Timeless classics meet bold new voices as South Florida Symphony Orchestra (SFSO), led by award-winning music director and multi-generational Key West Conch native Maestra Sebrina María Alfonso, celebrates Black History Month with a standout program. SFSO will present the anticipated Florida premiere of GRAMMY® nominee Nathalie Joachim’s Had to Be, an intimate exploration of memory and identity, performed by rising cellist Seth Parker Woods and the orchestral premiere of Carlos Simon’s Four Black American Dances, a vibrant work filled with spiritual depth. Completing the program, Mozart’s “Haffner” symphony bursts with celebratory energy and elegant precision, while Rimsky-Korsakov’s crowd-pleasing Capriccio espagnol sparkles with irresistible Spanish rhythms on Saturday, February 21, at 7:30 p.m., at the Tennessee Williams Theatre at The College of the Florida Keys (5901 College Road).

“This program brings together voices from different eras, honoring the timeless foundations of classical music while celebrating the remarkable talent creating music today,” said Maestra Alfonso. “As we recognize Black History Month, we showcase fresh voices shaping the sound of now – part of our ongoing commitment to introducing new music to our audiences. The magic of live music is that once it begins, we all become one shared energy. Our differences fall away, and the experience speaks a universal language, inviting us to listen with curiosity and connect – to the music and to each other.”

Haitian American composer Nathalie Joachim’s Had To Be draws on Black Dandyism – a cultural movement blending European and Black American male fashion to convey style, status, and identity – as well as broader African diasporic influences, including Caribbean musical traditions and New Orleans second line celebrations. The three-movement concerto was written for three-time GRAMMY-nominated cellist Seth Parker Woods, described by The Guardian as “a cellist of power and grace” with “mature artistry and willingness to go to the brink.”

“It’s an amalgamation of both beautiful and sweeping Western melodies,” said Woods in a video interview with the New York Philharmonic, where the work premiered in 2024.

Had to Be is positive, prideful, and radical all at once. It represents the perpetually colorful and complex intersections between race, class, gender, power, and style. It honors what it means to be Black and continuously choosing to be free. By coincidence, or perhaps to no surprise, Woods has topped the Best Dressed Lists in Variety, Texas Monthly, and OC Register.

Cellist Seth Parker Woods is a versatile artist and advocate for contemporary music, having premiered numerous concertos written for him, including works by Tyshawn Sorey, Julia Adolphe, and Rebecca Saunders, in addition to Nathalie Joachim’s Had To Be. His GRAMMY-nominated, autobiographical work Difficult Grace has been performed to critical acclaim at major venues including 92NY, CAP UCLA, and the San Diego Symphony. Woods has appeared at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and Konzerthaus Dortmund, among others. Since 2022, he has served on the faculty of USC Thornton School of Music and was appointed Robert Mann Chair in Strings and Chamber Music in 2024. He has also held residencies with the Kaufman Music Center and Seattle Symphony and received the 2022 Chamber Music America Michael Jaffee Visionary Award.

SFSO is also proud to present its orchestral premiere of Four Black American Dances from GRAMMY-nominated African American composer, Carlos Simon, the composer-in-residence for the John F. Kennedy Center.

“Four Black American Dances is an orchestral study of prominent Black American dances. The piece really shows how wide varying the Black American community is throughout history. The Ring Shout derived from enslaved Africans. The second movement, Waltz, is a correlation to wealthy black Americans who were making strides in the 1920s and the Thirties,” said Simon in a video interview with the New York Philharmonic. “This is followed by the third movement, Tap, and concludes with the fourth movement, Holy Dance, which is the joyous dancing that takes place in Black Christian churches.”

Adding to the varied program, SFSO will perform Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Symphony No. 35 “Haffner,” a four-movement vibrant, celebratory symphony written in 1782, to honor Mozart’s friend, Sigmund Haffner, and his rise to nobility in Salzberg.

Concluding the evening is the crowd-pleasing Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio espagnol, based on Spanish folk songs and dances, and filled with vibrant rhythms that whisk audiences off to exotic, far-off places of the imagination.

SFSO’s 28th season of “Juxtapositions” explores beauty in contrasts, where the bold and the sublime intersect, and timeless masterpieces share the stage with today’s most compelling and celebrated musical voices. This season’s performances burst with color and power from the sun-drenches skies of Mendelssohn’s “Italian” to Sibelius’ soul-searching Violin Concerto to Beethoven’s luminous Piano Concerto No. 4 and Dvořák’s Bohemian Eighth.

From sold-out masterworks performances to accompanying today’s musicians such as Natalie Merchant and performing modern musical scores including Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas and Back to the Future, featuring the iconic films screened live with audio and musical accompaniment, South Florida’s largest symphonic orchestra is continuing its journey of excellence inspiring audiences of all ages and musical genres.

SFSO’s Florida Keys Masterworks season of Juxtapositions runs from January through March 2026 at the Tennessee Williams Theatre in Key West. The first concert took place in January, with two remaining in the series.

Tickets are on sale now beginning at $35 (plus ticketing fees) and two concert subscription packages are still available from $59.50. Subscribers receive a 15% discount off single ticket prices. Tickets may be purchased by visiting southfloridasymphony.org or keystix.com or by calling (305) 295-7676.

For additional information, visit southfloridasymphony.org, call (954) 522-8445 or email info@southfloridasymphony.org.

About South Florida Symphony Orchestra (SFSO)
Founded in 1997 in Key West by Music Director Maestra Sebrina María Alfonso, the Fort Lauderdale-based South Florida Symphony Orchestra (SFSO) is celebrating its 28th season. SFSO is dedicated to providing enriching cultural music experiences to residents and visitors in Monroe, Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. Guided by the belief that music is pivotal to thriving communities, SFSO brings vibrancy and engagement with the arts via innovative programming and transformative educational initiatives. A pioneer in its commitment to symphonic music for underserved communities, its Symphony in the Schools program has touched the lives of over 160,000 students since its inception in 1997. SFSO was recently named the first Partner in the Arts for The Parker by the Broward Center for the Performing Arts and has been recognized by the Broward County Cultural Division as a “Major Cultural Institution,” one of only a handful of organizations to be so honored. For a performance schedule and season tickets, call (954) 522-8445 or visit southfloridasymphony.org.