Live and Virtual Events, April 8-10
Tony Award Winner Gavin Creel and Grammy Award Winner Nick Photinos to Perform at April 10 Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner: “A Celebration of Music”
Additional events include a live conversation with acclaimed playwright and 2021 winner Aleshea Harris, a virtual talk with celebrated composer and 2022 recipient Angélica Negrón, and a live panel discussion with Hermitage Greenfield Prize Jurors Terrance McKnight (WXQR Radio) and Gary Padmore (New York Philharmonic), with Nate Jacobs (Founding Artistic Director of Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe)
March 15, 2022 (Sarasota County, Florida) — The Hermitage Artist Retreat, in collaboration with the Greenfield Foundation, presents the 14th annual Hermitage Greenfield Prize Celebration Weekend, April 8-10, 2022, culminating in the Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner on Sunday, April 10, with a live performance of Angélica Negrón’s work by Grammy Award-Winning cellist Nick Photinos, and a special guest performance by Tony Award-Winning Hermitage Fellow Gavin Creel (The Book of Mormon; Hair; Hello, Dolly!). Limited seats are available for this nearly sold-out gala dinner. For tables and sponsorships, visit HermitageArtistRetreat.org, or contact Development Director Amy Wallace at Development@HermitageArtistRetreat.org or (941) 475-2098, Ext. 2.
This year’s weekend of events begins on Friday, April 8 with “A Theater Maker’s Year: What ‘Went Down’” (6pm at New College of Florida) with 2021 Hermitage Greenfield Prize Winner Aleshea Harris. Then, on Saturday, April 9, the Hermitage presents two events, one virtual and one live: “Angélica Negrón: The Journey, The Work, The Inspiration” (3pm, virtual event) features the 2022 Hermitage Greenfield Prize Winner, whose innovative music compositions have been described as “playful and inventive” by The New York Times. That evening, Hermitage Greenfield Prize Jurors Terrance McKnight, host of WQXR New York Public Radio, and Gary Padmore, Director of Education and Community Engagement at the New York Philharmonic, are joined by Sarasota’s own Nate Jacobs, Founder and Artistic Director of Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, for a panel discussion entitled “Artistic License: Whose Story Is It?” (6pm on the Hermitage Beach).
In addition to the Hermitage Greenfield Prize Celebration Weekend in April, past HGP recipient and Pulitzer Prize Winner Martyna Majok (2018, theater) presented “Building a Play” in early March, plus 2019 Hermitage Greenfield Prize Winner Helga Davis (music) presents a live premiere of her commission, “Ocean Body,” at the Hermitage on Saturday, March 19 at 6pm.
Registration is required for all events at HermitageArtistRetreat.org.
The Hermitage Greenfield Prize – rotating annually between music, theater, and visual art — includes a six-week Hermitage residency and a $30,000 commission to create and develop a new work, which culminates with a public presentation in Sarasota. The Hermitage Greenfield Prize Celebration is presented in partnership with the Greenfield Foundation, with the Community Foundation of Sarasota County serving as Lead Community Sponsor. For more information, visit HermitageArtistRetreat.org.
The Weekend Schedule of Events:
- LIVE: “A Theater Maker’s Year: What ‘Went Down’” with Playwright & Hermitage Greenfield Prize Winner Aleshea Harris, Friday, April 8, 6pm: To launch this year’s Hermitage Greenfield Prize Celebration Weekend, 2021 recipient Aleshea Harris returns to Sarasota to share her theatrical journey over the past year and the latest plans for her commission. Focused on the lives of two Black men a century apart, both subject to confinement and surveillance at the hands of western civilization, her work seeks to honor tragedy without losing sight of the levity that just might light a way forward. Presented in partnership with the Greenfield Foundation and the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. Registration is required at HermitageArtistRetreat.org ($5/person registration fee). New College of Florida (Campus Bayfront), Sarasota, Florida 34243.
- VIRTUAL EVENT: “Angélica Negrón: The Journey, The Work, The Inspiration,” Saturday, April 9, 3pm: Angélica Negrón, winner of the 2022 Hermitage Greenfield Prize in music, is equally at home composing for orchestras and chamber ensembles as she is for toys and electronics. Her music has been described as “playful and inventive” (The New York Times) as well as “mesmerizing and affecting” (Feast of Music). In a live virtual event featured as part of this year’s Hermitage Greenfield Prize Celebration Weekend, hear from one of the most innovative musicians working today as she discusses her journey so far, her body of work, and her hopes for this new commission. This conversation will be moderated by Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg. Presented in partnership with the Greenfield Foundation and the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. Registration is required at HermitageArtistRetreat.org ($5/household registration fee). Virtual via Live-Stream.
- LIVE: “Artistic License: Whose Story Is It?” with 2022 Hermitage Greenfield Prize Jurors Terrance McKnight and Gary Padmore, Saturday, April 9, 6pm: Who has the right to tell a story? Where do the distinctions between art and documentary change the rules? As part of the Hermitage Greenfield Prize Celebration Weekend, two of the jurors for this year’s prize in music, Terrance McKnight (classical music host on WQXR) and Gary Padmore (Director of Education and Community Engagement at the New York Philharmonic), along with Sarasota’s own Nate Jacobs (Founder and Artistic Director of Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe), take an illuminating dive into authentic authorship. Hear from these insightful thought-leaders as they bring their personal expertise and experience to bear on one of the most important artistic questions of our time. This panel discussion will be moderated by Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg. Presented in partnership with the Greenfield Foundation and the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. Registration is required at HermitageArtistRetreat.org ($5/person registration fee). The Hermitage Beach, 6660 Manasota Key Road, Englewood, Florida 34223.
- 2022 Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner: A Celebration of Music, Sunday, April 10, 6pm: The 2022 Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner: A Celebration of Music recognizes this year’s recipient, composer and multi-instrumentalist Angélica Negrón, with a special cello performance of Angélica’s work by Grammy Award Winner Nick Photinos, plus a special guest performance by Tony Award-Winning Hermitage Fellow Gavin Creel. Presented in partnership with the Greenfield Foundation and the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. Limited seats available for this gala dinner at Michael’s On East (1212 S. East Ave., Sarasota, FL 34239). For tables and sponsorships, visit HermitageArtistRetreat.org, or call (941) 475-2098, Ext. 2.
About the Hermitage Artist Retreat:
The Hermitage is a non-profit artist retreat located in Manasota Key, Florida, inviting accomplished artists across multiple disciplines for residencies on its beachfront campus, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. Hermitage artists are invited to interact with the local community, reaching thousands of Gulf Coast residents and visitors each year with unique and inspiring programs. Hermitage Fellows have included 14 Pulitzer Prize winners, Poets Laureate, MacArthur ‘Genius’ Fellows, and multiple Tony, Emmy, Grammy, Oscar winners and nominees. Works created at this beachside retreat by a diverse group of Hermitage alumni have gone on to renowned theaters, concert halls, and galleries throughout the world. Each year, the Hermitage awards the $30,000 Hermitage Greenfield Prize for a new work of art, the newly announced $35,000 Hermitage Major Theater Award for an original theater commission, and the Aspen Music Festival’s Hermitage Prize in Composition.
For more information, visit HermitageArtistRetreat.org.
The Hermitage is supported by:
Hermitage programs are supported, in part, by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts; by Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax Revenues; and by The State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture (Section 286.25 Florida Statutes), as well as the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation, and the Community Foundation of Sarasota County.
PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED HERMITAGE PROGRAMS:
Saturday, Mar 19, 6pm, “Ocean Body”: The Live Premiere of the Commission from 2019 Hermitage Greenfield Prize Winner Helga Davis (Live at the Hermitage Palm House Studio / Virtual Streaming Event)
Presented in partnership with the Greenfield Foundation, Community Foundation of Sarasota County, EnsembleNewSRQ, and New College of Florida
Wednesday, Mar 23, 6pm, “Reimagining the Musical: Past, Present, & Futurity” with Hermitage Fellow and 2022 Kleban Prize Winner César Alvarez (Live at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Downtown Sarasota Campus)
Presented in partnership with Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
Friday, Mar 25, 6pm, “Musical Storytelling: A Conversation with Jeanine Tesori” (Live on the Hermitage Beach, Manasota Key)
Friday, Apr 8, 6pm, “A Theater Maker’s Year: What ‘Went Down’” with Playwright and 2021 Hermitage Greenfield Prize Winner Aleshea Harris (Live at New College of Florida’s campus bayfront)
Presented in partnership with the Greenfield Foundation and Community Foundation of Sarasota County
Saturday, Apr 9, 3pm, “Angélica Negrón: The Journey, The Work, The Inspiration,” Saturday, April 9, 3pm: (Virtual via Live-Stream)
Presented in partnership with the Greenfield Foundation and Community Foundation of Sarasota County
Saturday, Apr 9, 6pm, “Artistic License: Whose Story Is It?” with 2022 Hermitage Greenfield Prize Jurors Terrance McKnight and Gary Padmore, plus Nate Jacobs, Founder and Artistic Director of Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe (Live on the Hermitage Beach, Manasota Key)
Presented in partnership with the Greenfield Foundation and Community Foundation of Sarasota County
ALSO:
Sunday, Apr 10, 6pm, 2022 Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner: “A Celebration of Music,” honoring composer and multi-instrumentalist Angélica Negrón. This is the Hermitage’s annual spring gala, and sponsorship packages range from $1,000 to $10,000.
Presented in partnership with the Greenfield Foundation and Community Foundation of Sarasota County