A Voice for Chagas Bringing Awareness to a Neglected Tropical Disease in Florida 2/12/25

A Voice for Chagas Bringing Awareness to a Neglected Tropical Disease in Florida
Wednesday, 02/12/2025-02/12/2025, 09:30 am-11:30 am
First Floor Collaboration Space, Louis Calder Memorial Library
1601 Northwest 10th Avenue,
Miami, Florida, 33136
Website
Cost: free

Join us for a presentation and panel discussion with Florida medical experts on the complexities of Chagas disease, highlighted in Daisy Hernández’s “The Kissing Bug: A True Story of a Family, an Insect, and a Nation’s Neglect of a Deadly Disease,” the 2024-2025 One Book, One U selection for the University of Miami.

FEATURING PRESENTATIONS BY

Norman L. Beatty, M.D., FACP
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Infectious Diseases, University of Florida College of Medicine
“Introduction to Chagas Disease” and “Chagas Disease in Florida and Next Steps”

Ivan Alberto Gonzalez, M.D.
Associate Professor of Clinical, Pediatric Infectious Disease, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
“Chagas Disease in Pediatrics”

Julia Bini Viotti, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine, Infectious Diseases, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
“Chagas Disease in Solid Organ Transplantation”

AND A PANEL DISCUSSION MODERATED BY

Jose F. Rodriguez
Director of Access Services and Learning Commons, University of Miami Libraries

Paws Patio™: Puppy Love Valentine’s 2/12/25

Paws Patio™: Puppy Love Valentine’s
Wednesday, 02/12/2025-, 05:00 pm-
InterContinental Miami
100 Chopin Plaza,
Miami, Florida, 33131
Website
Cost:

On Wednesday, February 12 treat your pup to a special edition of Paws Patio™ as InterContinental Miami hosts Puppy Love Valentine’s event hosted by MyAlfieDoodle, Rescue Paws (501c3) and Tito’s Vodka. Celebrate love with your four-legged friends on the Bayside Terrace from 5PM to 7PM, where dogs are encouraged to mix and mingle and perhaps find a Valentine. The tail-waggin’ good time includes a variety of local vendors, music, free pup cups, one complimentary Tito’s Vodka Cocktail and more fun surprises.

South Florida Symphony Orchestra Presents Don Juan | Strauss & Berlioz 2/12/25

South Florida Symphony Orchestra Presents Don Juan | Strauss & Berlioz
Wednesday, 02/12/2025-, 07:30 pm-09:30 pm
The Parker
707 NE 8th Street,
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 33304
Website
Cost: Tickets start at $25

Celebrate love in all its dramatic, poetic, erotic, scandalous and insatiable forms as South Florida Symphony Orchestra (SFSO) presents an adventurous Valentine’s Day program featuring three orchestra premieres, headlined by the return of R. Strauss’ Don Juan. Led by SFSO’s award-winning music director Sebrina María Alfonso and featuring soprano Amy Shoremount-Obra, the concert will take place on Wednesday, February 12, at The Parker in Fort Lauderdale. A pre-concert chat with Dr. Alan Mason will take place 30 minutes before the show featuring in-depth conversation and insights about the work and composer.

Don Juan is a swashbuckling escapade that both scandalized and delighted audiences with its eroticism and ultra-modern style when it premiered in 1889, cementing Richard Strauss’ (1864-1949) fame as the genius of his generation, making him a favorite among musical modernists. Meanwhile, his Four Last Songs, a SFSO premiere featuring soprano Amy Shoremount-Obra, is a touchingly beautiful and serene masterpiece, bidding farewell to an illustrious career.

Top Prize Winner of the 2018 Gerda Lissner Foundation International Vocal Competition Wagner Division, soprano Amy Shoremount-Obra has garnered major attention for her work on the operatic and concert stage. She made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2005 as a soloist in Brahms’ Requiem with The Juilliard Orchestra under the baton of the late James DePreist, her Metropolitan Opera debut in 2014 as “First Lady” in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, singing all nine performances of the opera, three of which were Sirius XM Satellite Broadcasts and David Geffen Hall in Lincoln Center debut as a soloist in Verdi’s Requiem with the National Chorale. In 2018, she made her debut with the Orquesta Filarmónica del Estado de Chihuahua in Mexico in a solo concert of arias from Il Trovatore, Nabucco, Tannhäuser, and Turandot. Ms. Shoremount-Obra made her European Operatic debut in 2004 as “Ifigenia” in Handel’s Oreste at the Spoleto Festival, Italy. She has performed numerous operatic roles with a variety of operas and performance groups including Opera Grand Rapids, The American Symphony Orchestra, the LA Philharmonic, Grand Harmonie in Princeton, NJ, Odyssey Opera of Boston, Maryland Opera in Baltimore, New York Philharmonic and more. A champion of new music, Shoremount-Obra has premiered/collaborated with some of today’s most popular and notable composers including Tarik O’Regan, Dan Visconti, John Zorn, and Paola Prestini. She is a 2004 New York Regional Winner and National Semi-Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. She has also won numerous awards from other organizations, including the Richard F. Gold Career Grant from the Shoshana Foundation and has since been supported with supplemental grants from the same foundation. She is the 2016 winner of the Ursula Springer Award from the Wagner Society of New York and together with pianist Christopher Cooley, the 2019 Second Prize Winner in the Joy In Singing International Art Song Competition.

The program also features SFSO’s premiere of Austrian composer Johann Strauss II’s (1825-1899) The Blue Danube, the world’s most famous waltz. Originally written as a choral piece for the Vienna Men’s Choral Association, Strauss adapted it for orchestra soon after it debuted. Epitomizing the symphonic richness and variety of Strauss’s dance music, it ultimately earned him acclaim as the “waltz king,” and has become the best-known of his many dance pieces.

SFSO’s premiere of Hector Berlioz’s (1803-1869) tumultuous “King Lear Overture” (Le roi Lear), perhaps his grandest, most dramatic and atmospheric overture, recounts the dark Shakespearean tragedy of man and a kingdom divided by love and politics.

Now in its 27th season celebrating Icons & Rebels, SFSO invites audiences to tantalizing upcoming works by Mozart, Berlioz, Prokofiev and Bruckner.

From sold-out masterworks performances to accompanying today’s musicians such as Natalie Merchant and performing modern musical scores, South Florida’s largest symphonic orchestra is continuing its journey of excellence inspiring audiences of all ages and musical genres. This season’s popular collaborations included performances of ARRIVAL From Sweden: The Music of ABBA and Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, featuring the iconic film screened live with audio and musical accompaniment.

Tickets for this Masterworks III program are on sale now beginning at $25. For the February 12 concert, buy tickets online at southfloridasymphony.org; by phone at (954) 462-0222; or in person at The Parker or at Broward Center’s AutoNation Box Office. For additional information, visit southfloridasymphony.org, call (954) 522-8445 or email info@southfloridasymphony.org.

Guy Harvey Meet-and-Greet at MIBS 2025 2/12/25, 2/13/25, 2/14/25, 2/15/25, 2/16/25

Guy Harvey Meet-and-Greet at MIBS 2025
Wednesday, 02/12/2025-02/16/2025, 01:00 pm-04:00 pm
Miami Beach Convention Center
1901 Convention Ctr Dr,
Miami Beach, Florida, 33139
Website
Cost: $78

Guy Harvey, Ph.D., world-renowned artist, scientist, conservationist, and entrepreneur, will be on-site at the 2025 Discover Boating Miami International Boat Show for meet-and-greets, photo opportunities, and signings. Guy Harvey’s art is featured on the show’s official souvenir merchandise and will be sold exclusively at the Guy Harvey booth #MB6002, alongside a wide selection of Guy Harvey apparel, artwork, accessories, and gift items.

As an additional treat for those waiting in line to meet Guy, a VR headset activation will be available at the booth, offering guests an immersive virtual glimpse into the locations and environments where the Guy Harvey Foundation has conducted research. Through the magic of virtual reality, attendees will be able to explore captivating destinations such as the Nassau Grouper spawning aggregation in Little Cayman, Stingray City in Grand Cayman, and the Florida Everglades.

A portion of proceeds from sales of all Guy Harvey apparel and merchandise at the store and online benefit ocean research, education and conservation initiatives through the Guy Harvey Foundation (GHF). The non-profit organization is dedicated to saving the seas, supporting groundbreaking research and helping foster the next generation of ocean conservationists.
For the latest on all things Guy Harvey, visit www.GuyHarvey.com.

The Blue Angels at the AutoNation® IMAX® 3D Theater at the Museum of Discovery and Science 1/17/25 – 6/1/25

The Blue Angels at the AutoNation® IMAX® 3D Theater at the Museum of Discovery and Science
Sunday, 01/17/2025-, 12:00 pm-
Museum of Discovery and Science
401 SW 2nd St,
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 33313
Website
Cost: included with Museum Admission. MODS Members and children under 1 – Free Florida Residents Discovery Pass: Child (1-12) – $19; Adults $25; Military $22; Senior (65+) $23 Non-Members Discovery Pass: Child (1-12) $23; Adult $28; Military $25; Senior (65+) $26

The Blue Angels have been enthralling spectators across the country and around the globe for more than 75 years. Now, IMAX Entertainment proudly presents a thrilling new abridged version of the documentary The Blue Angels taking audiences soaring with the Navy’s elite Flight Demonstration Squadron as never before. Opening January 17 at the AutoNation® IMAX® 3D Theater at the Museum of Discovery and Science, the Filmed For IMAX® immersive footage puts viewers directly into the cockpit for a firsthand view of the Blue Angels’ precision flying, while the aerial shots deliver a spectacular showcase of the breathtaking maneuvers that have made them the world’s premier jet team.
The Blue Angels also takes audiences behind-the-scenes for a revealing, in-depth look at what it takes to become a Blue Angel – from the careful selection process to the challenging training regimen, and on through the demanding eight-month show season.
The filmmakers behind The Blue Angels were granted unprecedented access – on the ground and in the air – to invite audiences along, from the first days of rigorous training through to the final show and the passing of the torch to a new team. But even as the documentary lifts the veil of the Blue Angels mystique, it only magnifies the magic.
The film is a fitting tribute to the extraordinary teamwork, passion and pride of the hundreds of outstanding men and women of the Navy and Marine Corps who have had the honor to serve in the Blue Angels squadron…past and present.
The Blue Angels was directed by Paul Crowder and produced by Glen Powell, Sean Stuart, Glen Zipper, Mark Monroe, J.J. Abrams and Hannah Minghella. John Turner, Bill O’Dowd, Emerson Davis, Rob Stone and Greg Wooldridge served as executive producers, with Maren Domzalski and Bridget Topp co-producing.
The Blue Angels is a Bad Robot, Zipper Bros Films, IMAX Entertainment and Dolphin Films Production, in association with Amazon MGM Studios, Sutter Road Picture Company, Diamond Docs and Barnstorm Productions. The film runs 45 minutes.
The AutoNation® IMAX® Theater at the Museum of Discovery and Science is located at 401 SW 2nd Street in Fort Lauderdale. The Blue Angels is included in the MODS Discovery Pass, an all-in-one ticket that includes Museum exhibitions, live science demonstrations and one IMAX documentary film.

For tickets, please visit mods.org/tickets and for showtimes, please visit mods.org/showtimes.

Celia Cruz: Work Exhibition 1/15/25 – 2/15/25

Celia Cruz: Work Exhibition
Wednesday, 01/15/2025-02/15/2025, 11:00 am-05:00 pm
Art Gallery MDC Hialeah Campus
1776 W. 49th Street,
Hialeah, Florida, 33012
Website
Cost: Free

Celia Cruz: Work

Born in 1925 in Havana, Cuba, Celia Cruz left her birth country in 1960. Already performing and making her name with the band La Sonora Matancera, Celia Cruz became one of the most highly regarded singers, performing from Caracas to London and beyond. Known as La Guarachera de Cuba and heralded for her bold, emotional performances, Cruz embraced her Cuban heritage. She once stated, “In exile, I have learned to be Cuban in a way that might not have been possible if I had stayed in Cuba. I think being an exile has taught me to love my country even more.” Featuring photographs, video footage, posters, wigs and dresses, Celia Cruz: Work recognizes Cruz’s labor and her tireless commitment to her audiences who she loved to make “dance until dawn.” In 2025, we honor Cruz as well as the centennial of Hialeah and the Freedom Tower. In doing so, we celebrate our collective history and an extraordinary performer whose music plays a pivotal role in the soundtrack of Miami, the Caribbean, and the world at large.

Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum: The Exhibit at Museum of Discovery and Science 1/17/25 – 5/11/25

Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum: The Exhibit at Museum of Discovery and Science
Sunday, 01/17/2025-, 10:00 am-05:00 pm
Museum of Discovery and Science
401 SW 2nd St,
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 33313
Website
Cost: included with Museum Admission: MODS Members and children under 1 – Free; Florida Residents Discovery Pass: Child (1-12) – $19; Adults $25; Military $22; Senior (65+) $23 Non-Members Discovery Pass: Child (1-12) $23; Adult $28; Military $25; Senior (65+) $26

Travel back in time and unravel the secrets of world-famous heroes with Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum: The Exhibit, presented locally by Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital and Florida Prepaid College Savings Plans, from January 17 – May 11, 2025, at the Museum of Discovery and Science (MODS). This new exhibit brings to life the acclaimed PBS KIDS® TV series, Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum, which follows kid adventurers Xavier Riddle, his little sister Yadina, and best friend Brad as they tackle everyday problems by doing something extraordinary: traveling back in time to learn from real-life inspirational figures when they were kids.

To celebrate the arrival of this exhibit based on the beloved public television series, MODS is partnering with area attractions to inspire future learning with a fun and fulfilling twist.

In Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum: The Exhibit, families and young adventurers will sneak through a hidden passage to the Secret Museum and use a hologram to unlock three different times in history to meet inspirational heroes. Uncover a dinosaur skeleton with paleontologist Mary Anning, explore a secret garden with botanist George Washington Carver and look at x-rays with chemist Marie Curie. In the Hall of Heroes, learn the traits of a hero and how you can be a hero today.
The PBS KIDS® TV series, Xavier Riddle and The Secret Museum is based on the highly acclaimed children’s book series Ordinary People Change the World by #1 New York Times bestselling author and South Florida resident Brad Meltzer and award-winning letterer and illustrator Chris Eliopoulos. Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum: The Exhibit is a national traveling exhibit created by The Magic House, St. Louis Children’s Museum in collaboration with 9 Story Media Group, Inc. and is locally sponsored by Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital and Florida Prepaid College Savings Plans.
Xavier Riddle and The Secret Museum: The Exhibit is included with admission to MODS. For more information about the exhibit, visit mods.org/xavierriddle.
The fun doesn’t stop at MODS! Dive into the excitement with the Xavier Riddle Scavenger Hunt: Passport to Broward — an adventure packed with exploration, learning and the chance to win a prize. Follow the trail, discover local heroes and create unforgettable memories at some of South Florida’s top attractions:

• African American Research Library and Cultural Center
• Art & Culture Center/Hollywood
• Bonnet House
• Broward County Libraries Main Branch
• Coral Springs Museum of Art
• Flamingo Gardens
• History Fort Lauderdale
• Old Davie School Museum
• Stranahan House
• Wiener Museum of Decorative Arts
• Young At Art Museum