2023 Music Lineup

SATURDAY APRIL 29

EAST STAGE- Palmetto Ave & 1st St

10am-12:30pm    Sherry Farmer & Ric Scoles   Variety

12:45pm-2:45pm   Chuck Culbertson   Variety

3pm-6pm    Hannah Stokes feat. Patrick Moreno   Variety

SOUTH STAGE-Magnolia Square

11:30am-2:30pm    Luis Alfredo Garcia   Classical, Flamenco

3pm-6pm    Florida Youth Symphony Orchestra   Jazz

WEST STAGE-Henry’s Depot Front Porch

TBA 

SUNDAY APRIL 30

EAST STAGE-Palmetto Ave & 1st St

10am-12:30pm    Sherry Farmer    Variety

12:45-pm-2:45pm     Chuck Culbertson   Variety

3pm-5pm       Hannah and Brian    Variety

SOUTH STAGE-Magnolia Square

11am-1:30pm   Luis Alfredo Garcia   Classical, Flamenco

2pm-5pm     Cat Ridgeway    Variety

WEST STAGE-Henry’s Depot Front Porch

TBA

Performer Bio’s

Chuck Culbertson

Chuck is a singer, guitarist, songwriter who performs in the central Florida area.
He sings in a variety of styles, from Rock, to Jazz and Country.
He was the guitarist for one of the touring versions of the vocal group, “The Platters”. A self taught musician who later studied music  at Seminole State College, and the University of Central Florida

Chuck has performed at these notable venues:
House of Blues (Orlando, Fl), Bluebird Cafe (Nashville, Tennessee), Eddies Attic (Decauter, Georgia), Cantors (Los Angeles, Ca.), Staccato Piano Bar (Washington D.C.) Jammin’ Java (Vienna, Virginia,) The Social (Orlando, Fl),Will’s Pub (Orlando, Fl.) Little Fish Huge Pond (Sanford, Fl)

Luis Alfredo Garcia (a.k.a. Luis Lefty)
Luis is a Puerto Rican classical guitarist with formal training at the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico, and the University of Central Florida.  Luis Lefty has been performing and entertaining in Central Florida for over 20 years. His music selection is sophisticated, colorful, and passionate.  He has developed a unique sound of Latin-Jazz, and Flamenco fusion – it can be simply described as “smooth jazz on caffeine”.  It is not unusual during Luis’ performances to see people start dancing!

Sherry Farmer Strange

Born in Atlanta, Sherry hails from a musical family with her Mother singing in church choirs and on gospel radio in South Carolina as a teenager along & Maternal Grandfather Hoke singing and playing a variety of stringed instruments playing contra and square dances in the South Carolina & Georgia area. Musical influences in addition to those from the family include Motown, Rock, Folk, Jazz, R&B, Country, Bluegrass and the list continues to grow.  Writing & composing songs since childhood, Sherry began opening for local rock bands in her early 20’s playing local pubs & parties.

Playing her favorite guitar she inherited from Grandpa Hoke, she performed as a solo act performing her own arrangements of rock, blues, folk and original tunes, with a few classic rock bands and a bluegrass fusion band along the way. Sherry also performed as a vocalist on the convention circuit for a number of years in a variety of band formats, along with fronting a jazz quartet.  Not one to put all of her musical eggs in one basket, Sherry is a vocal chameleon & stylist that puts her own style into every song she sings.  You’re sure to enjoy the listening experience.

Click here to listen to an original tune from Sherry!

 

Ric Scoles

Ric’s sound embodies a time period long before his time, he transcends history with his banjo.  Ric blends his original sound with hues of his mentors and composes works that range from his banjo from Prohibition Era sound to Gershwin style ballads to flaming bluegrass..  Energetic, enigmatic & melodic, his banjo playing educates the casual fan to the weathered admirer.

 

 

Cat Ridgeway

Cat Ridgeway is a skilled singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Orlando, FL known for her soulful vocals, high energy, and magnetic stage presence. Her 2020 release, ‘Nice to Meet You,’ marked her debut as a fully independent artist to commercial radio and brought her and her band on tour. The record jumped up 59 spots to #66 on the Americana charts, and her leading single “Giving You Up” tied for the #5 most-added Americana single nationally. While these numbers may seem humble, they are quite impressive for an independent artist pitching to commercial radio for the very first time.

Cat has played many notable stages (30A Songwriters Festival, Okeechobee Music and Arts Fest, and House of Blues Orlando), sharing bills with acts such as Arcade Fire, Leon Bridges, Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell, the Indigo Girls, and Rock & Roll Hall-of-Famer Marty Balin (Jefferson Airplane/Starship). She most recently opened for Mac McAnally of Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band (who’s written hits for Kenny Chesney, Alabama, and many others) and was met with great reception from him and his whole team. Additionally, indie rock duo Tegan and Sara personally selected Cat as the winner of their worldwide cover contest after being impressed by her prowess across 5 different instruments. Furthermore, Cat has been voted one of Orlando’s Best Singer/Songwriters, and her band has been named one of the city’s Best Rock Acts and Best Soul Acts by local music lovers.

Florida Youth Symphony Orchestra

Florida Symphony Youth Orchestras is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that has served Central Florida for over sixty-five years. In the early 1950’s, Rollins College music professor Alphonse Carlo recognized a need for a youth orchestra program in the Orlando area and accordingly organized free Saturday classes for string students in the community. Mr. Carlo’s ultimate dream of forming a youth orchestra came to fruition when the popularity of his ensemble reached its stride in 1957 and the first public FSYO concert was stage in November, 1959. For the first 20 years of its existence, FSYO was supported by both Rollins College and the Florida Symphony Orchestra.

Today, FSYO serves nearly three-hundred students and is comprised of seven ensembles: three symphonic orchestras, one string-training orchestra, a chamber orchestra, and two jazz orchestras. Additionally, FSYO organizes two supplementary string programs during the fall and summer months: Sing-Song, String-Along and Stringmania Summer Camp. FSYO’s program is carefully structured to encourage a student’s growth throughout their primary and secondary years. Our full range of ensembles gives each student a place to excel with peers at a similar level, and an opportunity to collaborate with seasoned music professionals on local, national, and international levels. Beyond the regular season, students in FSYO’s Touring Orchestra participate in life-changing experiences through annually alternating international & national tours.

 

Hannah Stokes

Hannah is an indie-folk singer-songwriter based in Orlando, FL. Influenced by the jazz-infused folk songwriting of Joni Mitchell mixed with the sweet folk-pop sound of artists like Madison Cunningham and Laufey, she forges an entrancing sonic landscape to invite you into her inner world. She carries a sultry voice that radiates throughout a room and original songs that explore powerful personal stories, reaching an audience eager to connect with her music.

Brian + Hannah are a vocal and guitar cover duo in the Central Florida area. With experience in Pop, Soul, Motown, Jazz, and R&B, Brian + Hannah can engage any audience with their top-notch musicality and electric chemistry.

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Guidelines

The St. Johns River Festival of the Arts, Inc. is looking for solos, duos, trios and SMALL GROUPS of performing artists who would like to perform in (10×10) acoustic-type venues located in three locations on the art festival route. We will be considering performers within these categories:

Classical, Jazz, Folk, Contemporary Bluegrass, Rhythm & Blues, Caribbean, Latin, Easy listening, Indie.

PLEASE READ ALL OF THE FOLLOWING. THESE ARE IMPORTANT TO YOUR PERFORMANCE.
NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE MADE, SO PLEASE READ NOW TO AVOID ANY MISUNDERSTANDINGS AT THE FESTIVAL.

  • Group leader must report to your assigned tent 30 minutes prior to your performance time. *Your entire group must report to your assigned tent 15 minutes prior to your performance time. You will have 15 minutes to set up (while the previous group is striking). You will be assigned a specific time slot. You must start and finish according to the times based on your assigned slot.
  • The performance space is a 10’x10′ tent. Your group must fit in the tent with a little overflow out the front. There is no storage space for instrument cases except in the tent.
  • You may bring signage announcing your group. You must supply an easel or other supporting device to display any signage.
  • Only LIGHT amplification is permitted.
  • Simple recorded accompaniment is permitted. Tracks that are an integral part of the performance are permitted but are not preferred. The accompaniment must be either CD or MP3 and will be played on equipment the Festival will supply. NOTE – PRIORITY FOR ACCEPTANCE TO THE FESTIVAL WILL BE GIVEN TO GROUPS THAT NEED NO RECORDED ACCOMPANIMENT.
    • There are chairs available for performers but we must know in advance so we can move chairs to your performance area.
    • Instrumentation rules- No high volume percussion instruments will be permitted.

The music coordinators will control volume levels so as not to disturb artists that are in nearby tents communicating with customers.

Be prepared to carry any instruments to the performance venue. Parking may not be close!

  • CDs, t-shirts, posters, anything else group-related may be sold – 100% of sale goes to performer. You must supply a person to handle sales. The Festival will supply a 2’x4′ table and a chair. An electrical outlet will be provided for a credit card machine. Sales of your items will be permitted during your performance and for 10 minutes after your performance.
  • Recorded music of group (MP3/CD only) will be allowed after performance for 15 minutes while next group is setting up.
  • We encourage you to publicize your performance. You will have your performance schedule in advance of Festival dates.
  • There is no charge for you to perform and sell promotion items; likewise there is only minimal compensation provided by the Festival. Compensation is derived from music sponsors and vary year to year.
  • You may request time slots on both days of the Festival. As part of this application you will find a schedule of time slots. Please make a first, second, and third request on the day you want to perform. If you want to perform both days, make three choices on EACH DAY.
  • Multiple time slots on the same day MAY be available. If you want multiple slots on the same day, please indicate that on your application. You will not be
    assigned consecutive time slots.

To Apply Click Here