proprietors, introduce their exceptional vintages. executive chef Fleetwood Covington will craft a perfectly curated menu for this sophisticated evening.

A novel culinary and wine pairing will take place aboard the Solaris yacht, where owners Rhonda & James Murray will host an intimate evening featuring Oakville Ranch Winery. Guests will enjoy the exceptional wines presented by Shelia Gentry, general manager, alongside a masterfully prepared dinner by executive chef Aaron Harris.

At Hotel Effie, Jennifer Lombard-Knight & William Mitchell will welcome guests to a lavish pairing featuring Tournesol, presented by general manager Kina Kreer, with an exquisite menu curated by Chef John Engle of Ovide at Hotel Effie Sandestin.

Each Vintner Dinner will showcase an unforgettable fusion of culinary excellence and fine wine, with many of the vintners and winemakers personally pouring their wines for guests. Tickets are $500 per person, inclusive of all food, wine, and gratuities.

Proceeds from Crescendo! 2025 will benefit Sinfonia and its music education community engagement outreach programs, which include musicians/guest artists in schools, free orchestra concerts, bus transportation for students, Sinfonia Youth Orchestra program, Arts in Medicine initiative with Sacred Heart Hospital and Link Up concerts for third through fifth graders in partnership with Carnegie Hall and more.

“We are thrilled to present this year’s incredible lineup of Vintner Dinners, bringing together award-winning chefs, exceptional wines, and stunning venues—all in support of Sinfonia’s mission to inspire, educate, and engage our community through music,” says Sinfonia Music & Artistic Director Demetrius Fuller.

The Crescendo! weekend continues with the signature Main Event on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at 11:30 a.m. at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa. This high-energy celebration will feature “electrifying” music by Violectric and a pop-up gallery by guest artist Bradley Copeland, an elegant, seated lunch, world-class vintners, spirit purveyors, and live and silent auctions—all benefiting Sinfonia Gulf Coast’s music education and community outreach programs.

Crescendo! is made possible by the generous support of local and national businesses including the following co-presenting sponsors Silver Sands Premium Outlets, Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa, Visit South Walton, JP Boswell Consulting, and Not Too Shabby by Marisol Gullo.

For more information, to purchase tickets, and to inquire about sponsorship opportunities, visit SinfoniaGulfCoast.org, call (850) 460-8800, or email info@sinfoniagulfcoast.org.

CRESCENDO! Main Event - Get Tickets
Sunday, March 2, 2024 at 11:30 AM
Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa

Crescendo! is the season’s cultural event extravaganza. This energy-infused experience will celebrate the cultural and culinary arts by showcasing world-class vintners, expert spirit purveyors, amazing auction items, and a live musical performance. Enjoy reserved table seating, hors d'oeuvres, a seated lunch and an all-inclusive afternoon of incredible fun! Proceeds from Crescendo! benefit Sinfonia Gulf Coast and its music education and community engagement initiatives.

For more information on how you can join Sinfonia’s team of volunteers, contact Beth Clavier at 850-460-8800, bclavier@sinfoniagulfcoast.org.

Tickets for all Crescendo! 2024 events are on sale now. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.sinfoniagulfcoast.org or call 850-460-8800.

Sinfonia Gulf Coast was founded in 2005 on Florida’s Northwest Gulf Coast with the mission of redefining the symphony experience. Under the guidance of founder and music director Demetrius Fuller and a dedicated board of directors, the nonprofit orchestra is in its 18th season of innovative musical programming designed to entertain, educate and inspire the community. Since its founding, Sinfonia Gulf Coast has presented more than 700 concerts and events that have reached over 500,000 patrons, has collaborated with numerous nonprofits and businesses throughout the community, and has reached more than 200,000 children through its Sinfonia Guest Artists in the Schools program/music education outreach initiatives.

More About Demetrius Fuller

Innovative and energetic conductor Demetrius Fuller has garnered critical acclaim at home and abroad. As Music and Artistic Director of Sinfonia Guld Coast, Fuller has redefined the cultural landscape of Northwest Florida by offering inspiring and artistically inventive performances, exciting critics and patrons.

Conductor
A versatile conductor, Fuller has been chosen to work with some of the world’s most prestigious conductors and orchestras. Fuller is an award recipient from the National Foundation for the Advancement in the Arts, the Werner Foundation, and the International Music Foundation. Fuller trained at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, receiving both his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees.

Musician
As an accomplished clarinetist, Fuller has performed in the Dame Myra Hess Chamber Music Series, sponsored by the International Music Foundation and broadcast live on Chicago’s WFMT 98.7 FM. Festival appearances include the Opera Theater of Lucca (Italy), David Oistrakh (Estonia), Aspen, Cabrillo and Eastern Music Festival (USA). He has appeared in master classes with Gustav Meier, Michael Tilson-Thomas, Daniel Lewis, Marin Alsop, Neeme Järvi, Jorma Panula, Larry Rachleff, David Loebbel, and the late Robert Shaw. Fuller has been fortunate to work with various icons in the music industry including: Roberta Flack, Bernadette Peters, Mary Wilson, Patti LuPone, Kristin Chenoweth, Vanessa Williams, Sharon Isbin, Chris Brubeck and Pink Martini, among others.

Art Advocate
An advocate of contemporary music, Fuller has premiered, commissioned and/or collaborated with composers such as Augusta Read-Thomas, Dorothy Hindman, Thomas Schneller, Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon, Joel Hoffman, Moiya Callahan, Samuel Robles, Steven Winteregg, Tan Dun, giving the Southeastern U.S. premier of his Crouching Tiger Concerto and Chris Brubeck, giving the Southeastern U.S. premier of both his violin concerto Spontaneous Combustion and symphonic tribute Ansel Adams: America, which was co-composed with his father, the late Dave Brubeck. Fuller lead the Southeast U.S. premier of Identity – Zhongshan Zhuang, co-composed by Victor Cheng and Michael Gordon Shapiro, co-commissioned and performed the U.S. premiere of Chris Brubeck and Guillaume Saint-James Brothers in Arts and the world premiere of Nico Muhly’s full orchestration of his electric violin concerto Seeing is Believing.

International Acclaim
Abroad, Fuller was invited several times by Maestro Kurt Masur to conduct the l'Orchestre Nationale de France (Paris) in a set of conductor readings. For two seasons, Fuller served as resident conductor of Brazil’s Festival of the Mountains in Poços de Caldas and was one of two conductors selected world-wide to conduct the Iraqi National Symphony and three other Iraqi orchestras in a groundbreaking Unity Academy in Erbil, Northern Iraq sponsored by American Voices and the U.S. Department of State.

Leadership
Fuller was just recently appointed to the board of directors of the prestigious New York City-based Young Concert Artists (YCA) and will continue to oversee the annual Sinfonia Gulf Coast Prize offered to a winner of the YCA finals each Fall. In 2009, New York City-based Musicians For Harmony appointed Maestro Fuller as one of three Artistic Advisors, an honor shared with musical luminaries Arnold Steinhardt of the renowned Guarneri String Quartet and violinist Cho-Liang Lin.

Locally, Fuller serves as a Trustee of the Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation, is a past chair of the American Cancer Society’s Cattle Barons’ Ball, has served on the boards of Alaqua Animal Refuge, Cultural Arts Alliance, Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center, Okaloosa Arts Alliance, and continues to serve as a grant panelist for the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs.