Music & Arts

Arts News

August 10, 2025

Curtain Up: Music and Dance Light Up the Local Stage

From youth music programs to world-class ballet, Northwest Florida’s arts scene is buzzing this season. Sinfonia Gulf Coast opens registration for its youth ensembles and Northwest Florida Ballet announces a season filled with fresh choreography, a holiday classic and a whimsical new premiere.

Sinfonia Gulf Coast Opens Registration for 2025–2026 Youth Programs

Sinfonia Gulf Coast has announced open registration for its 2025–2026 youth music education programs, offering beginner to advanced student musicians the chance to train and perform with the only professional orchestra in the region.

Programs include the Sinfonia Youth Orchestra (SYO) with advanced, intermediate, and beginner-level ensembles, as well as an After School Beginning Strings program expanding to new schools this fall. The ensembles welcome strings, winds, brass, percussion, and piano accompanists.

Since its launch in 2007, Sinfonia’s education efforts have reached more than 220,000 local children. The organization offers unique performance opportunities, mentorship from professional musicians, Bright Futures volunteer hours, free concert tickets, and scholarship eligibility for senior members.

“We believe our youth orchestra programs foster a strong sense of community, allowing members to connect with like-minded fellow musicians in a safe, collaborative, and welcoming environment,” says Sinfonia Youth Orchestra director Margaret Gordon. “It is our goal to achieve high level performances while making sure every student is assisted in reaching their full potential as musicians.”

Gordon adds, “It is an honor to be able to offer beginning strings instruction to students of Okaloosa and Walton Counties through our after-school programs. I am incredibly excited to welcome a potential 160 new students in our programs this year.”

For more information or to register, visit SinfoniaGulfCoast.org or contact Margaret Gordon at mgordon@sinfoniagulfcoast.org.

Northwest Florida Ballet Unveils 2025–26 Season

Northwest Florida Ballet’s upcoming season features three distinctive productions. It opens Sept. 19–20 with the Emerging Choreographers’ Project Blackbox at NFB Studios in downtown Fort Walton Beach. Showcasing the innovative choreography of selected members of the NFB company, this production features ballet and contemporary works set to a diverse range of music genres, accompanied by a visual art exhibition that offers audiences a compelling glimpse into the next generation of artists from the NFB Académie.

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The beloved holiday classic Nutcracker returns Nov. 21–23 to the Mattie Kelly Arts Center, featuring more than 140 performers, including international guest artists and over 100 local children, with live music by the Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra.

The season concludes March 7–8 with the company premiere of Jill Eathorne Bahr’s Alice in Wonderland, a vibrant new adaptation blending neoclassical dance and imaginative storytelling.

Season subscriptions, which include tickets to The Nutcracker and Alice in Wonderland plus numerous subscriber perks and discounts, are now available at NFBallet.org—$80 per adult and $37 per child (12 and under), a savings of more than 15% compared to box office prices. You can also purchase season subscriptions, additional performance and event tickets, and membership packages.

Sinfonia Gulf Coast Youth Programs