ARTS
VERO BEACH CHORAL SOCIETY
Ray Adams has been a key figure in the city’s music culture since arriving in 1983.
HILL COLLECTION, ARCHIVE CENTER, IRC MAIN LIBRARY
Small groups gathered for musical entertainment in the city’s early days.
BRACKETT COLLECTION, ARCHIVE CENTER, IRC MAIN LIBRARY
Families often lined up to see special children’s shows at Florida Theatre.
First Baptist Church of Vero Beach is well-known for its annual
Messiah singalong under Michael Carter, which was begun by an
earlier music director, Larry Henry, about 50 years ago.
Adams recalls hearing tales from John Terry, one of the first
surgeons in Vero Beach and an avid singer in the community,
about concerts in the early days of Vero. According to Adams, the
old downtown theater had an organ for the silent movies.
“When the organ was taken out, part of the pipework went
to First United Methodist Church to build their church organ,”
Adams said.
Adams is pleased that the tradition of local church musicians
collaborating to do meaningful programs for the community is
still going on. This continuing trend started in 1983, when some
of the church musicians would meet monthly for lunch.
As the city turns 100, a Sunday concert might feature music
directors from several local churches sharing the stage and sometimes
even sharing a piano. This year, in addition to the long list of
church venues, schools will be offering their own concert series or
hosting groups including Vero Beach Chamber Orchestra, Space
Coast Symphony Orchestra, the Vero Beach International Music
Festival and others.
ART THEN AND NOW
The small group of women who formed the Vero Beach Sketch
Club in 1936 and held its first exhibition a year later might look on
in wonder at the Vero Beach of today. Art galleries are scattered
throughout town, with the 14th Avenue Historic Arts District and
central island galleries at the hub of the action. Progress is being
made in the creation of the Vero Beach Cultural Arts Village in
the Edgewater neighborhood west of 14th Avenue and entrepreneurs
are forming co-ops to work, display and sell their art.
Vero Beach Art Club
The seed planted by Jeanette Beach and that handful of Sketch
Club artists grew into the top-notch Vero Beach Art Club.
At the Sketch Club’s first show in 1937, exhibitors came from
Fort Pierce and Sebastian to display their work. In 1947, the name
was changed to the Art Club and a few years later it was renamed
Vero Beach Art Club. By 1979, the club joined forces with the Alliance
for the Arts in negotiating with the city to build a permanent
home for an art academy and gallery. In 1984, ground was broken
for the Center for the Arts, where the museum and art club are
co-tenants.
The club celebrated its 82nd anniversary this year. With membership
in recent years hovering around 500, it’s reportedly one of
the largest art clubs in the country. The club’s 67-year-old Under
the Oaks Fine Arts & Crafts Show has evolved into one of the top
shows in the United States, attracting applications from hundreds
of artists around this and other countries. The juried show draws
tens of thousands of visitors to Riverside Park during the three- >>
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