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director@florimezzo.org
Jessica Calandra, Clarinet; Executive Director-FloriMezzo, currently teaches Band and Violin at Perkins Elementary Magnet School for the Arts in St. Petersburg, Florida. She received her B.A. in Clarinet Performance from the University of South Florida, and continued her studies at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Her teachers include, Brian Moorhead, Diane Cawein, and Linda Bartley. As an undergraduate, Jessica won an Emerging Artist Grant from the Hillsborough Arts Council to attend "Das Treffen" International Music Festival in Bayreuth, Germany where she performed in chamber music groups with professional musicians, teachers, and adult musicians from all over the world. This experience shaped Jessica's philosophy with regards to music performance and education, and the FloriMezzo founding philosophy. Since founding FloriMezzo in the summer of 2002, Ms. Calandra has served in the capacity of Executive Director to oversee the development, financial operation, marketing, education, and membership outreach for the organization. Under Ms. Calandra's leadership, FloriMezzo has commissioned and premiered new chamber and orchestral works, established partnerships with the Pinellas County Music Teacher's Association and Pinellas County Schools, St. Petersburg College, Hillsborough County Young Composers' Guild, the Sunstate Opera Company, Pinellas County Cultural Affairs “Friends of the Arts”, the Dali Museum, the newly established St. Petersburg Opera Company, the Palladium Theater, and the Mahaffey Theater. On behalf of FloriMezzo, Ms. Calandra has competed and won grants from the City of St. Petersburg, and Pinellas County Cultural Affairs, and is actively seeking support from foundations and corporations in the private sector.
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marksforzini0913@yahoo.com
Mark Sforzini, Bassoon, Artistic Director, FloriMezzo is recognized as a talented emerging conductor and composer. In his various posts, Sforzini conducts a full range of repertoire including standard orchestral repertoire, small chamber ensembles, pops and his greatest passion, opera. His opera-conducting debut was Madame Butterfly in 2005, and Sforzini was Artistic Director and Conductor for productions of The Barber of Seville and Die Fledermaus at the Palladium Theater in 2006. He recently appeared as Artistic Director and Conductor for the Saint Petersburg Opera’s premiere production, La Bohème. Sforzini is also the Artistic Director of FloriMezzo and as such conducts the organization’s Wind Ensemble, Orchestra and Opera Orchestra. A musical leader in the community, Sforzini played a leading role in executing the first-ever Saint Petersburg Chamber Music Festival 2005. Sforzini also served three years as Music Director of the Pinellas Youth Symphony and many years as a composer-mentor for Hillsborough County Schools. Highly sought after as a composer, numerous organizations and individuals have commissioned works by him, and the Florida Orchestra has premiered five of his works. He has most recently accepted a commission to compose a new opera. Sforzini also serves as Artistic Director of the Encore Series at the Palladium. From 1992 - 2007, Scoring held the position of Principal Bassoon with the Florida Orchestra. He has enjoyed soloing frequently with the Florida Orchestra and other ensembles and is an avid performer of chamber music. Mark is a native of Auburn, Alabama and was recently featured in Sports Illustrated’s Fifty Years of Faces in the Crowd for his childhood claim to fame of winning the 1979 World Hula Hoop Championship on the Dinah Shore Show. |
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