Launching Nov. 5, South Florida Symphony Orchestra’s 28th season is named “Juxtapositions.” With a little stretching, the title could also be applied to its founder and dynamic driving force.
Sebrina María Alfonso is a symphony conductor and music director who enjoys fishing and who brews beer in her garage. She’s a woman in a profession dominated by men.
Regardless, it’s a profession that didn’t take long for her to settle on.
“I was going to always be a conductor — since seventh grade,” Alfonso says. Her goal was realized in 1994 as she made her New York debut conducting the American Symphony Orchestra at Lincoln Center. She went on to become the first female conductor of Cuban-American descent invited to lead Cuba’s premier orchestra, the National Orchestra of Cuba.
However, the Key West native’s aspirations lay closer to home. She delivered on her personal mission to bring orchestral music to her hometown by founding the Key West Symphony Orchestra in 1997. The company grew beyond the Conch Republic and was ultimately reimagined as the South Florida Symphony Orchestra.
With Fort Lauderdale as its home base, it has become the region’s largest professional orchestra, serving audiences from Monroe to Broward counties. It has been recognized by the Broward County Cultural Division as a “Major Cultural Institution.”
The conductor’s commitment to exposing young people to classical music is reflected in the Symphony in the Schools program she established, also in 1997, which has gone on to serve over 130,000 students. Similarly, her dedication to diversity is evident in SFSO’s spotlighting of female composers and her championing of inclusivity among students served by the orchestra. In 2022, History Fort Lauderdale recognized Alfonso as one of its Women Trailblazers: Champions of Change Broward County.
SFSO’s Nov. 5 season-opener at The Parker in Fort Lauderdale features a program of Brahms’ First Symphony, Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto No. 1, and pieces by Beethoven and Massenet. Cellist Zuill Bailey is the featured artist.
The conductor, who resides in Fort Lauderdale with her wife, SFSO President and CEO Jacqueline Lorber, kindly set down her baton to answer our standard set of Quote Unquote questions.
Nick Donner for SFSO
SFO Conductor Sebrina María Alfonso. SFSO’s Nov. 5 season-opener at The Parker in Fort Lauderdale features a program of Brahms’ First Symphony, Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto No. 1, and pieces by Beethoven and Massenet.
Aside from the weather, what do you enjoy most about South Florida?
I absolutely love gardening year-round and especially being able to grow so many different tropical fruit trees. That has brought me much joy. A new love is golf and I have been taking classes and lessons for a couple of years now and I LOVE that we can play year-round.
Aside from the weather, what do you dislike most about South Florida?
This is silly … but I do wish we were closer to mountains. I used to spend my summers at the Aspen Music Festival and became an avid hiker and mountain biker and enjoyed trout fishing. I love the mountains in the summer.
Are you a beach person or a pool person?
I love sitting on the beach at sunrise or sunset, but as a born-and-raised Conch, I prefer to be out on the boat fishing, diving or hanging out at sand bars or small islands with friends and family.
When in your life are you or have you been the happiest?
This moment is my happiest time. I feel fulfilled with the accomplishments the South Florida Symphony has achieved, bringing the world’s greatest music ever written to our communities across South Florida. I never took time in the past to pursue other hobbies and projects, and I feel now I can have it all! Watching my step-grandson grow is a new joy. I also have a happy place — brewing beer in my garage. I feel incredibly blessed.
AP
Celia Cruz.
What do you do when you’re stuck in a traffic jam on I-95?
If there is a golf tournament on, I watch it on my mobile phone (if I’m a passenger). Otherwise, I get my phone calls in. I have been known to dance in my car to Celia Cruz while waiting for traffic to move.
What music are you listening to now?
In the summer, I start getting ready for the upcoming season — listening, studying and going over the music we’ll be performing. I’m also already thinking about 2026-27 since we have to plan programs early for grant proposals. That means diving into pieces by Beethoven, Mozart, Sibelius and new works I haven’t done before that I think our audience would enjoy. And for fun, I’ll put on Latin music — or Tom Jones. My mom loves Tom Jones. I grew up with her playing Tom Jones, Engelbert Humperdinck and Caruso on Saturdays while she cleaned.
Are you a fan, and if so, of what?
I have grown up following the Miami Dolphins and have always been a fan — no matter where I lived or how much they lost. I used to wear a Dolphins shirt (No. 21 — my birthday numbers) that was worn by Jim Kiick, running back for the then-undefeated Dolphins.
If you had to choose: Beatles or Stones?
A few years ago, I’d have said the Stones, but after the Symphony’s Classical Mystery Tour where I worked with an excellent Beatles tribute band, I’m now a Beatles fan — hands down — though I still enjoy the Stones.
What are your social media user names?
FB: @sebrina.alfonso123 or @southfloridasymphony / IG: @sfl_symphony
Apple or Android?
Android. Though everyone around me uses an Apple. I just can’t bring myself to change. And now I have a flip phone, which is very convenient.
Who is your real-life hero or heroine?
Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/TNS
John Lewis, a lion of the civil rights movement who went on to a long career in Congress, died on July 17, 2020. He was 80.
John Lewis (‘Good Trouble’).
What car are you driving now?
An electric MINI Cooper.
If you had to choose: ‘Rocky’ or ‘Raging Bull’?
‘Raging Bull’ is just superior to ‘Rocky’ — acting, directing and writing. But ‘Rocky’ is entertaining.
What do you like most about yourself?
I love that I have been granted the talent to have a career in music. It is not work to me. It is life-fulfilling, and I feel the importance of sharing it with as many people as I can.
What places in South Florida do you recommend to guests visiting from out-of-town?
South Florida has great beaches, fishing and nightlife. I encourage visitors to take a break from the sun and take in some of our cultural offerings at one of our partner venues, the Broward Center or The Parker in Fort Lauderdale. They have it all. From Broadway and rock concerts to ballet and classical music, there’s truly something for everyone.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I would have started playing golf sooner. I am obsessed with learning everything there is to learn.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Every day, I just want to feel I have done all I can in that day for myself or someone else. I am proud of my life in music, but more importantly it is the best I can be to make the world a better place. My greatest joy is doing the smallest thing for someone or for an animal that needs my help. I can’t help myself — cats, dogs, raccoons, foxes, birds … if it needs rescuing, there’s a good chance I’m out there trying to figure out a way to do it.