Nick Scout

Future Nature in Song: An Evening of Art, Wine, and New CF2 Music, Sydonie Mansion, 4pm

Sunday, May 3, 2026, 4:00-6:00 pm, Sydonie Mansion. “Future Nature in Song: An Evening of Art, Wine, and New Music” 

Experience the natural beauty and cultural richness of the historic Sydonie Mansion in this unique program combining music, visual art, and wine.

Begin the evening with a stroll through Sinuhé Vega Negrin‘s lush nature-inspired artwork, followed by an original concert of new compositions by members of the Central Florida Composers Forum, each inspired by Negin’s work. This performance is an encore from our successful on-site event at the Art & History Museum of Maitland last year (in cooperation with the Howey Music Series). CF2 Composers featured include: Alex Burtzos, Charlie Griffin, Erik Branch, Gerald Law, Nate Chivers, Nick Scout, Paul Austin Sanders, and Troy Gifford.

Anna Eschbach, soprano
Troy Gifford, guitar
Olga Kolpakova, violin

4:00-5:00 pm: Art and wine stroll outdoors at the Sydonie Mansion
5:00-6:00 pm: Concert of new music inside the mansion

Tickets are general admission and include wine for the wine-and-art stroll. Doors will open at 4:00 pm. A cash bar will also be available.

Tickets: $55/person, $60 at the door.

Location:

Sydonie Mansion
5538 Sydonie Drive
Mount Dora, FL 32757

By Charlie Griffin, ago

Music in the Gallery (with Sinuhé Vega Negrin) —January 29th, 5:30 PM at the Art and History Centers of Maitland — FREE EVENT.

A truly unique and fascinating event will feature premières of works by 8 composers from the Central Florida Composers’ Forum on Wednesday, January 29th, starting at 5:30 PM as part of the “Music in the Gallery” at the Art & History Centers of Maitland (231 W. Packwood Ave., Maitland, FL 32751.) This concert is in conjunction with “Future Nature: The Silent Conversations of Sinuhé Vega,” the new exhibit featuring works of the artist Sinuhé Vega Negrin, whose painting and ceramic sculptures explore ecological and human frailty, drawing on the Dutch Vanitas tradition, and themes of magic realism, surrealism, and of humanity’s mental constructs and disconnection from nature.

Reserve your FREE tickets here

The artist will give a talk about his work. The soprano Anna Eschbach, violinist Galen Kaup, and guitarist Troy Gifford will be performing a recital of lush, intimate and arresting music comprised of the premières of Erik Branch’s “There Was Always Time” (poem by Logan Anderson), Alex Burtzos’ “Four Haiku” (poems of Natsune Sо̄seki, Aida Bunosuke, and Yosa Buson), Charlie Griffin’s “Sunken City” (poem by Ariel Francisco), Gerald Law II’s “Take a Look” (poem by the composer), Nate Chivers’ “A Cloud of Flowers” Matsuо̄ Bashо̄, Nick Scout’s “Conversing With Statues” (poem by the composer), Paul Austin Sanders’ “Nature’s Connection To Us…As One We Are,” and Troy Gifford’s “Nothing Gold Can Stay” (setting Robert Frost’s well-known poem.) The event is free and open to the public (register for it on the Eventbrite link below as part of the museum’s “Last Wednesday” series, and is a co-production with the Howey Music Series.

MUSIC IN THE GALLERY — PROGRAM—FINALDownload
By ERIK BRANCH, ago

Infinite Possibilities: A Guitar Composers’ Showcase at the Timucua International Guitar Festival – August 30 @ 7:30

Prepare to be captivated by the sheer expanse of expression as classical stylings intertwine with innovative multimedia, rock fusions, jazz improvisations, and audacious new tonal territories. Three consummate guitarist-composers — Nate Chivers, Nick Scout, and Troy Gifford — converge on one stage, united by their passion for the guitar, but each charting a unique creative cosmos.

Special guests include drummer Jaysen Rosario, guitarists Michael van Gelder and Allen Nicholas Kooken, multi-instrumentalist Nathan Taylor, and cellist/bassist Elliot May.

Guest composers include Alex Burtzos and Benoit Glazer.

Special pricing is available for members, students, teachers, frontline workers, veterans, and seniors.

In-person and livestream tickets are available. This event is part of Timucua’s International Guitar Festival 2024.

Get tickets here

Program:

The concert will open with Troy Gifford performing his own solo works Cherith, Woodbury, Danza Triste, Valsera, and Evocacion y Furia. Nick Scout will play his A Toast to the Old Us followed by his La Danse de Rats, performed by Troy Gifford and Allen Nicholas Kooken on guitar. The program continues with Scout’s Loss of a Child, performed by Michael Van Gelder and Nathan Taylor on guitar, along with Elliot May on cello. Troy Gifford and Nick Scout will then team up for Benoit Glazer’s MaraTanVal. Alex Burtzos’s Atoms will be performed by Nate Chivers on guitar and Jaysen Rosario on drum kit. Finally, Nate Chivers will close the concert with Flower, Getting Better, Slink, and Simplicity.

These pioneering artists will explore cherished guitar traditions with bold new visions for the future, promising a transcendent evening of expansive guitar odysseys that will make you see the guitar in a new light.

By Charlie Griffin, ago