Music
fans looking for a non-traditional way to celebrate Easter weekend and the
beginning of Passover (April 15-17) this year need look no further than the
Sarasota Opera House. But it won't be hearing voluptuous voices singing Madama
Butterfly. After a two-year disruption in live music, the annual Rites of
Spring Festival (RoSFest), now at its 17th edition, returns to Sarasota with an
exciting line-up of acts from past and present to satisfy every taste.
The
3-day festival has been entertaining audiences with international line-ups
since 2004, but almost permanently shut down when Covid-19 restrictions ground
live music to a halt. Original founder and promotor, George Roldan, cited
increasing production costs, tighter visa restrictions, and financial losses
due to the pandemic as reasons for no longer being able to continue staging the
event. Luckily, with the support of a
large fanbase, musician and RoSFest patron, John Blangero, stepped in to revive
the festival, putting together a new 6-member Board of Directors to steer the
non-profit organization into the future. "People were heartbroken at the
thought of RoSFest's demise", states Blangero, now President of the Board.
"As a lover of the festival, I saw that the community was in need and
stepped up."
This
year's edition of RoSFest will feature 9 bands representing a wide array of
progressive and art rock music. The festival is set to kick off on Friday,
April 15 at 8:30 pm, with Talking Heads guitarist Jerry Harrison, and former
King Crimson guitarist/vocalist Adrian Belew, performing songs off the iconic
Talking Heads album, Remain In Light, accompanied on stage by ex-members
of super funk group, Turkuaz. April 16--Saturday's headlining act, progressive
rock legend, Jon Anderson, together with students from the Paul Green Rock
Academy, will delight concertgoers with classic songs by the band Yes along
with a few other surprises. Sunday, April 17, will close out the festival with
a rock extravaganza from Miami resident, Dave Kerzner’s All-Stars of
Progressive Rock. Six support bands: Robert
Berry's 3.2, Pattern Seeking Animals, Ten Jinn, The Tea Club, Lobate Scarp, and
Head With Wings complete the bill.
In
addition to promoting innovative live music by providing lesser-known acts the
opportunity to perform to a large audience alongside established artists,
RoSFest's mission is to foster a community spirit by encouraging local business
and school participation. "Our focus in the next few years will be to host
an art competition in chosen Sarasota schools to design future RoSFest artwork,"
says Blangero. "We want people to return to RoSFest to see major musical
artists in an intimate, high-quality setting with a warm and welcoming
atmosphere and establish a connection with Sarasota and all it has to
offer."
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