Valentine's Day Concert
Celebrate Valentine's Day in Miami at the 13th annual “Moonlight & Music” Valentine’s Day Concert on Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 8:00 p.m. (The main gate opens at 7:00 p.m.) This year's concert will feature Sarah Packiam and Scott Kirby.
The Valentine's Day Concert at the Deering Estate offers couples the opportunity to celebrate their love at a romantic, outdoor concert under the stars, on the edge of Biscayne Bay. Guests are welcome to bring blankets, lawn chairs and picnic baskets. Limited refreshments and food will be available for an additional fee. Crepemaker and GastroPod Food Truck will be at the event. If you would like to get a picnic basket please contact Joanna's Marketplace at 305-661-5777.
Tickets are $20 for general admission. Tickets can be purchased online for an additional fee or by calling the Deering Estate Ticket Office at 305-235-1668 ext. 233. Tickets are non-refundable, rain or shine.
The romantic Valentine’s concert begins a two-week celebration of literary, visual and performance art at the Deering Estate at Cutler. Now in its sixth year, the SoBay Festival of the Arts runs from February 14- 26, 2012 and has become a cultural windfall for the community with art exhibits, concerts, lectures and discussions, readings, and the performances of one-minute theater.
About the artist: Sarah Packiam
Sarah Packiam was born and raised in Ireland. Her mother is Irish and her father is a traveling musician from India. You can hear her parents musical influences in her arrangements. Mandolin, traditional Irish instruments and tablas have been combined to create beautiful backdrops for her extremely catchy alternative/pop melodies.
Sarah began writing songs at the age of 12. At 13 she was singing and traveling in her Dad's band. By 14 she had established herself as a singer-songwriter, winning the National 2FM song contest. Sarah also represented Ireland in the Song Contest for Young People in Europe (S.C.Y.P.E.) where she took second place. Several Live TV performances followed and she signed a development with EMI Ireland before the age of 15. At the age of 18 Sarah and her family moved to Spain where she performed regularly in bars and nightclubs. All the while Sarah continued to write and record, posting her songs in a very intimate video format on YouTube.
Now based in Miami, Sarah has had the pleasure of working with many talented musicians including Jon Secada and Shakira. Her debut album is being recorded at Cutting Cane Studios in Miami and produced by Grammy Award-winning producers Tim Mitchell (Shakira), George Noriega (Ricky Martin) and Jodi Marr (Mika). Sarah describes her style as a blend of acoustic pop, traditional Irish music, a touch of India and sultry vocals. Sarah's music can be found at iTunes and AmazonMP3.
About the artist: Scott Kirby
As singer songwriter Scott Kirby releases his 6th CD of original material ROW ME HOME, a project produced in Los Angeles by legendary drummer/songwriter/producer Russ Kunkel, he continues to tour extensively around the country appearing at festivals, clubs and theatres, performing his brand of coastal inspired folk rock sometimes referred to as "beach folk."
One of the most requested artists on Sirius XM Radio Margaritaville, Kirby is quickly expanding his east coast fan base across the US and Canada and anyplace else where the increasingly popular satellite radio is within earshot, and in the past few months has begun receiving some substantial airplay and positive reviews in Europe, as well.
Shortly after the release of ROW ME HOME, Scott was approached by Hemifran Music, a respected promotion and publicity company in Europe. Since signing the deal at the end of 2009, his songs are being played on multiple stations in The UK, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, France, The Netherlands, ltaly, Austria, Germany and Hungary.
Although the comparison to Jimmy Buffett is natural because of Kirby's coastal life ranging from his grandparents' roots in Newfoundland, to his years on the coast of New England, to his current home in Key West, his storytelling style of songwriting and often humorous live performances are also reminiscent of folks like Harry Chapin, Jerry Jeff Walker and Steve Goodman with a dash of James Taylor thrown in. He recently appeared at The Margaritaville Cafe in Key West with Jimmy Buffett and Mac MacAnally and has appeared with a number of other artists over the years from Carole King to Livingston Taylor, fellow New Hampshire native Tom Rush and many others, as well as being a mainstay at The Key West Songwriters Festival which has grown into one of the largest and most prestigious such events in the country.
Kirby grew up in tiny Penacook, New Hampshire, and discovered his love for music and the water simultaneously around age 10. Scott got his first acoustic guitar at age 12, teaching himself to play by ear and later by pouring over songbooks of Simon and Garfunkel, Crosby Stills and Nash, James Taylor and others. Although Kirby played in a number of bands through his teens and mid twenties, he didn't embark on his solo singer/songwriter career until he was nearly 35. In fact, he didn't own a guitar for a number of years while he was fully involved as a political consultant, managing campaigns and producing all kinds of political TV and radio ads. However in 1988, after eight years of that, he packed his guitar and a few belongings and headed for Key West to get out of the cold and play a little music. Once there he began writing his own material, having been inspired by Coral Reefer guitarist and friend Peter Mayer and a very inspirational late night conversation with legendary songwriter Shel Silverstein.
Kirby released his first studio CD in 1993, titled TOO DAMN YANKEE. He followed that up with GRAND BAR SCHEMES in 1996, WALKIN ON THIN ICE in 1999 and FOUR GOOD DOGS in 2004, all on the Little Flock Music label, a distribution co-op he shares with singer/songwriter Peter Mayer. He released his first live CD, A NIGHT ON THE BEACH in the summer of 2007. The newest CD, ROW ME HOME released in September of 2009, features 11 brand new original tunes and some of the best musicians in the business.
Although Kirby performs in several configurations from solo to six piece band, most live shows he is accompanied by David Edmisten, an extremely talented acoustic and electric guitarist and vocalist.