Take Note: Upcoming Florida Keys Musical Events

FLORIDA KEYS — Live musical performances and music festivals provide Florida Keys visitors year-round entertainment options that complement the island chain’s well-rounded roster of arts and cultural events.

While selected highlights at Keys venues are chronicled here, a comprehensive calendar of offerings can be found at fla-keys.com/calendar/arts-culture/florida-keys/current/. In addition, music lovers can check individual presenters’ websites for their full schedules.

February 2022

Florida Keys Concert Association presents performances for audiences in two venues: Marathon High School’s Performing Arts Center and Coral Shores High School Performing Arts Center. February’s first show is scheduled Feb. 14-15, when the Rastrelli Cello Quartet spotlights selections by famed composers Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Puccini and Gershwin. The following weekend, Feb. 21-22, the Jupiter String Quartet is to play a rich three-part program featuring music by Haydn, Shostakovich and Mendelssohn. The season concludes with presentations of “Voyage Through the Americas” Feb. 28 and March 1, taking listeners on a fascinating musical journey. Shows start at 7:30 p.m.

Studios of Key West, 533 Eaton St., presents multiple live musical opportunities on the open-air rooftop terrace called Hugh’s View. As well as “Jazz on the Roof” shows on the first Wednesday of each month, songwriter Susan Werner brings her sharp-witted lyrics to the stage Feb. 4 and 6; Mary Gauthier and Jaimee Harris share the redemptive power of music in two rooftop shows Feb. 12 and13; and the duo Dead Horses engage in a folk music conversation on stage Feb. 25 and 26. 

Jam-packed February bookings presented by the Key West Theater, a fully working performing arts center, include “The Life and Music of George Michael” Feb. 12, the performance and sound of George Michael with staging and lighting while telling his story through early music hits from Wham! and his illustrious solo career. Among other February highlights are a roster of tribute  shows. “7 Bridges: The Ultimate Eagles Experience” is scheduled Feb. 15, “Elton Live! The Elton John Experience” is set for Feb. 19 and the “Rat Pack Together Again” is slated Feb. 20. Audiences can experience the 40th anniversary tour of 10,000 Maniacs when the band takes the stage Feb. 27. Doors open 7 p.m. and shows start at 8 p.m.

Impromptu Classical Concerts of Key West has brought stellar chamber music artists, ensembles and string orchestras to the Florida Keys for many years. The acclaimed organization’s 2022 season continues that tradition with the intrinsic musical partnership of violinists Chooi Brothers Feb. 13, and the rich tapestry of North and South American musical influences with piano, cello and percussion combinations in “Voyage Through the Americas” Feb. 25. Performances take place at 4 p.m. at the historic St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at 401 Duval St.

March 2022 and Beyond

For an outdoor blanket-on-the-lawn experience, the Florida Keys Community Concert Band has hosted free public concerts at the Upper Keys’ Founders Park, mile marker 88 bayside on Plantation Key, since 1992. Upcoming performances, each on Saturday afternoons from 4-5 p.m., include a pet-friendly concert Feb. 19, toe-tapping “Cruisin’ in the Keys” selections March 12 and a traditional end-of-season young musicians’ concert featuring local music students set for April 23.

The first-rate distinctive classical offerings of Impromptu Classical Concerts of Key West continue in March with virtuoso cellist Zlatomir Fung performing March 13 and the popular ensemble Canadian Brass scheduled March 27. Performances take place at 4 p.m. at the historic St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at 401 Duval St.

Located on the Key West campus of the College of the Florida Keys at 5901 College Road, the Tennessee Williams Theatre presents exciting musical and theatrical entertainment. Winter/spring standouts include Neil Berg’s 50 Years of Rock n’ Roll, Part II, set for March 11; the Keys’ own Paradise Big Band’s Legacy Concert March 13; a March 16 performance by Australia’s music ensemble, “The TEN Tenors”; and the South Florida Symphony’s “Mozart and Mendelssohn” concert March 26. Tributes to the Bee Gees and Tina Turner are scheduled as well.

Located at Key West’s Truman Waterfront Park, the Coffee Butler Amphitheater offers audiences a premier entertainment space with a grassy general admission lawn, intimate reserved seats and a panoramic blue-water backdrop. The lineup for March and beyond includes performances by the Beach Boys March 6, 311 with Iration March 18 and the “Good Vibes Summer Tour” featuring Rebelution, with Steel Pulse & DENM, set for June 5.

Music Festivals

Fans of live music and distinctive cultural events can look forward to the annual Afro Roots Fest, scheduled to feature performances in Key West April 28-30 and Islamorada May 28-29. While the artist lineup and other details have not yet been announced, the festival is known for presenting musical artists from Africa, the Caribbean and the Americas in a fascinating global fusion.

The United States’ foremost performing songwriters are to appear on multiple stages and venues during the Key West Songwriters Festival, scheduled May 4-8 and featuring several dozen shows. “Nashville Star” winner Chris Young, whose most recent hits include the top-charting “Famous Friends,” is to perform May 6 at the Coffee Butler Amphitheater. A full festival lineup is to be announced in March.

Florida Keys calendar of events: fla-keys.com/calendar