Parents and Families

Renée Fleming joins local researchers and medical professionals to examine and discuss the effects of music and the arts on the brain and human health. World-renowned soprano Fleming is a leading advocate for the study of the powerful connections between the arts and health. Her anthology, Music and Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness, is now available from Viking/Penguin.

How can someone with Alzheimer’s be unable to recognize their own spouse, but perfectly recall songs from decades before? Why can some patients with Parkinson’s disease, unable to rise from a chair or walk through a doorway, accomplish these tasks or even dance, to the sound of a musical beat? In addition to using music to better understand the complex functioning of the brain, researchers have found arts therapies to be effective tools in addressing the effects of an ever-widening array of conditions, not only Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s, but also cardiac failure, stroke, PTSD, chronic pain, and traumatic brain injuries.

Especially compelling is the fact that music, dance, and art therapies are cost-effective, non-pharmaceutical, and non-invasive. Many can be administered in group settings, offering benefits for emotional well-being, and through tele-health, increasing accessibility. With an aging population, the potential implications of this work are immense. And the impact of arts on the developing brains of children shows effects reaching beyond scholastic aptitude to creativity and success throughout life.
New initiatives are launching rapidly, backed by the National Institutes of Health (the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world) as well as major hospitals, universities, and interdisciplinary institutions.

Location: Anne MacGregor Jenkins Recital Hall

Cost: $50.00

Join us for Welcome Home, a concert featuring timeless classics and captivating performances. Enjoy the exhilarating 'Overture to Zampa' and Mozart's 'Sinfonia Concertante,' with special guests as they return to their hometown of Lakeland—Carolyn Wann Bailey, Principal 2nd Violin, Nashville Symphony and Julius Wirth, Principal Viola, National Philharmonic. Then, immerse yourself in Tchaikovsky's emotional 'Symphony no. 4.' Plus, don't miss selections from our talented Beth Mason Young Artist Award recipients. Welcome home to an unforgettable evening of music!   

Location: Branscomb Memorial Auditorium

Cost: $29-$49 per person

AJ Rafael is an accomplished singer/songwriter who has amassed over 1 million subscribers on YouTube and 1 million monthly listeners on Spotify. His debut album “Red Roses” reached the iTunes and Billboard charts, and he has collaborated with artists like Tori Kelly, Jeremy Passion, Kina Grannis, and Kolohe Kai. Rafael was named a Filipino American Game Changer by the City of Los Angeles in 2018 for his contribution to the music industry as a proud Asian American independent artist. 

Location: Branscomb Memorial Auditorium

Cost: Free for FSC Faculty, Staff, and Students. General Admission tickets: $25 child/$50 adult.

A concert of favorite art songs, arias, and American standards celebrating both art and music, sung by mezzo-soprano Jenny Heidtman.

Location: The Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art, Auditorium

Cost: Free Admission, no ticket required.

Experience an exhilarating showcase of classical, contemporary, and innovative dance presented by the talented students of the FSC Dance Program during this year’s annual spring dance concert, FSC|Dance: Kinetic Connections. The first act of this program features a condensed rendition of the charming and humorous ballet "Coppelia," followed by a diverse array of original modern and contemporary choreography crafted by FSC Dance faculty and esteemed guest artists in the second act. Come and be part of this extraordinary performance celebrating the beauty and creativity of dance.

Location: Branscomb Auditorium

Cost: Free for FSC Faculty, Staff, and Students. General Admission tickets: $5 child/$10 adult.

While traveling to an opera conference being held in Las Vegas, a group of opera characters discover that all the hotels have been booked due to a Comic Book Convention. They get together and decide to stay together in a VRBO. Characters such as Carmen, Hansel and Gretel, Fiordiligi, Despina, Dorabella, and Lauretta (and more) all under the same roof! We invite you to discover how well they get along. 

Location: Branscomb Memorial Auditorium

A hard-driving Hollywood agent, her budding screen idol client, a sexy young drifter, and the drifter’s naive, needy girlfriend. The Little Dog Laughed follows the adventures of Mitchell Green, a movie star who could hit big if it weren’t for one teensy-weensy problem. His agent, Diane, can’t seem to keep him in the closet. Trying to help him navigate Hollywood’s choppy waters, the devilish Diane is doing all she can to keep Mitchell away from the cute rent boy who’s caught his eye and the rent boy’s girlfriend (wait, the rent boy has a girlfriend?). Will there be a happy ending as the final credits roll?

THE LITTLE DOG LAUGHED is presented by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, LLC, servicing the Dramatists Play Service collection (www.dramatists.com)

Location: Loca Lee Buckner Theatre

Cost: Free for FSC Faculty, Staff, and Students. General Admission tickets: $10 child/$20 adult.