With Fort Lauderdale as its home base, it has become the region\u2019s largest professional orchestra, serving audiences from Monroe to Broward counties. It has been recognized by the Broward County Cultural Division as a \u201cMajor Cultural Institution.\u201d<\/p>\n
The conductor\u2019s 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\u2019s spotlighting of female composers and her championing of inclusivity among students served by the orchestra. In 2022, History Fort Lauderdale<\/a> recognized Alfonso as one of its Women Trailblazers: Champions of Change Broward County.<\/p>\n SFSO\u2019s Nov. 5 season-opener at The Parker<\/a> in Fort Lauderdale features a program of Brahms\u2019 First Symphony, Saint-Sa\u00ebns\u2019 Cello Concerto No. 1, and pieces by Beethoven and Massenet. Cellist Zuill Bailey is the featured artist.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Nick Donner for SFSO<\/p>\n SFO Conductor Sebrina Mar\u00eda Alfonso. SFSO\u2019s Nov. 5 season-opener at The Parker in Fort Lauderdale features a program of Brahms\u2019 First Symphony, Saint-Sa\u00ebns\u2019 Cello Concerto No. 1, and pieces by Beethoven and Massenet.<\/p>\n Aside from the weather, what do you enjoy most about South Florida?\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Aside from the weather, what do you dislike most about South Florida?<\/p>\n This is silly \u2026 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.<\/p>\n Are you a beach person or a pool person?\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n When in your life are you or have you been the happiest?<\/p>\n This moment is my happiest time. I feel fulfilled with the accomplishments the South Florida Symphony has achieved, bringing the world\u2019s 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 \u2014 brewing beer in my garage. I feel incredibly blessed.<\/p>\n AP<\/p>\n Celia Cruz.<\/p>\n What do you do when you\u2019re stuck in a traffic jam on I-95?<\/p>\n If there is a golf tournament on, I watch it on my mobile phone (if I\u2019m 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.<\/p>\n What music are you listening to now?<\/p>\n In the summer, I start getting ready for the upcoming season \u2014 listening, studying and going over the music we\u2019ll be performing. I\u2019m 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\u2019t done before that I think our audience would enjoy. And for fun, I\u2019ll put on Latin music \u2014 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.<\/p>\n Are you a fan, and if so, of what?<\/p>\n I have grown up following the Miami Dolphins and have always been a fan \u2014 no matter where I lived or how much they lost. I used to wear a Dolphins shirt (No. 21 \u2014 my birthday numbers) that was worn by Jim Kiick, running back for the then-undefeated Dolphins.<\/p>\n If you had to choose: Beatles or Stones?\u00a0<\/p>\n A few years ago, I\u2019d have said the Stones, but after the Symphony\u2019s Classical Mystery Tour where I worked with an excellent Beatles tribute band, I\u2019m now a Beatles fan \u2014 hands down \u2014 though I still enjoy the Stones.<\/p>\n What are your social media user names?<\/p>\n FB: @sebrina.alfonso123<\/a> or @southfloridasymphony<\/a> \/ IG: @sfl_symphony<\/a><\/p>\n Apple or Android?<\/p>\n Android. Though everyone around me uses an Apple. I just can\u2019t bring myself to change. And now I have a flip phone, which is very convenient.<\/p>\n Who is your real-life hero or heroine?<\/p>\n Olivier Douliery\/Abaca Press\/TNS<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n John Lewis (\u2018Good Trouble\u2019).<\/p>\n What car are you driving now?<\/p>\n An electric MINI Cooper.<\/p>\n If you had to choose: \u2018Rocky\u2019 or \u2018Raging Bull\u2019?<\/p>\n \u2018Raging Bull\u2019 is just superior to \u2018Rocky\u2019 \u2014 acting, directing and writing. But \u2018Rocky\u2019 is entertaining.<\/p>\n What do you like most about yourself?<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n What places in South Florida do you recommend to guests visiting from out-of-town?<\/p>\n 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\u2019s truly something for everyone.<\/p>\n If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?<\/p>\n I would have started playing golf sooner. I am obsessed with learning everything there is to learn.<\/p>\n What do you consider your greatest achievement?<\/p>\n 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\u2019t help myself \u2014 cats, dogs, raccoons, foxes, birds \u2026 if it needs rescuing, there\u2019s a good chance I\u2019m out there trying to figure out a way to do it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Launching Nov. 5, South Florida Symphony Orchestra\u2019s 28th season is named \u201cJuxtapositions.\u201d With a little stretching, the title…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1650,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[102,249,251,250],"class_list":["post-1649","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fort-lauderdale","tag-city-shore-magazine","tag-fort-lauderdale","tag-fort-lauderdale-headlines","tag-fort-lauderdale-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1649","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1649"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1649\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1649"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1649"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1649"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"SFO](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SFSO-2322-Retouched.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Celia](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/HZSHKSIU2FFGLFZPHH3SLUHWKE.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"John](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/XHQKT2YQHI2VCS3WXMHSIS5P4M.jpg\")
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