Tom Hall

One hundred voices. One hundred fifty performances. The Fort Myers Symphonic Mastersingers is a renowned choral organization with a reputation for musical excellence. Says Musical Director Matt Koller, the Mastersingers are also celebrating their 25th anniversary.

The Fort Myers Philharmonic holds its inaugural concert in the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall on September 11. The concert is dedicated to honoring 9/11 heroes and first responders.

An entire generation has grown up since 9/11 that possesses no firsthand memories of that morning. To ensure that the lives lost, courage displayed and lessons learned will continue to be remembered, the Military Heritage Museum in Punta Gorda is observing the 25th anniversary of 9/11 by bringing together veterans, first responders, community leaders, and the public.

The Fort Myers Philharmonic’s inaugural concert takes place on Friday, September 11th at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Center. Marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, the concert will feature Samuel Barber's “Adagio for Strings” and Mozart’s “Requiem” under the direction of Maestro Paul Nadler.

Stuyvesant High School is located three blocks from the World Trade Center. Students and faculty watched the terrorist attacks from the school’s windows, until the smoke cloud from the first tower’s collapse forced their hasty evacuation. On Sept. 11, Elevate Acting Studio will perform monologues students wrote about what they saw and experienced.

A major Rembrandt exhibition is opening in Southwest Florida. “Rembrandt: Masterpieces in Black and White – Prints from the Rembrandt House Museum” opens Oct. 10 at the Naples Art Institute.

Kelly Gaylord is president of the Punta Gorda Historic Mural Society. She has muralist Keith Goodson on speed dial. She calls him whenever one of the Society’s murals fails. She’s had to call him a lot. The Society has lost a number of its murals over the course of its 31-year history. So, Punta Gorda, which has given itself the nickname of “Mural Town,” has decided not to paint murals on buildings or walls any longer. “We decided all our future murals were going to be removable aluminum panels with mural cloth,” said Gaylord.

The 2nd Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Art Contest is open to students first grade through college, including those attending alternative, charter and homeschool programs. The theme for this year’s contest, “Connected by Our Common Humanity,” is inspired by Dr. King’s letter from the Birmingham Jail in which he said, “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.” Submitted artwork will be showcased during the community's MLK Celebration on January 18, 2027 at the amphitheater in downtown Fort Myers.

“Glitter & Gold” at The Belle Theatre celebrates hits from Broadway’s Golden Age to today with a mostly female cast of talented singers, including Camila Guedes, who channels her inner Barbra Streisand in her powerful rendition of “Don’t Rain on My Parade” from “Funny Girl.”

September at the Music & Arts Community Center features A Band Called Honalee and The Conjurors.