Festival of the Arts Boca crowd totals are more than 15,000 annually at Mizner Park, organizers say. Photo provided
Related: Downtown campus controversy reminds some of Mizner Park’s birth
By Michael Cook
Fresh acts and returning favorites are set to hit the stage at Festival of the Arts Boca, which kicks off Feb. 27 for its 20th season.
From a ballet performance to a screening of Jurassic Park accompanied by a live orchestra, the annual cultural arts festival will run daily through March 8 at the Mizner Park Amphitheater, with a keynote performance or talk each evening. More than 15,000 people attend the festival each year to experience the culture that fills the air.
“Culture is part of life. If you don’t participate in culture, then you’re not really living,” said festival co-founder Wendy Larsen, who launched the event in 2007 with the late Charlie Siemon. Both were visionaries of Mizner Park, helping create a “heart for the downtown.”
Larsen said Festival of the Arts Boca began with a simple vision to turn the city into a “cultural capital,” showcasing world-class performances ranging from classical musicians and ballet dancers to educational talks by authors.
Artists such as violinist Itzhak Perlman have performed at Festival of the Arts Boca. Photo provided
While there are no returning acts from the first festival, Larsen reflected on the inaugural event in 2007, recalling violinist Itzhak Perlman performing with the Russian National Orchestra. Since then, she said the festival has continued to grow with its core focus on the performing arts.
Looking back at the festival’s early days, Joanna Marie Kaye, who has served as executive director since 2014, said it primarily featured classical musicians. She said the festival has branched out over the years, offering contemporary art forms and “pure exhilaration” experiences, such as film screenings with an orchestra playing the score.
Kaye said this year’s most anticipated performances are those of Postmodern Jukebox, which will do live covers of modern hits with a vintage twist on opening night, Feb. 27, and of Broadway singer Patti LuPone, who will close out the festival on March 8.
The festival is not just about performances but includes educational outreach, exposing students to festival artists through master classes and open rehearsals, Kaye said. “In order for the arts to thrive, we need to encourage the next generation to participate and be part of that,” she added.
Another effort is an annual virtual music competition for students. It is open to musicians aged 18 or younger who reside in Broward County or Palm Beach County. In 2021, the festival went fully virtual due to the pandemic. That same year, Kaye said, the festival launched the competition as an educational incentive after students lacked performance opportunities.
The competition has focused on a different instrument each year, with this year’s focus on piano. In 2025, it focused on winds and brass, and the first-place winner was Thomas “Aidan” Gardner, a freshman at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music who submitted a video of himself playing the flute.
As part of winning first place, Gardner this year will perform part of the “A Rhapsodic Evening with Conrad Tao” festival show on March 6. He will join the featured pianist, Tao, who has performed at the festival since 2008, when he was 13.
Gardner said Festival of the Arts Boca exposed him to the music industry and allowed him to network. He said sharing his art with an audience is a form of expression, and he is looking forward to performing with a live orchestra.
“Music has been a way for me to really put myself out there, to let that extroverted side that has kind of been buried shine. There’s something rewarding about it, even just playing with other musicians,” Gardner said.
Festival of the Arts Boca schedule
Feb. 27, 7:30 p.m.: Postmodern Jukebox Returns!
Feb. 28, 7:30 p.m.: ‘Jurassic Park’ with Live Orchestra
March 1, 7 p.m.: From Swan Lake to the Stones: A Night at the Ballet
March 2, 7 p.m.: Doris Kearns Goodwin: The Enduring Significance of the American Revolution
March 3, 7 p.m.: Walter Mosley: The Only True Race is the Human Race
March 4, 7 p.m.: Arthur Caplan: In Defense of Science
March 5, 7 p.m.: Dr. Danielle Gilbert: Life Lessons from Hostage Negotiation
March 6, 7:30 p.m.: A Rhapsodic Evening with Conrad Tao
March 7, 7:30 p.m.: A Third Time for Three concert
March 8, 7 p.m.: Patti LuPone: Matters of the Heart concert
Location: Mizner Park Amphitheater, 590 Plaza Real, Boca Raton
For more information or tickets: Visit festivalboca.org
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