Primed for a Life in Music

Partner Beth Daniels has long been involved in the cultural scene in Pinellas County. Raised in a musical family, Beth’s mother was a soprano soloist, her dad a first-rate violinist, and her grandmother a Curtis Institute trained pianist. With that background, Beth became involved in musical endeavors early in life. She started studying voice at college in the 1970s and continues now with weekly operatic singing lessons. She considers herself an opera aficionado and has traveled widely to see the best performers and productions of our time.

Through the years, Beth has performed with such groups as Florida Opera West, the Tampa Bay Opera Corporation, SunState Opera, the Tampa Oratorio Society, and as a regular soloist at Peace Memorial Church in Clearwater for over 30 years. Highlights in her musical career include singing the roles of Musetta in La Boheme and Frasquita in Carmen at TBPAC, Mahaffey Theater and Ruth Eckerd Hall. She also sang the lead role and directed numerous productions of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Trial by Jury which was presented by the Clearwater Bar at courthouses and concert venues all over Tampa Bay.

This interest in music naturally led Beth to support cultural institutions in our area. Since the late 1990s, she has served several terms on The Florida Orchestra Board of Directors, chaired its Council of Advisors and served on its education and community involvement committees. The Pinellas County Commission appointed Beth to several terms on the Pinellas County Arts Council in the 1990s. From there she went on the board of directors of the Clearwater Arts Foundation, (now Clearwater Arts Alliance), serving as its President from 2008-2010. For the last eight years, Beth has organized the Peace Memorial Concert Series. As chairman of the series, Beth has selected the performers and handled the publicity and logistics for six to seven concerts a year, with the church providing its sanctuary as a concert hall for the community. This series provides a venue for many fine local performers, as well as artists from around the country and provides first rate musical entertainment on a donations only basis for our community.