Our stage comes alive with special events that touch our community.

At 7:00 PM on Friday, April 12 the Old Vero Ice Age Sites Committee will present the renowned archaeologist Dr. James M. Adovasio to discuss the upcoming excavation of the Old Vero Site, famous for the discovery of Vero Man in 1915. His presentation "Dig Old Vero: Challenges and Possibilities," will describe how this historically rich site, located alongside the canal just southeast of the Vero Beach airport, will be re-examined to answer a multitude of questions: why it is important to archaeological science, what theories of immigration and ancient life in Florida it can add to, why this will be an important dig, and the challenges of excavating this unique place. He will describe some of the latest methods used in modern scientific excavations for which Mercyhurst Archaeological Institute is both famous and admired, and how many were applied to the excavation of the Meadowcroft Rockshelter in Pennsylvania over the last 40 years. At this presentation, Dr. Adovasio will introduce us to his colleague, Dr. C. Andrew Hemmings, who will lead the excavation.
 

A special display of Florida archaeological treasures, including many fossils found in our region, will be on display in The Emerson Center's lobby starting at 6:00 PM.

 

Vero Beach was first recognized as archaeologically significant around 1915, when dredging at this site by the Indian River Farms Company unearthed human remains with extinct Ice Age animal fossils, including mammoth, mastodon, saber-tooth cat and ancient species of tapir, horse and sloth. Interest in this location was reignited in 2009 when a carved fossil bone was found nearby by a local archaeological sleuth, James Kennedy. The carved artifact, recently sold, is the only known example of a man-made Pleistocene carving of an animal in the Americas. Hopes are high that similar artwork may be found at the Old Vero Site.


OVIASC invites you to be a part of the re-excavation of the Vero Man Site and hopes you will be able to attend. Funds have already been raised but more are needed for the dig and the subsequent analytical analysis of findings. Learn more about the Site and the project from OVIASC's website, www.oviasc.org.


Tickets for this event (which benefits OVIASC) cost $20 ($5 for students) and are available from the Emerson Center's online ticket office or by calling our ticket office at 772.778.5249.

 

One of New York’s premiere cabaret performers, Corinna Sowers-Adler, will be appearing in a return engagement to The Emerson Center on December 9 at 3:00 p.m. presenting pop, showtime, and holiday tunes as well as a musical treat entitled, “By Request.” In this unique evening, Sowers-Adler will feature love songs and standards that have changed your lives.
 

Singer Corinna Sowers-Adler was named one of New York City’s top 15 cabaret acts of 2010 by Andrew Martin of Nitelife Exchange. Stephen Hanks, reviewer for Cabaret Scenes, hails her as Cabaret’s “latest revelation” exhibiting a “lovely and powerful soprano voice... and a burgeoning sassy-blonde comedic ability.” Corinna has booked solo shows at Feinstein’s, Laurie Beechman Theater, Triad Theater, the legendary Duplex Cabaret and at the Metropolitan Room. In 2012 Corinna has been performing a series of Benefit Concerts that raise funds for Not-For-Profit organizations. She is also the co-owner of NiCori Studios & Productions, and the Director of the Encore Musical Theatre Project at the New Jersey School of Dramatic Arts. For more information and to sample Sowers-Adler’s beautiful style, visit her web site http://corinnasings.com.
 

Also, here's a video clip from YouTube. (It will lead you to other videos as well.)
 

 

Do you have a song request you want to hear? Email Corinna at info@corinnasings.com with a song request and be sure to give the story behind the song. The best songs with the best stories will be put together to create this heartwarming, memory-filled, and fun evening of music that will not soon be forgotten.
 

Advance tickets of $20 may be purchased online at www.TheEmersonCenter.org, or by calling the Box Office at 772-778-5249. Tickets at the door are an additional $5.

The Emerson Center invites the community to enjoy a conversation with Queen Kateryn Parr, the last wife of Henry VIII on Friday, January 4, 2013 at 5 p.m. Geared towards adults and teenagers, actress/singer Cathryn Fairlee recreates the character in her one woman show entitled "Queen Kateryn Parr Tells All."
 

Fairlee takes the audience on a fascinating turn back to the English Reformation. It's a charming performance delivered with the royal gossip and historical tidbits broken up by several songs delivered in Fairlee's strong, sure voice. This is the finest way to learn history; for all the queen tells you is true, from her point of view. Kateryn is an enlightened queen who has kept up with much that has happened after her death. After she relates her views of her fellow queens, her husbands, reformists, and her own amazing life, she will take polite questions from the audience. No curtseying required!
 

Here's Fairlee's story: Once upon a time a fifth generation Californian named Cathryn went forth to travel the world. After a quest to China to study dragons close up, she returned to conquer a degree in the History of Art at San Jose State University. Then a magic carpet whisked her away and after much twirling across Asia, Europe and Latin America, Cathryn landed back in the romantic wine country of Healdsburg, the town where she was born. There she worked as a Middle School librarian and began performing in 1982. She has been performing traditional folk tales, epics, and mythology from around the world as a full time occupation since 1999. She performs worldwide and leaves her audiences listening happily ever after.
 

Advance tickets of $15 may be purchased online or by calling the Box Office at 772-778-5249. Tickets at the door are an additional $5.

The Emerson Center switches gears from lectures to music early on in 2013 offering a presentation by The Sherwoods of Cornell, a traditional a cappella men’s ensemble who has been delighting audiences for more than fifty years. They will be delighting the Emerson Center audiences on Saturday, January 19 at 4:00 p.m.

Founded in 1956, the Sherwoods were part of a broad collegiate a cappella movement of that era. The group entertained at Cornell and other campuses, Caribbean resorts, and on USO tours. Their seven records have been re-mastered as CD’s.

Today, the group’s members are graduates of Cornell University from 1958 to 1974. Their musical offering consisting of songs from the '40's to current day tunes, includes ballads, rock ‘n roll, spirituals, calypso, Broadway show tunes, close barbershop harmonies, and sentimental favorites.

Most of the Sherwoods are now retired, having followed careers in medicine, law, business, education and politics. The common element in their lives is an enduring love of singing.

Advance tickets of $20 may be purchased online or by calling the Box Office at 772-778-5249. Tickets at the door are an additional $5.

 

 

Hedrick Smith, a Pulitzer-Prize winning Correspondent, Producer and Author, is bringing a lively discussion about his latest book, Who Stole The American Dream?, to the Emerson Center for a Wednesday, February 6, 7 PM presentation.
 

This new book is Smith's timely sequel to his classic best seller, The Power Game: How Washington Works. In the latest book's pages, Smith steps back from the partisan fever of the 2012 campaign to explain how we got to where we are today - how America moved from an era of middle class prosperity and power, effective bipartisanship and grass roots activism to today’s polarized gridlock, unequal democracy and an even more unequal economy that has unraveled the American Dream for millions of middle class families.
 

Random House calls Smith’s book “an extraordinary achievement” and Harvard Business School professor Jay Lorsch hails it as “illuminating…essential reading” – especially in this political year.
 

Born in Scotland and educated at Oxford, Smith won the Pulitzer Prize for his work as a reporter and editor for The New York Times and an Emmy Award-winning producer/correspondent during his twenty-plus years with PBS on Frontline and Washington Week in Review. One of America’s most distinguished journalists, he has covered Washington and world capitals for The New York Times, has authored several best-selling books and created 20 award-winning PBS prime-time specials and mini-series on Washington’s power game, Soviet Perestroika, the global economy, education reform, health care, teen violence, terrorism, Wall Street, and more.
 

As a writer, Smith has published The Russians, The Power Game and The New Russians. Inside the Terror Network, a Frontline collaboration with the BBC to investigate how Al Qaeda organized the 9/11 attack and how the U.S. missed chances to catch them, was a winner of the Columbia-Dupont Gold Baton, emblematic of the year’s best public affairs program on American television.
 

Advance tickets of $25 may purchased online or by calling the Box Office at 772-778-5249. Tickets at the door are an additional $5.

A special evening awaits you and your favorite date on Valentine’s Day at The Emerson Center. Back by popular demand is “Ragtime, Romance, & Roses” featuring highly regarded Ragtime pianist Bob Milne. For this February 14 performance, Milne will build a diverse show which also incorporates romantic melodies spanning the decades.
 

"You'll want to grab somebody's hand and give it a squeeze," Milne advises our audience. "If you feel like tapping your toes, go right ahead. And, if you want to dance in the aisles, enjoy yourself. We will have no shortage of fun at this Valentine's concert."
 

Considered by many to be the best Ragtime/Boogie-Woogie pianist in the world, Bob Milne specializes in the music style that developed in America in the late 1800's and early 1900's.
 

Although Milne comes from a classical background, having excelled as a French horn virtuoso at the Eastman School of Music, he is completely self-taught as a pianist, playing totally by ear. He became fascinated by Ragtime music and naturally progressed to the concert stage, becoming acknowledged by many as one of the best pianists of our time.
 

Bob Milne brings endless enthusiasm, enchanting ease of playing, and an engaging manner while telling stories about Ragtime and Boogie Woogie music with warmth and humor. He was filmed and documented for future generations in 2004 during three days of interviews at the Library of Congress, and was declared a “National Treasure” at the conclusion.
 

Learn more about this diverse and capable musician from his website at http://BobMilne.com.
 

To help make the day even more memorable, the event's sponsor, Monti's Flower Market in Vero Beach (on Commerce Avenue behind Staples), will present a complimentary single red rose to the first 150 couples (or unaccompanied ladies) purchasing their tickets in advance. "We want to help make this special evening even more special," states Monti Jones, owner of Vero's creative floral design shop, "and nothing sets the tone more perfectly than flowers."
 

Advance tickets of $20 may purchased online or by calling the Box Office at 772-778-5249. Tickets at the door are an additional $5. A complimentary rose, sponsored in part by Monti’s Flower Market, will be offered to the first 150 ladies.
 

A Valentine's suggestion: Make Valentine's Day even more special for the one you love by visiting or calling the floral experts at Monti's Flower Market. They're located at 1163 Commerce Avenue (directly behind Staples on US 1) and their phone number is 772.778.9850. Want something really special? Contact Monti Jones directly via .

The Emerson Center is proud to announce that a trilogy of jazz concerts performed by the Space Coast Jazz Orchestra will be back again this season by popular demand.
 

The first of the three-part series will be held on Sunday, October 28 at 2:30 p.m. entitled Special Request. Feel free to sit back and enjoy your favorites. They have taken your requests and put together an enthralling and engaging concert featuring the music of Basie, Ellington, Rich, Kenton, Parker, and more. This thrilling program will have your heart racing and your feet tapping.

A Jazz Christmas will be performed on Saturday, December 8 at 4:00 p.m. This concert will feature everyone's favorite Christmas music as recorded by some of the world's best big bands, both old and new.
 

The series concludes on Sunday, March 10 at 2:30 p.m.  with "From the Flat Screen to the Silver Screen," featuring some of the most recognizable music from TV and the movies, all in jazz settings.
 

The Space Coast Symphony is a lively and passionate Central Florida orchestra comprised of professional musicians and select youth players. The Orchestra was formed with a two-fold mission: to provide mentoring and performance opportunities for Florida’s finest youth musicians as well as to provide professional-level concerts at genuinely affordable prices. The ultimate goal of the organization is to help ensure the symphonic tradition for the enjoyment of future generations.
 

“We've worked with the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra since 2010, and they have consistently delivered strong performances before appreciative and enthusiastic audiences,” said The Emerson Center’s Don Croteau. “We wanted to bring them back their Jazz Series this season, since it has become a favorite of our audiences.”
 

Advance tickets are $20 may be purchased online or by calling the Box Office at 772.778.5249. Tickets at the door are an additional $5. Students 18 years of age and under (with identification) are admitted free.

ORCA, the Treasure Coast-based research institute for protecting and restoring our aquatic ecosystems and the species they maintain, is bringing three distinguished ocean explorers to the stage of Vero Beach's Emerson Center for entertaining lectures that will share secrets of exploration.

Dr. Edith Widder, founder and CEO of ORCA, the Treasure Coast-based research institute for aquatic ecosystems, leads off on January 30, 2013 by discussing her integral role in the Discovery Channel’s MONSTER SQUID: THE GIANT IS REAL, a much anticipated documentary which premieres just 3-days before her lecture (January 27, 2013 at 8 PM ET/PT). An informative article on this important broadcast can be found online.

An idea: watch the broadcast and then attend the performance. Be sure to bring your questions!

Then on February 20, Céline Cousteau, filmmaker and granddaughter of Jacques-Yves Cousteau, shares intriguing insights and images captured while documenting the wonders of the world’s oceans. Our audience will learn how she is advancing her family’s outstanding tradition of oceanographic exploration and discovery.

Learn more about this notable adventurer from her website.

On March 20, National Geographic’s Adventurer of the Year, Roz Savage, recalls her transoceanic crossings in a 23-foot rowboat. The holder of four Guinness World Records for ocean rowing, Savage offers perspectives that span 15,000 miles over three major oceans. Her Atlantic crossing adventure is documented in a captivating book entitled Rowing The Atlantic. Learn more about Roz from her website.

In her Treasure Coast visit, she will discuss our fragile relationship with the seas that surround us.
 

All performances start at 7:00 PM. Season Tickets: $75 (all three performances). Single Event Tickets: $35 in advance ($40 at the door). Students Tickets: $25. Ticket Sales benefit the vital work of ORCA.

Tickets are available from our online box office or by calling 772.778.5249. Also, you can visit The Emerson Center's box office at 1590 27th Avenue in Vero Beach.
 

Series Sponsors for these events include:

The Emerson Center presents a family musical performance by award-winning songwriter John Flynn on Saturday, March 23 at 4 p.m. Ideal for adults and children as young as 3, Flynn will present original songs, interactive music and joyous fun-loving lyrics.

John Flynn began writing professionally in 1980 and in the early 90’s performed heavily in and around his native Philadelphia. His first main stage appearance at the 1995 Philadelphia Folk Festival cemented John’s reputation as a dynamic original contemporary folk artist. Songs that Flynn wrote, for his own four children, became the basis of two highly acclaimed family CDs.
 

He was awarded the American Library Association’s Notable Recording Award. John appears regularly on the Peabody Award-winning children’s radio program Kid’s Corner and continues to present extremely popular assemblies and creative-writing workshops.
 

Flynn is honored to have his single "Two Wolves,” all about bullies, big and small, as part of a compilation CD set that recently won a Grammy for “Best Children’s Album of the Year for 2012.” John sings from the heart. He paints vivid, lasting images with words and music drawn from a palate of awareness, irony, humor, and compassion.

“A John Flynn concert is a love letter to your audience; his words linger for days and young and old depart filled with hope and ready to change the world for the better.”
—Philadelphia International Children’s Festival

Advance tickets of $15 for adults (children are free) and may be purchased online or by calling the Box Office at 772.778.5249. Tickets at the door are an additional $5.

Former Governor and Senator from Missouri, Kit Bond, will present a special lecture on Wednesday evening, March 27 at 7 p.m. Bond, while in the Senate, was Vice Chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence and a controversial and outspoken Senator who has been in the middle of the national debate over the CIA's interrogation methods. Appropriately, his Emerson Center topic will cover the oversight of the U.S. Intelligence Community as well as other policy issues.

Christopher S. "Kit" Bond, a sixth generation Missourian, is an alumnus of the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University and received a law degree from the University of Virginia. His vast experience spans from practicing law in Washington to D.C. to becoming an Assistant Attorney General under former Senator John Danforth. He was elected State Auditor then chief counsel of Missouri's Consumer Protection Division.

At age 33, Bond became the 47th Governor of the State of Missouri, the youngest Governor the state has ever had. He was re-elected to a second term as Governor in 1980. He later won a seat in the United States Senate; the only Republican to capture a seat previously held by a Democrat and held that post for four successive terms

While serving in the United States Senate, Bond built a reputation as a statesman who advocates for a strong U.S. military, improved care for our nation's veterans and men and women in uniform, an expert in Southeast Asia, and a reformer of our nation's intelligence community. He is also recognized as a national leader in the promotion of plant biotechnology. As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and ranking member of the subcommittee that funds the nation's housing and transportation needs, Bond worked to increase access to safe and affordable housing and improve critical infrastructure in Missouri and across the country.

Advance tickets of $30 may be purchased online or by calling the Box Office at 772.778.5249. Tickets at the door are an additional $5.