Local/State

Mark Sforzini is the artistic and executive director of St. Petersburg Opera and served as principal bassoonist with The Florida Orchestra for 15 years, prior to that. He spoke with Classical WSMR’s Susan Giles Wantuck last November for the occasional series, “Meet Your Musical Neighbor.”

On "Florida Matters Live & Local," we get a peek into how the museum is coming together from its program manager and curator. The museum is anticipated to open next year, but there isn't a set date yet.

"The Borscht Belt: Revisiting the Remains of America's Jewish Vacationland" is on view at the Florida Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg through May 31.

A toe-tapping musical revue is playing in the Court Cabaret at Florida Studio Theatre in Sarasota through June 21st. It celebrates musical artists who gave us a single, chart-topping hit. The show is called "One Hit Wonders."

The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker nests well to the north of us, but winters in Florida, other Gulf states, and the Caribbean. Older males tend to winter farther north, while females and first-year birds winter farther south. Males must return early to establish nesting territories and by staying farther north in winter, they are better able to deal with late cold weather sometimes encountered. Females return to breeding areas about a week later than males.Male Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers can be identified by their red throat. Females and fledgling males have a white throat; young males begin to show red throat feathers early in their second year. Young sapsuckers have dark streaks on the side of the breast and belly; adults show a “cleaner” yellowish belly and distinct black bib on the breast.

Florida's House voted late Wednesday to establish the American flamingo as the new state bird, a step toward knocking the mockingbird off its perch after nearly a century. It wasn't immediately clear whether the Senate will go along with the plan.

You can get in for free from Friday through Monday.

"& Juliet" is packed with Max Martin's hit songs and makes a stop in Tampa starting Feb. 10.

The play depicts the engineers behind the first moon landing as quirky outside-the-box thinkers, focusing on the creative process behind one of humanity's greatest achievements.

On Jan. 30, Rafael Padron will play a program of mostly Spanish and Latin American music at the Hillsborough College Dale Mabry Guitar Series.