Brother-sister duo to perform classical concert at Indialantic church

Maria Sonnenberg
For FLORIDA TODAY
Siblings Suliman and Jamila Tekalli, aka the Tekalli Duo, have earned worldwide kudos for the virtuosity with the violin and piano. The pair will perform a classical concert Dec. 14 at Eastminster Presbyterian in Indialantic.

Super siblings

Brother and sister Suliman and Jamila Tekalli, internationally known violinist and pianist, respectively, have talent to spare, and they will prove it when these two American musicians of Japanese and Libyan descent perform at 7 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 14, at a special concert hosted by Eastminster Presbyterian church, 106 N. Riverside Drive, Indialantic.

Sponsored by the Space Coast Symphony, the Tekalli Duo’s Brevard concert will tackle works by Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Corigliano and Mozart, among others. 

Tickets are $20 advance for adults and $25 at the door. Purchase by calling 855-252-7276 or at SpaceCoastSymphony.org. The concert is free for those 18 and younger or with a student ID.

Wine and dine

When Fess Parker was cast as Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone, it changed his life. So, too, did the purchase of 713 acres in the Santa Ynez Valley change the course of the Parker family’s history.

Fess Parker Winery & Vineyard became a labor of love for Parker and his children, and the family continues to be deeply committed in the venture. In recent years, the winery has sharpened its focus to produce more small-lot, vineyard-designated wines made from high-quality Rhone and Burgundian varietals.

The wines of Fess Parker Winery & Vineyard provide the framework for Café Margaux’s seven-course wine dinner at 6:30 p.m., Thursday and Friday, Dec. 7 and 8.

The menu features butternut and brie soup, mixed field greens with goat cheese, golden beets and citrus apple vinaigrette, sole turbans with prawn mousse and black rice risotto, bacon and herb-crusted Kurobuta pork tenderloin with mascarpone-whipped sweet potatoes, phyllo-encased lamb chops with ricotta purple potato, a cheese course of Pecorino Romano and dessert of chocolate bourbon gateau with pumpkin mousse and pecan Chantilly.

Cost is $95 per guest. Reserve by calling 321-639-8343. For the full menu and pairings, see margaux.com.

Café Margaux is at 220 Brevard Ave., Cocoa Village.

Early Christmas gift

Bluegrass, country and gospel fans are getting an early holiday present when the Trinity River Band rolls into town for a concert at 7 p.m., Friday, Dec. 8, at Faith City Church, 5195 S. Washington Ave., Titusville.

The close-knit family of performers with even closer harmony blend seamlessly bluegrass, country and gospel music. The band’s “Come Back Train” single went to No. 1 on Bluegrass charts. Lead singer Sarah Harris has been twice nominated for "Lead Vocalist of the Year" by the International Bluegrass Music Association.

The Titusville concert will include songs from “On a Morning like This,” the group‘s all-Christmas album. 

Tickets are $21. Reserve at 321-222-7797 or JTsBluegrass.com.

Holidays and all that jazz

Dancing, jazz, holiday music and more jazz are in store for the JD Daniel concert hosted by the Space Coast Jazz Society at 2 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 2, at Rockledge Country Club, 1591 S. Fiske Blvd.

Daniels, who spent many years in Los Angeles working as an in-demand recording session musician, has performed, arranged and composed for virtually all types of media, from film, television and video to web content, live shows and video games. 

The multi-talented pianist, composer, producer, arranger, conductor and vocalist will be backed by Charlie DeChant, founding member of the Hall & Oates band. Artist-in-residence of Jazz Studies at Rollins College, Chuck Archard will be on bass along with professional drummer and music teacher Richie Mola.

Tickets are $10 for Jazz Society or Country Club members, $15 for guests and free for students. Pay at the door. 

For more information, call 321-960-4897 or visit SpaceCoastJazzSociety.org.

A Baroque Christmas.

The Brevard Community Chorus goes for “Christmas Baroque: From Venice to Versailles,” at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 9, on the main stage of the King Center for the Performing Arts at 3865 N. Wickham Road, Melbourne.

Under the direction of Dr. Robert Lamb and accompanied by select players from the Brevard Symphony Orchestra, the 125-member chorus will perform a holiday concert of baroque works by Antonio Vivaldi and Marc-Antoine Charpentier. Sopranos Beth Green and Tee Rockwell, mezzo-soprano Eliza Dopira, tenor Norton Christenson and bass Sean Christopher Stork join in as soloists. 

Tickets are $20 for general admission, $15 for seniors and active military and $5 for children or college students with valid student identification.  To purchase, visit the King Center box office or call 321- 242-2219.

Holidays for the horsey set

Harmony Farms’ excellent steeds and the folks who love them welcome guests to “Blizzard at the Barn,” the nonprofit therapeutic riding facility’s annual holiday extravaganza. From 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 10, families can enjoy pony rides, kids’ games and vendors of unique holiday gift, crafts and food, plus meet the Harmony Horses.

Admission is free. Harmony Farms is at 2205 Pluckebaum Road, Cocoa.

For more information, call 321-631-9433 or visit HarmonyFarmsInc.com.

Markstein Quartet

Take a break from the shopping and relax at the Catherine Schweinsberg Rood Central Library in Cocoa as you listen to the Markstein Quartet’s “Holidays with the Marksteins” at 3 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 10.

The free concert of pop and classical holiday-themed music, performed in the intimate setting of the library, is pure therapy from holiday bustling. 
  
Central Library is at 308 Forrest Ave., Cocoa. For more information, call 321-633-1792. 

Pancake breakfast 

Merritt Island Airport Pilots’ 23rd annual Pancake Breakfast will benefit the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots campaign. 

Breakfast will be served from 8:30 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 9, at the airport at 900 Airport Rd. off S. Courtenay Blvd.

Drive, walk, bike, swim or fly in with a new unwrapped toy and you will receive a hearty breakfast of pancakes, sausages, orange juice and coffee.

For more information, call 321-266-7410.

Holiday potluck

Freedom 7 Senior Community Center, 5000 Tom Warriner Blvd., Cocoa Beach, invites the community to ring in the season at its Holiday Potluck and Open House at 11 a.m., Monday, Dec. 11. Bring a dish or favorite treat to share if you like and learn about all the Community Center has to offer.

Dinner, drama and discussion

Enjoy dinner and a show, plus discussion, during the “Dinner, Drama & Discussion” series to be presented at 5:30 p.m., Dec. 13 and 20 by actors from Advent Lutheran Church, 7550 N. Wickham Road, Suntree. 

A free dinner precedes one-act original dramas authored by Advent’s Pastor David Jahn. An open discussion and brief closing worship follow the plays.

Reservations are requested. Dinner reservations can be made through AdventBrevard.org.

For more information, call 321-259-8515.

Advent is also hosting free mini-concerts at noon Dec. 13 and 20 that showcase the church’s 2,196-pipe Schlueter organ. Josiah Armes, associate organist at Saint Andrews Chapel in Sanford, is guest organist Dec. 13, and on Dec. 20, six members of the American Guild of Organists are featured. 

The mini-concerts are free. For more information, call 321-426-9378 or visit AdventBrevard.org.

Email toastofthecoastfloridatoday@gmail.com.