Preview Vero Beach’s Bustling Cultural Season

Treble in Paradise

Music is one of the great joys of life. Here in Vero Beach, we are blessed to experience the talents of multiple orchestras, both local and visiting, as they perform a score or more of concerts for our listening pleasure.

Each season, the Atlantic Classical Orchestra presents four Masterworks concerts in Vero Beach. Look forward to “Stage & Screen,” “Dreams & Nightmares,” “Communion & Combustion,” and “Rhythm & Ritual.” The ACO also partners with Vero Beach Museum of Art for the Chamber Music Series, abbreviated this season due to the museum’s construction process. 

Between January and March, the Indian River Symphonic Association will welcome orchestras from as near as Orlando and Palm Beach, as far away as Great Britain and Switzerland, and a place somewhere in between: Cleveland, whose 108-year-old orchestra has long been hailed as one of the top five in the United States. Illustrious guest soloists including violinist Midori, pianist Conrad Tao, and cellist Julian Schwarz will visit Vero Beach, thanks to the IRSA. 

Led by Aaron Collins, the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra has an impressively long and diversified season in which selections from stage, screen, and jazz figure prominently. The orchestra, which performs in both Brevard County and Vero Beach, strives to make symphonic music accessible to everyone, offering children’s programs and flexible ticket pricing as part of its mission. 

As it approaches its 20th year, the Vero Beach Chamber Orchestra is expanding its offerings, with four performances planned for the 2026–27 season—and they are all free to attend. Music lovers can expect a strings concert, two full ensemble concerts, and possibly a pops concert. 

Q&A with David Amado

The Atlantic Classical Orchestra is thriving under the proverbial baton—he rarely uses one—of artistic director David Amado. We asked him about his decade with the ACO and his dreams for its future.

In your decade with the ACO, what has struck you as special about this orchestra and about the Treasure Coast?

Ten years ago, I expected to find a good orchestra. I don’t think I was expecting to find a community. We often talk as though musicians play and audiences attend; I don’t think that’s quite true. A concert is a shared act. Yes, the orchestra makes the sound—but without ears, minds, and hearts to receive it, the performance is incomplete.

What has always stood out to me on the Treasure Coast is the community’s warmth, curiosity, and willingness to engage. People come not simply to be entertained but to listen, think, feel, and participate in something larger than themselves. That is rarer than many people realize, and it has been one of the great privileges of my time with the ACO.

What is your most embarrassing moment from that decade?

This one is easy. It came early in my tenure.

Our schedule typically places the dress rehearsal on the afternoon of the opening concert in Vero Beach. I arrived at the Community Church with all of my concert clothes, we had a good rehearsal, and I even had time for a bit of dinner afterward. Then I went to change.

Somewhere between my hotel in Palm Beach and the church, my tuxedo pants had vanished. After a brief period of panic, a patron came to the rescue. While it would have made for an even better story had he simply disrobed on the spot and handed me his trousers, he instead drove home, found an old tuxedo, and returned with its pants. They did not fit especially well, but they were considerably better than the prospect of conducting in my boxers. To this day, I have no idea what became of my original pair.

How do you decide on the programs for each season?

Programming is a balancing act. I want audiences to encounter music they love, but I also want them to discover something they didn’t know they would love. It is also the art of creating context—framing works in ways that make the familiar feel fresh and the new feel approachable.

Every program begins with a question: what conversation do these pieces have with one another? And, by extension, what conversations can we have with them? Sometimes the connections are historical, sometimes emotional, sometimes purely musical. My job is to create an experience that feels coherent and meaningful rather than simply assembling a collection of works.

At the same time, programming involves practical realities. We have to consider budgets, orchestra size, guest artists, and audience interests. The challenge—and the joy—is finding the place where artistic curiosity, musical excellence, and community engagement meet.

Do you ever have moments of amazement at the fact that orchestra instruments—mere assemblies of wood and metal—touch the human mind and heart in sublime ways when brought together in the hands of the musicians?

Artists work with ordinary materials. Ink. Paint. Words. Clay. Stone. Space. Sound. The raw materials themselves are unremarkable. Art is what we do with them. Yes, our sounds are made with wood and metal. The science behind them is knowable. We understand vibration, resonance, and acoustics. But those sounds are made by artists—people with stories, pasts, loves, hopes, and pain. They each bring their lives into the sounds they create. Those sounds can bring tears, evoke a forgotten memory, recall a first love, or allow us to see the world anew. Even after all these years, I never quite get used to that. The mechanism may be ordinary, but the result remains miraculous.

This past spring, Janet and Robert Hoffman made a $1 million donation that you described as a vote of confidence in the orchestra and its future. Can you share some of your hopes and goals for the ACO?

A gift like this is transformative. Of course, it allows us to pursue deeper artistic ambitions and continue attracting outstanding musicians, but its greatest value is what it makes possible for the community. It gives us the ability to reach more people, expand educational initiatives, and deepen our engagement. It allows us to think not only about the next concert, but about the long-term role the orchestra can play in the cultural life of our region. My hope is that we continue on our path toward becoming an indispensable part of the Treasure Coast—a place where great music is not simply presented, but where connection, learning, and community are strengthened through the arts.

Optical Fusion

Residents and visitors alike enjoy feasting their eyes on the generous serving of visual arts on the menu in Vero Beach.

On November 21, Vero Beach Museum of Art will launch “Hokusai, Hiroshige, Hasui: Japanese Landscapes in Print,” its grand finale exhibition before closing February 15 for construction. Museum staff will focus on educational programming and outreach as the anticipation builds for the grand opening of the beautiful and innovative new VBMA in 2028. 

As lively as ever after 90 years, the Vero Beach Art Club serves both artists and the community at large with classes, workshops, exhibitions, and art festivals. Next month, it’s the Fall Fine Arts Festival, and the 76th incarnation of the legendary Under the Oaks event will take place March 12–14, 2027. 

In celebration of the 25th anniversary of its reopening, McKee Botanical Garden will welcome a collection of bronze animal sculptures by renowned public art creators Gillie and Marc. The installation will open this month and remain through 2027. This season will also include a seven-month display by public art studio Graphic Rewilding—all this in addition to the garden’s regular Jungle Lights extravaganza, Motor Car Exhibition, and other offerings. 

Grace is the Word

Part athletic endeavor, part performance art, part storytelling, dance brings a dynamic beauty to the cultural landscape of Vero Beach.

Ballet Vero Beach will be busy this season with some two dozen performances. And the company celebrates a major milestone this year: the 50th birthday of ballet master Camilo A. Rodriguez, whose dance virtuosity, choreography, and instruction have helped shape BVB. Beyond the stage, the company engages in many collaborative efforts with local schools and nonprofits. 

Q&A with Toni Lemoine

Toni Lemoine is an opera dynamo. In addition to serving on Vero Beach Opera’s board, she works on the costumes for its productions and takes opera into local elementary schools through its Class Act program. She has offered us a glimpse into her operatic endeavors.

How long have you been involved with VBO? What is it about opera that draws you?

I’ve been with VBO since 2013, when I moved to Florida. Music, especially classical, has been a major part of my life since I was very young. In sixth grade, I discovered an abbreviated version of Hansel and Gretel at the back of my music book. I took it home for the summer, learned the songs, taught the neighborhood kids, and put on a performance. It was a great experience for all of us, and I was hooked—more behind the scenes than on the stage. I went on to do many musical productions on the small island I called home for almost 40 years. The magic of opera, the intense drama, and the interactions between singers is gripping. No matter how many times I see Butterfly or Bohème, I can’t help but cry.

Can you share a bit about VBO’s costuming?

For a few years we constructed costumes ourselves, visiting many thrift stores for basics. Later, we began renting costumes for major roles, and later others for the more intricate operas. Despite our careful measurements and instructions, alterations are often needed, which we carefully execute in order to un-alter them after the performance. We begin the process as soon as we know what opera will be performed.

From a costume perspective, what is your favorite opera?

The splendor of Madama Butterfly will probably always top my list. To understand how to fashion and wear a traditional kimono, we visited the store in Epcot’s Japan, where they very patiently taught us the intricacies of both men’s and women’s garb. I came to appreciate the detail and practicality of their dress.

Can you tell us a little bit about the Class Act program?

The mission is to introduce youngsters to the art form, some terminology, and proper etiquette at a performance. There is also an element of geography and history as we delve into the setting and the composer. Studying The Magic Flute, a German woman taught them several words and sang various German songs, which they totally enjoyed. We generally show little snippets of the opera we’re studying to acquaint them with the major arias and staging. They are often intrigued by the difference in familiar stories with the opera version. And I will sometimes show various interpretations of the same opera to explain the artistic license that is used in the productions.

Have you found that opera can bring out qualities and skills children didn’t know they had?

What I have learned has sometimes stunned me. Many of our students have never been exposed to any stage performances, let alone acting in one. Acting out little scenes from an opera has made such an impact on some students that they have gone on to join summer drama classes at Riverside or the Theatre Guild.

One memorable class included a behaviorally challenged special needs student who was kept at the back of the class with an aide attempting to keep the child from disrupting the class. Miraculously, by the end of the eight-week session, that same child was sitting with the rest of the class, asking pertinent questions, and volunteering answers. I believe every adult was stunned at the transformation. It was a magical moment which reduced me to tears and which I will never forget.

Aria Ready?

Our community is full of people who love vocal music; thus, we have a robust and growing circle of opera lovers, and our choral ensembles pack their venues, bringing joy to many.

This season, the Vero Beach Opera looks forward to producing Puccini’s Tosca, holding its annual Rising Stars competition, and presenting the 2027 iteration of the Opera Showcase Concert. 

The vibrant Treasure Coast Chorale, led by Michael Carter, is celebrating its 25th anniversary! This season’s theme will be meaningful milestones, culminating in a May 2027 program called “Here Comes the Bride–Again,” during which English royal wedding music will be featured, and Michael and Patti Carter will renew their vows on the occasion of their 50th anniversary.

Headed up by Jacob Craig, the Vero Beach Choral Society will delight audiences with a moving Christmas concert including Dan Forrest’s 2019 arrangement of “Silent Night,” as well as a spring performance of Forrest’s expansive Creation with full orchestra.

Now You’re Talking!

Engaging lectures and literary events play a key role in Vero’s cultural scene, keeping us stimulated with informative and thought-provoking programs.

Vero Beach’s longest continuously running lecture series, Riverside Theatre’s Distinguished Lecturer Series, will welcome four illustrious guest speakers this season: journalist and best-selling author Douglas Murray; businessman and former Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin; political commentator, author, and former White House press secretary Dana Perino; and physician, cancer researcher, and author David Agus.

Each season, Vero Beach Museum of Art’s International Lecture Series presents speakers whose topics coincide with the museum’s current major exhibition. This fall and winter, art professor Noriko Murai, curator Andreas Marks, and author Pico Iyer will delve into subjects connected to “Hokusai, Hiroshige, Hasui: Japanese Landscapes in Print.”         

At this moment, the Laura (Riding) Jackson Foundation is preparing to kick off the season in a few weeks with the Local Author Book Festival, to be held, appropriately, outdoors at the venerable half-century-old Vero Beach Book Center. The event will include a celebration of the release of a new book from LRJF Press. Then, of course, the always-popular Poetry and Barbecue event will take place in the spring.

Making the Scene

Theater is a popular pastime in Vero Beach; and why not? For decades, both professional and volunteer thespians have thrilled audiences with top-notch productions.

Between its Stark Main Stage and more intimate Waxlax Stage, Riverside Theatre is planning four musicals and two plays. Theatergoers can look forward to My Vaudeville Man, based on the life of Jack Donahue; Clue: A Murder Mystery; Hairspray: The Musical; and more. Riverside also offers children’s programming, comedy, live music, and backstage tours.

Season 69 at the Vero Beach Theatre Guild is already underway, with four main stage shows left: Come from Away, A Christmas Carol: The Musical, Mame, and Noises Off. And if your theatrical ambitions extend beyond the spectator seats, you’ll want to look into the guild’s classes and auditions.