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Southernmost Symphony
Destinations · April 18, 2002

It's less than 48 hours before a performance of Leonard Bernstein's "Serenade" and the piece just isn't coming together.

The conductor, Sebrina Maria Alfonso, drops her hands after a few measures. "Pay attention to pitch," she says to no one in particular. She glances at her solo violist, Robert McDuffie, to see if he's ready to continue. He nods.

Alfonso raises her baton. "Again. And …"

But wait, this isn't a symphonic concert hall. It's a 478-seat theater on a community college campus. Not only that, but Alfonso and her orchestra are dressed casually - far too relaxed even for a rehearsal. She's wearing a short-sleeved shirt and sweatpants, and the musicians are clad in shorts and T-shirts.

Come to think of it, something doesn't feel right, either. It's humid in here. Almost … tropical.

Welcome to the Southernmost City's newest cultural attraction, the Key West Symphony Orchestra. Although this group looks as laid back as the island itself, its sound - and purpose - is anything but slipshod. By showtime on Friday evening, The Tennessee Williams Fine Arts Center will resonate with the orchestra's sweet strings and its round, contained brass. McDuffie and the other musicians will make a complex piece like "Serenade" seem effortless.

Alfonso, a Key West native and an alumnae of Baltimore's prestigious Peabody Conservatory, is on a mission to bring high culture to an island better known as Margaritaville. She's doing it with four weeks worth of concerts, children's performances, workshops and one-on-one lessons for aspiring musicians.

"There's an arts culture here in Key West and it's growing," she says. "Our goal is to nurture it through performances and education."

But perhaps her most daunting task is pulling together an orchestra of 71, many of whom have never worked together, into a coherent group within just a few days and creating what some have described as "the ultimate pick-up band."

"We come from everywhere," says principal cellist Debbie Sepe of Brooklyn, N.Y. "There are always new people at the beginning of the week. But by the end, there's a meld, and a consistent sound. It's really remarkable."

Playing for the symphony isn't all work, though. During their week of rehearsals, orchestra members get plenty of free time to go shopping on Duval Street, dive, fish or relax on the beach. The musicians don't exactly think of their limited engagement as a vacation. But, as one member put it, "it's fun work."

Now in its fourth season, the Key West Symphony Orchestra is starting to hit its stride, musically speaking. This season features a mix of crowdpleasers and artistically challenging selections. There are favorites like Mozart's "Overture to Cosi Fan Tutte" and Dvoräk's symphony "From the New World." And there are pieces that you wouldn't expect from the Southernmost Symphony: works such as Bernstein's "Serenade" and pianist-composer Joan Tower's 1981 piece "Sequoia."

"We're giving visitors an opportunity to be inspired," says the orchestra's managing director, Ken Wood.

It helps that Key West has been able to attract first-rate soloists to its performances- Grammy-winning guitarist Sharon Isbin, pianist Andrew Armstrong and violinist McDuffie, for example. It also helps that the orchestra's home is on a tropical island, which in itself is inspiring. Try starting a symphonic orchestra in any other town with a population of 28,000, and good luck.

"Key West is becoming a cultural destination, thanks to the symphony," says Ken Domanski, a member of the symphony's board, sitting on a bench outside the theater. Inside, Alfonso is fine-tuning "Serenade" before their first performance. A few more times through and they'll get it.

"But this is also special," he adds. "I mean, where else can you go from diving on a reef one afternoon to going to a symphony concert in the evening? I can't think of any other place."

Catching the Key West Sound

Even though the Key West Symphony Orchestra is one of the newest symphonies in the United States, relatively speaking, many of its concerts are sold out well in advance. Your best chance of getting tickets is to visit the island for one of its holiday performances late November and early December.

Getting there: Key West is accessible by air and served by several major airlines, including Delta Air Lines and American Airlines. However, it is often less expensive to fly into Miami or Fort Lauderdale. Driving time from Miami is about five hours, but it's one of the most picturesque road trips in North America and well worth it.

Details: For more information on the Key West Symphony Orchestra, you can visit its Web site or call (305) 292-1774. Concerts take place at the Tennessee Williams Fine Arts Center on the campus of Florida Keys Community College.

Cost: Tickets for individual performances start at $45 per concert; season tickets start at $135. For details, call the box office at the Tennessee Williams Fine Arts Center at (305) 296-1520.

Where to stay: If you're coming to Key West for the culture then there's only one place to spend the night - the historic Wyndham Casa Marina Resort (305) 296-3535. The property, built in the 1920s, reminds visitors of a time when Key West wasn't known for its raucous Fantasy Fest Parade or Biker Week. A time when guests may well have preferred classical music over Jimmy Buffett tunes.

Christopher Elliott is a travel commentator based in Key Largo, Fla.