An Annual Musical Treat

The Culture Edit, March 10th-23rd

Author

Susan Bannon
March 09, 2025

A production of “Fiddler on the Roof” at LA’s La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts. Photo: Jason Niedle

If you had to see only one theater performance in Miami each season, Zoetic Stage’s annual musical wouldn’t be a bad choice. That’s because Artistic Director Stuart Meltzer reliably pulls together a sparkling cast to present fresh, powerful takes on Broadway classics in the intimate Carnival Studio Theater. This year, they’re putting on Fiddler on the Roof, a mostly lighthearted crowdpleaser that tracks the struggles of Tevye, a poor milkman trying to instill traditional values in his five daughters. Tickets are selling fast for this one, so book those tickets asap!

Also on tap this weekend, beloved local vinyl shop Sweat Records is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a blowout party at outdoor music venue ZeyZey, with special performances by Adrian Quesada of the Black Pumas and a reunion of Miami indie band Awesome New Republic from back in the day.

Finally, the Miami Film Festival announced the lineup for its 42nd edition running April 3rd-13th, with over 195 films from 42 countries screening in venues all over town. Festival highlights include an opening night screening of Julie Delpy’s new film Meet the Barbarians with Delpy in attendance; a conversation with actress Melanie Lynskey about her roles in Yellowjackets, The Last of Us, Heavenly Creatures, et al; and a screening of Wish You Were Here, Julia Stiles’ directing debut, with Stiles in attendance.

Let’s get planning...

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Tuesday, March 11th

SFSO at New World: Mozart’s Requiem

Award-winning Maestra Sabrina Alfonso leads the South Florida Symphony Orchestra in a special all-Mozart performance at New World Center. Joining SFSO and the South Florida Symphony Chorus will be a quartet of special guest singers - soprano Katherine Henly, mezzo-soprano Maggie Reneé, tenor Norman Shankle, and bass-baritone Neil Nelson - for Mozart’s haunting, emotional Requiem Mass.

7:30pm, New World Center, $25-$100

Neighborhood: Lincoln Road

Also on March 11th:

Thursday, March 13th

Fiddler on the Roof - Opening Night!

Zoetic Stage presents the Tony Award-winning classic musical Fiddler on the Roof in an innovative new production at the intimate Carnival Studio Theater. Exploring the themes of tradition and family in a changing world, Fiddler touches the heart with beloved songs like “Sunrise, Sunset” and “Matchmaker, Matchmaker.” Add in a cast of South Florida’s best actors, including the phenomenal 8-time Carbonell Award-winner Jeni Hacker, and you have a production not to be missed!

7:30pm, Carnival Studio Theater at the Arsht Center, $66-$76

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

Also on March 13th:

Friday, March 14th

Dimensions Dance: Salon Series

Founded by former MCB principals Jennifer Kronenberg and Carlos Guerra in 2016, Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami has been shaking up classical dance in South Florida ever since with their contemporary ballet repertoire. Their Spring Salon Series performance will give the audience a first look at a new ballet in progress by award-winning Canadian choreographer Alysa Pires, alongside new work by other up-and-coming choreographers. Performances through Sunday.

7:30pm, The Moss Center, $40

Neighborhood: Cutler Bay

Nearby Eats: Not much! Grab dinner at Platea or Golden Rule Seafood on your way down there and have some rooftop cocktails at Ivy Rooftop or martinis at Fox’s on your way back.

Saturday, March 15th

Britten’s War Requiem

Three of the world’s most celebrated singers - Christine Goerke, Ian Bostridge and Roderick Williams - join forces with the New World Symphony and Master Chorale of South Florida for Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem. A famously moving call for peace, the War Requiem pairs the orchestra, soloists, choir, and organ with poems by British WWI soldier Wilfred Owen, who died at the front in that war after writing some of history’s most haunting antiwar poems, such as Dulce et Decorum Est.

8pm, Knight Concert Hall at Arsht Center, $75-$185

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

Also on March 15th:

  • Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami presents their Spring Salon Series for the second of three performances at the Moss Center, at 7:30pm.

  • The Moss Center welcomes the American Patchwork Quartet, comprised of multiple Grammy winners who bring their diverse immigrant roots to the American Songbook, at 8pm.

Sunday, March 16th

Florida Grand Opera Meets Reggae

Florida Grand Opera and the Rhythm Foundation are teaming up to bring Miami a unique musical collaboration between opera and reggae for one performance only at the Miami Beach Bandshell. Featuring musical selections from Beethoven to Bob Marley, this lighthearted exploration of common themes between the two genres will include traditional reggae, opera, and a playful blend of the two styles.

7pm, Miami Beach Bandshell, Free

Neighborhood: North Beach

Also on March 16th:

  • Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami presents their Spring Salon Series for its final performance at the Moss Center, at 7:30pm.

Happening NEXT Week:

Because maybe your friends are busy this week. Or you're busy this week. Or this week just seems too soon to pull your act together and make a plan.

Tuesday, March 18th

Marta Minujín: Dreamscape

ICA Miami and the Design District host an opening reception with Argentine artist Marta Minujín to celebrate the installation of two of her monumental inflatable sculptures. On view for the first time, Emotional Candy will be a labyrinthine structure of merging hallways designed to disorient and delight. Sculpture of Desires will rise 30 feet above Jungle Plaza, composed of intertwined inflatable arms, forming a luminous blow-up portal. Within both sculptures, ambient birdsong recordings encourage visitors to whisper their wishes into the vibrant, undulating forms.

6-9pm, Jungle Plaza in the Design District, Free with RSVP

Neighborhood: Design District

Nearby Eats: Mother Wolf, Nami Nori, Mandolin | Drinks: COTE, Michael’s

Wednesday, March 19th

Faena Jazz Series: Sullivan Fortner

As part of its seventh annual Faena Jazz Series, the Faena Theater welcomes Grammy Award-winning pianist and bandleader Sullivan Fortner for a night of improvisation with his trio. A New Orleans native now based out of New York, Fortner has received international praise as both a soloist and as a collaborator with artists such as Paul Simon, Wynton Marsalis, and John Scofield. You can check out his trio in action here.

8pm, Faena Theater, $65-$175

Neighborhood: Miami Beach

Nearby Eats & Drinks: Make it an all-Faena night, with dinner at Pao or Los Fuegos and drinks at Living Room or The Saxony Bar (or head to Broken Shaker for a change of scenery).

Also on March 19th:

  • The widely revered Israel Philharmonic, lead by one of classical music’s brightest young conductors, performs at Knight Concert Hall for one night only, at 8pm. (Heat Game Alert - take the train!)

Thursday, March 20th

Tara Walters: Heartbreaker, Dream Maker

Tara Walters, Love and Water Falls, 2024, Water-based paint and oil pastel on muslin, 25 x 38 in.

Artist Tara Walters lost her home in the recent LA fires, but her new canvases at Nina Johnson Gallery about the fragile nature of the American dream were painted in the year before that. Each painting is accompanied by a poem, many by early 20th century painter and poet Florine Stettheimer. The gallery is opening two other exhibits the same night: Ficus Interfaith, a study of studies (it will make sense when you get there), and Materiality in Progress, a group show of mostly Asian artists working with traditional materials.

Opening reception 6-8pm

Neighborhood: Little Haiti / Little River

Also on March 20th:

Friday, March 21st

ICA Culture Club: Edmund Bagnell and Yasuhiko Fukuoka

ICA Miami is proud to present an evening of music and laughter with acclaimed singer, actor and violinist Edmund Bagnell. Bagnell, who is first violinist in the cleverly named quartet Well-Strung, has created a new show for ICA Miami that highlights his extraordinary storytelling with humor and dazzling talent. Bagnell will be accompanied by acclaimed composer and pianist Yasuhiko Fukuoka. 

5pm, Institute of Contemporary Art Miami, $10

Neighborhood: Design District

Nearby Eats: COTE, Michael’s, Mandolin | Drinks: The Sylvester, Lagniappe

Also on March 21st:

Saturday, March 22nd

Emma Donaghue at Books & Books

Books & Books welcomes Emma Donoghue, author of the international bestseller Room, to discuss her latest novel, The Paris Express. Her new work of historical fiction captures the human drama around an infamous disaster at Paris’ Montparnasse train station in 1895. The accident was a point of international fascination thanks to some surreal early photographs. Emma will also be discussing her work as an award-winning screenwriter and playwright.

5pm, Books & Books Coral Gables, $27 includes admission for two and one book

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

Also on March 22nd:

Sunday, March 23rd

Miami International Piano Festival: Ilya Itin

The Miami International Piano Festival presents a concert by award-winning pianist Ilya Itin, a performer whose “rare and exciting artistry” (Daily Telegraph, London) has made him a sought-after soloist with renowned orchestras around the world, including the Cleveland Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony, and London Philharmonic. Itin will be performing preludes by piano master Rachmaninoff and the lesser known Alexander Scriabin, a contemporary of Rachmaninoff’s who happened to be very, very strange.

5pm, Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, $45-$55

Neighborhood: Aventura

Also on March 23rd:

Planning Ahead:

Miami's most anticipated events sell out and those new restaurants you want to try book up. Here are a couple of upcoming events to get on your calendar now…

April 3rd-13th

The 42nd Annual Miami Film Festival

“Meet The Barbarians” will be the opening film of the 42nd Annual Miami Film Festival.

Our own little slice of Sundance, the Miami Film Festival has been showcasing the work of the world’s best emerging and established filmmakers since 1984. As usual, this year's festival will bring directors and actors to town to present their work and award cash prizes for competition categories. Over 195 films from all over the world have been selected for our viewing pleasure, so take a look at the full calendar and see what you'd like to check out. Tickets for the opening and closing night parties sell like lighting, so you’ll want to book those now. A special treat this year: the opening and closing screenings will take place in the historic Olympia Theater downtown, which has been mostly dark for years.

Various locations, $15.50 General Screenings, $34 Opening & Closing Screenings, $130 Opening & Closing Parties

Olympia Theater Nearby Eats: Mr. Omakase, Tâm Tâm, NIU Kitchen | Drinks: Lost Boy Dry Goods, Over Under, Margot

Friday, April 11th

Arturo Sandoval at Knight

The Arsht Center is proud to present Cuban jazz legend Arturo Sandoval, live at Knight Concert Hall for one night only. A famed collaborator with Dizzy Gillespie, Sandoval has performed with music icons from Frank Sinatra to Alicia Keys, and has won 10 Grammy awards, 6 Billboard Music awards, and an Emmy for his score for the HBO movie about his life, For Love or Country, starring Andy Garcia.

8pm, Knight Concert Hall at Arsht Center, $40-$130

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

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