Fall is such a paradoxical season, simultaneously about fresh starts and waning light, new semesters and dying leaves. The fact that in Florida we don’t see much in the way of fall colors or even fall-ish weather till Thanksgiving makes the season more contradictory still — because, you could argue, it doesn’t even exist. (Although I would counter that we get the best of both worlds — perfect fall weather from December through March while the rest of the world is plunged in nuclear winter.)
But if our current temperatures are a long way from brisk, the pace of the arts scene definitely speeds up in September, and carries on without letup through the fall holidays and beyond. I love reading the lists of upcoming events picked by our eagle-eyed arts writers — ample, exhilarating proof for us culture vultures that there is a whole helluva lot to do around here. (And we’re writing about just the next four-and-a-half months — until our Spring Arts Preview.)
With fall ushering in the new arts season, it felt like a good time to revisit our semi-regular feature 25 & Under, celebrating young artists who are making (or about to make) their mark. I received multiple recommendations for this story, unfortunately not all of them in time for full profiles (either because of my own tight schedule or theirs). But I’d be remiss not to mention them, so in addition to the delightful 25 & Unders you’ll meet in the links to the right, keep your eye out for these future bold-face names: visual artists Georgia Hourdas, Christina Humphreys, Ryan Michel, Daniela Mora and Chase Starr; musicians Alyx Abati, Drew Anthony, Infinite Eights, The Cruz Brothers and The Ries Brothers; filmmakers Gabrielle Arnold and Matt Voor; dancers Yorelis Apolinario, Neal Burkes, and Tessa Hartman; actors Joseph Flynn, Tommy Hansana, and Shelby Ronea; director/producer Jordan Rodnizki; composer Evan Lutvak; and lighting designer Ryan Finzelber.
The up-and-comers just keep on coming, and you’ll find them in schools, on stages and in galleries all over Tampa Bay. Teachers and directors like Jared O’Roark, Philip Neal and the faculties at Blake and PCCA are grooming them. We hope they’ll all see the success of the artists we highlight in this issue — including Calvin Royal III, who was on our cover nine years ago and is shining brighter than ever.
