CF to Host Performance by FSU's Omnimusica

Feb. 21, 2103

The College of Central Florida will present Omnimusica world music ensemble Saturday, Feb. 23, at 2 p.m. The performance will be held at the Appleton Museum of Art, College of Central Florida, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd. in Ocala. Doors open to the public 30 minutes before the performance.

Omnimusica delivers what its name promises: a truly innovative and unique spin on “world music.” Featuring the talents of virtuoso musicians from throughout the Americas, Omnimusica draws from an even larger musical palette in forging a blend of music genres including salsa, jazz, funk, soul, classical to calypso and more. Led by Florida State University’s Dr. Michael Bakan, the group features vocalist Katelyn Best, trombonist Waldron Dunkley, saxophonist Andrew Stanley, guitarist Carlos Odria, bassist David Cobb, and the amazing Mia Gormandy on steel drum. Bakan is a professor of Ethnomusicology and head of world music at Florida State University’s College of Music.

“The ethnomusicology program at FSU’s College of Music is one of the top in the country and they have long been able to attract the most talented musicians from around the world to be a part of their graduate program,” said Dr. Jennifer Fryns, associate dean of liberal arts and sciences at College of Central Florida. “These performers come to FSU to learn how to run a professional music ensemble and how to teach music at the university level in their native country; we, as an audience, benefit from their time here.”

Omnimusica appears in connection with the 2013 Arts Integration Symposium by the Florida Alliance for Arts Education, hosted by the Marion County Public Schools and the College of Central Florida. The performance is sponsored in part by the Richard B. Salsbury Memorial Endowment Grant.

For more information about the performance, call the CF Box Office at 352-873-5810. Admission to the concert is free with admission to the museum. Daily admission to the Appleton Museum is $6 for adults; $4 for seniors 55 or better and students 19 and over; $3 for youths ages 10-18; and free for members, CF students, children age 9 and under, and active military personnel and their immediate families.