Hermitage Announces New May Programs Featuring Two Tony Award Nominees

The Hermitage Artist Retreat announces two new programs in May, with additional May and June programming to be opened for registration in the coming weeks. The next edition of “Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens” will feature two Tony Award-nominated Hermitage Fellows, Broadway star Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer (Spamalot, Beetlejuice, “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”and playwright Bess Wohl (Liberation, Grand Horizons, Camp Siegfried).

From the bright lights of Broadway to the bold and innovative work of Off-Broadway, returning Hermitage Fellows Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer and Bess Wohl have left an indelible mark on the American theater scene. From Kritzer’s powerhouse vocals and comedic timing to Wohl’s gift for hilarious and incisive observation of the human experience, these Tony Award nominees are two of the most in-demand artists of stage and screen. Join Kritzer and Wohl for the latest “Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens” program on Friday, May 16th at 6:30pm at Selby Gardens’ Historic Spanish Point, to take a look back, a look forward, and hear some of the music and words that have fueled both of their remarkable careers.    

Returning Hermitage Fellow Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer is a recent Tony Award nominee for her showstopping turn as ‘Lady of the Lake’ in the Broadway revival of Spamalot. She previously starred on Broadway as Delia in Beetlejuice, for which she received Drama Desk, Drama League, and Chita Rivera Award nominations. Television audiences will be familiar with Kritzer’s portrayal of comedy legend Carol Burnett in the series finale of “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” Her additional Broadway credits include Something Rotten, Legally Blonde, A Catered Affair (Drama Desk nom.), and more. She received dual Lucille Lortel Award nominations for her performances in Gigantic and The Robber Bridegroom, winning for the latter. Sarasota audiences have previously seen Kritzer perform alongside Andy Sandberg in the Hermitage 20thAnniversary Concert at the Van Wezel, on the Hermitage Beach presenting her original work as a writer, at the 2023 Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner, and at the 2024 Hermitage Artful Lobster.

Hermitage Fellow Bess Wohl’s plays include the current hit Off-Broadway production of Liberation(Roundabout) and the recent Off-Broadway run of Camp Siegfried (Second Stage); both of these original plays were developed in part while Bess was in residence at the Hermitage Artist Retreat on Manasota Key. Wohl’s Broadway premiere of Grand Horizons earned her a Tony Award nomination for Best Play, in addition to the Outer Critics Circle Honor and a Drama League Award nomination. Her plays have been produced and developed at acclaimed theaters in New York and around the country, including Second Stage, Roundabout, Manhattan Theater Club, Goodman Theater, Geffen Playhouse, and more. Her impressive body of work includes the award-winning play Small Mouth Sounds (Off-Broadway); Barcelona, starring Lily Collins (West End); Make Believe; and more. Wohl is a graduate of Harvard and the Yale School of Drama.

All Hermitage programs are free and open to the public (with a $5/person registration fee), offering Gulf Coast audiences a rare chance to engage and interact with some of the world’s leading talent. Due to capacity limitations, registration is required at HermitageArtistRetreat.org. Additional programs will be announced soon.

Composer and Sound Artist Rucyl Mills Honored as Part of the 17th Annual Hermitage Greenfield Prize Weekend

The annual Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner on Sunday, April 6th honored composer and sound artist Rucyl Mills. This was the central event of a three-day celebration, hosted by the Hermitage Artist Retreat(Andy Sandberg, Artistic Director and CEO) in partnership with the Greenfield Foundation. The gala evening was presented at Michael’s on East and featured inspiring performances from Tony and Emmy Award-nominated Broadway star Eden Espinosa (Wicked, RentLempicka), accompanied by pianist Joseph Holt; original songs by Hermitage Fellow and Jonathan Larson Grant recipient Julian Hornik; a performance of Hermitage Fellow Zoe Sarnak’s music by Maicy Powell; and an appearance from acclaimed visual artist and Hermitage alumna Anne Patterson. The annual gala raised nearly $350,000 in support of the Hermitage’s mission, in addition to the Greenfield Foundation’s annual gift of $175,000. The festive evening was co-chaired by Robyn & Charles Citrin and Arthur Siciliano & B.Aline Blanchard. Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg served as master of ceremonies. As this year’s HGP recipient, Mills receives a $35,000 commission, along with an extended residency at the Hermitage Artist Retreat.

The Hermitage Greenfield Prize (HGP) Dinner kicked off with an uplifting Hermitage video showcasing hurricane recovery efforts across campus and featuring excerpts from a robust season of Hermitage community programs. The inspirational video was followed by a powerhouse performance from Maicy Powell singing “Open Water” from the musical Afloat, which was developed in part at the Hermitage by Fellows Zoe Sarnak and Emily Kaczmarek. Andy Sandberg took the stage as master of ceremonies and spoke about the legacy and impact of the Hermitage Greenfield Prize, thanking Hermitage supporters, friends, and partners. This was followed by a brief video encapsulating the level of talent and the impact that the Hermitage Greenfield Prize has on the greater artistic landscape as well as the spotlight this prestigious award shines the region. Artistic Director of the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) and 2025 HGP juror Amy Cassello described Rucyl’s charismatic sound and performance as “embodied experience,” adding that “you can feel that level of love and engagement” in her work. Andy Sandberg retook the stage to introduce the evening’s headliner – Tony and Emmy Award nominated Broadway star Eden Espinosa. Espinosa won over the audience with a memorable rendition of Neil Diamond’s “Play Me,” followed by a powerful rendition of “Woman Is” from her Tony Award-nominated turn as Tamara de Lempicka, the title role of the recent Broadway musical Lempicka (co-written by Hermitage alum Carson Kreitzer). Accompanying the evening on piano was Joseph Holt

“I’m so honored to be here tonight to give my time and talents to a wonderful organization that fosters new works, new creations, and new energy within the creative arts,” said Espinosa when speaking about the importance of the Hermitage. “Lempicka was in development for fifteen years, and I gave eleven glorious years to this piece, so it just goes to show you never how long it might take – but it’s worth the wait.”

After a dinner provided by Michael’s On East, the festivities continued with a congratulatory video from past Hermitage Greenfield Prize winners Deepa Purohit (2024), Angélica Negrón (2022), and one of the first to receive the honor, four-time Tony Award nominee Craig Lucas (2009). Hermitage Fellow and world-renowned visual artist Anne Patterson then took the stage with a heartfelt expression of appreciation for outgoing President and CEO of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County (CFSC), Roxie Jerde. While at the helm of the CFSC, Jerde has been an integral supporter of the Hermitage and the Hermitage Greenfield Prize programming, as the lead community sponsor for nearly a decade. This was followed by a special appearance from renowned singer, musician, and Hermitage Fellow Julian Hornik, who charmed the audience with stories from his recent Hermitage residency and unforgettable performances of his original songs “Did I Miss It” composed while at the Hermitage earlier this year, and “James (Hush)” – drawing a parallel between author James Baldwin’s writing escapes on Fire Island and the invaluable gift of time and space that the Hermitage provides to artists on Manasota Key. 

Following Hornik’s performance, Sandberg presented Rucyl Mills with this year’s Hermitage Greenfield Prize. “I’m so honored and grateful to be in this line-up,” said Mills in her acceptance speech. “The legacy of the artists who have won this award before me is truly remarkable. I’m thrilled to be able to spend time in residence at the Hermitage, where the air and incredible sounds of this part of our country will be all around me and informing my creative process. I can’t wait to get started!” 

To close out this memorable night after an enthusiastic paddle raise, Eden Espinosa returned to the stage. “The world can be heavy sometimes these days,” said Espinosa. “It’s rooms like this that make my heart feel lighter and give me hope.” She took the audience’s breath away with her unforgettable rendition of John Lennon’s “Imagine.” 

“This was a truly remarkable evening and a joyful celebration of music and this incredible prize,” said Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg. “It was an honor to celebrate Rucyl Mills, and we can’t wait to introduce her original commission to our Gulf Coast community. It was thrilling to hear unforgettable live performances from Eden Espinosa and original songs by Julian Hornik, along with inspiring remarks and performances from Anne Patterson, Maicy Powell, Joe Holt, and more. We are so grateful to the Greenfield Foundation, the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, and all our sponsors and donors for their belief in our mission and the support of new work.”

The annual Prize Dinner anchored a series of events celebrating the impact and legacy of the Hermitage Greenfield Prize. The weekend kicked off on Friday, April 4th with two Hermitage premieres from 2023 HGP recipients Rennie Harris and Sandy Rodriguez at The Ringling. Los Angeles-based visual artist Sandy Rodriguez’s original exhibition Currents of Resistance opened at The Ringling’s Keith D. Monda Gallery, representing the latest in a series of collaborative exhibitions featuring Hermitage Greenfield Prize-winning visual artists at The Ringling, beginning with Sanford Biggers’ 2012 exhibition Codex. Rodriguez’s exhibition is on view now through August 10thRennie Harris, the first Hermitage Greenfield Prize recipient in the field of Dance & Choreography, offered two premiere presentations of his original dance piece Losing My Religion at The Ringling’s Historic Asolo Theater, with his acclaimed dance company Rennie Harris Puremovement. Then on Saturday, April 5th at Selby Gardens’ Historic Spanish Point, Hermitage audiences had a chance to “Meet Rucyl!” This event included an in-depth conversation with this year’s 2025 HGP Winner, offering an introduction to her work and career, as well as insight into her plans for this new commission and a sampling of Mills’ past work. 

The Hermitage Greenfield Prize is presented in partnership with the Philadelphia-based Greenfield Foundation, who launched this initiative with the Hermitage in 2009. The Community Foundation of Sarasota County once again served as the lead community sponsor for this year’s festivities.

Mills was selected by a distinguished jury that included Amy Cassello, Artistic Director of the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM); Lia Camille Crockett, music curator for organizations such as NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest, SXSW, and the founder of Parcha Projects; and Grammy Award-winning conductor and composer Robert Spano, Music Director at the Aspen Music Festival and Music Director Laureate for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. For her Hermitage commission, Mills plans to investigate our relationship to superstructures, which constitute a major part of the universe so massive that they challenge our understanding of how our universe evolved. Superstructures interact in ways that can be interpreted as vibrations or waves, which are analogous to sound in certain contexts. Mills will create a score that maps waves of pressure and gravity on to sonic frequencies, turning data into audio signals for the audience to interpret, allowing the listener to ‘hear’ cosmic events.

Tony and Emmy Award Nominee Eden Espinosa to Perform at 2025 HGP Dinner

The Hermitage Artist Retreat (Andy Sandberg, Artistic Director and CEO) today announced that Tony and Emmy Award nominee Eden Espinosa will perform at the 2025 Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner on Sunday, April 6th

Eden Espinosa is known for her Tony Award and Drama League-nominated performance as Tamera De Lempicka in the Broadway production of Lempicka, with concept, book, and lyrics by Hermitage Fellow Carson KreitzerVariety raved “Espinosa, starring in the title role, brings both luminosity and strength to her powerful performance.” Eden’s career as an actress, singer, and voiceover artist has spanned two decades on stage and screen. She is widely recognized for her critically acclaimed portrayals of Elphaba in Wicked (Broadway, Los Angeles, and San Francisco) and Maureen in the closing Broadway company of Rent. Espinosa’s passions also have extended to the development of new works, stemming from her early years originating the title role of the Broadway cult favorite Brooklyn the Musical, to more recently starring in Michael John LaChuisa’s The Gardens of Anuncia at Lincoln Center. Espinosa can be seen on television in roles on Brilliant MindsThe Equalizer, and FBI: Most Wanted. As a voiceover artist, Eden was nominated for an Emmy Award for her work as the Queen of Hearts in Disney’s Alice’s Wonderland Bakery.

“We are incredibly excited to welcome Eden Espinosa to perform at our 17th annual Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner,” says Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg. “Eden is an extraordinary talent who is widely celebrated in the Broadway community as a brilliant interpreter of new and original works. We’re delighted she can join us on for this year’s celebration of music honoring 2025 HGP recipient Rucyl Mills.”

Mills was selected by a distinguished jury that included Amy Cassello, Artistic Director of the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM); Lia Camille Crockett, music curator for organizations such as NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest, SXSW, and the founder of Parcha Projects; and Grammy Award-winning conductor and composer Robert Spano, Music Director at the Aspen Music Festival and Music Director Laureate for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.  

This year’s event co-chairs are Robyn and Charles Citrin and Arthur Siciliano and B.Aline Blanchard. The Hermitage Greenfield Prize is presented by the Hermitage Artist Retreat in partnership with the Philadelphia-based Greenfield Foundation, with the Community Foundation of Sarasota County serving as the lead community sponsor. Additional sponsors include Gulf Coast Community Foundation, The Herald Tribune, and Sarasota Magazine. A full list of this year’s sponsors, benefactors, and partners can be found at https://HermitageArtistRetreat.org/HGPDinner2025/.

Sponsorship levels for this Hermitage Spring benefit range from $1,500 to $10,000. Tables and sponsorships may be purchased by contacting Hermitage Development Director at (941) 475-2098, Ext. 2. The event has extremely limited capacity remaining. 

The 2025 Hermitage Greenfield Prize Weekend Events

The Hermitage Artist Retreat (Andy Sandberg, Artistic Director and CEO) announced today that 2025 Hermitage Greenfield Prize winner Rucyl Mills will have her first public Hermitage program at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens’ Historic Spanish Point. Combining jazz, avant-garde R&B, hip-hop, and more through a unique blend of electronics and vocals, Rucyl’s sound art is grounded in a belief that humanity can evolve and find new forms of creative expression. Join the Hermitage on Saturday, April 5th at 5:30pm for this free community event: “Meet Rucyl!” – An Hour with 2025 Hermitage Greenfield Prize winner Rucyl Mills, a creative process exploration and sampling of musical work from this artist blazing a trail to the future of music. 

Rucyl Mills is an American sound artist and an original member of the politically charged hip-hop group The Goats, performing internationally alongside bands like Bad BrainsFishbone, and The Beastie Boys. Her creative methodologies deeply lean on punk, early dancehall, lovers rock, black folk, new wave, hip-hop, jazz, and experimental musical genres that celebrate anti-conventional compositional structure and performance as protest. Her preferred palette of electronic instruments and experimental softwarerepresents her belief that humanity can gracefully evolve using technology in art by democratizing access and fostering new forms of creative expression and collaboration. Inspired by the experimental jazz musician Sun Ra, Mills co-founded Saturn Never Sleeps, an improvisational futuretronic label and audiovisual group. Mills has created interactive musical experiences, including the “Chakakhantroller,” a wearable MIDI controller for solo audiovisual performance; and “Sound Prism,” a solar-powered interactive installation that explores sound as a physical representation of the frequencies of the color spectrum.

The following night, Rucyl Mills will be celebrated at the 17th annual Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner on Sunday, April 6th, a benefit for the Hermitage Artist Retreat, starting at 6pm at Michael’s On East (Sarasota, Florida). The event will feature live musical performances. Past performers have included Tony and Grammy Award winner Rachel Bay Jones, Tony Award nominee Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer, and Tony Award winner Gavin Creel. This elegant annual dinner heralds the jury-selected recipient of this prestigious prize, awarded this season in the discipline of music. The Hermitage Greenfield Prize (HGP) is a distinguished national commission awarded by the Hermitage Artist Retreat in partnership with the Philadelphia-based Greenfield Foundation; the $35,000 award rotates annually among music, theater, and visual art. The 2025 winner’s newly commissioned work will have its first public presentation in Sarasota in the spring of 2027. The Hermitage Greenfield Prize Celebration is presented in partnership with the Greenfield Foundation, with Community Foundation of Sarasota County serving as Lead Community Sponsor. Additional sponsors include Gulf Coast Community Foundation, The Herald Tribune, and Sarasota Magazine. Event Co-Chairs for this year’s gala dinner are Robyn & Charles Citrin and Arthur Siciliano & B.Aline Blanchard. A full list of this year’s sponsors can be found at https://HermitageArtistRetreat.org/HGPDinner2025/.

Sponsorship levels for this Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner, the organization’s spring benefit, range from $1,500 to $10,000. Tables and sponsorships may be purchased by contacting the Hermitage Development Office at (941) 475-2098, Ext. 2, or by emailing Development@HermitageArtistRetreat.orgThe event has extremely limited capacity remaining. 

In addition to the free community event with Rucyl Mills on April 5th and the Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner on April 6th, the 2025 Hermitage Greenfield Prize Celebration will welcome commission premieres from 2023 HGP recipients Rennie Harris and Sandy Rodriguez at The Ringling. Los Angeles-based visual artist Sandy Rodriguez’s original exhibition Currents of Resistance will be on view in The Ringling’s Keith D. Monda Gallery and represents the latest in a series of collaborative exhibitions featuring Hermitage Greenfield Prize-winning visual artists at The Ringling, beginning with Sanford Biggers’ 2012 exhibition Codex. Rodriguez’s exhibition will be on view to museum visitors from April 5th through August 10thRennie Harris, the first Hermitage Greenfield Prize recipient in the field of Dance & Choreography, will offer the first public presentations of his original dance piece Losing My Religion at the Ringling’s Historic Asolo Theater on the evenings of April 4th and 5th, with his acclaimed dance company Rennie Harris Puremovement. 

Music and Sound Artist Rucyl Mills Wins 2025 Hermitage Greenfield Prize

The Hermitage Artist Retreat (Andy Sandberg, Artistic Director and CEO), in collaboration with the Philadelphia-based Greenfield Foundation, has selected sound and music artist Rucyl Mills as the winner of the 2025 Hermitage Greenfield Prize (HGP). Mills employs a unique approach to music composition that blends noise art, bass wave, sample collage, and avant-garde R&B. She uses MIDI controllers, drone synths, and effects processors to create experimental compositions that are kinetic architectures for stage and film.  

The Hermitage Greenfield Prize is awarded annually, rotating between the fields of music, theater, and visual art. Mills will receive a six-week Hermitage Fellowship and a $35,000 commission to create a new work of music, which will have its first public presentation in Sarasota in 2027. 

Mills was selected by a distinguished jury that included Amy Cassello, Artistic Director of the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM); Lia Camille Crockett, music curator for organizations such as NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest, SXSW, and the founder of Parcha Projects; and Grammy Award-winning conductor and composer Robert Spano, Music Director at the Aspen Music Festival and Music Director Laureate for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Past winners of this distinguished honor in the discipline of music includeAngélica Negrón (2022), Helga Davis (2019), Bobby Previte (2015), Vijay Iyer (2012), and Eve Beglarian (2009). 

“Amidst a remarkable field of four brilliant finalists, this extraordinary jury faced an incredibly difficult task in selecting a single recipient. Rucyl Mills emerged as an ambitious and original musical voice who impressed the jury with her innovative and forward-thinking proposal,” says Hermitage Artistic Director Andy Sandberg. “Her genre-bending approach to the musical art form embodies the mission of the Hermitage Greenfield Prize: to bring into the world works of art that have a significant impact on the broad as well as the artistic culture of our society. We thank our distinguished jurors for their passion and dedication, and we congratulate all four exceptional finalists, whom we look forward to welcoming at the Hermitage. We’re excited to host Rucyl in Florida for the Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner in April, and subsequently as a Hermitage Fellow in anticipation of the first public presentation of her new commission in Sarasota in 2027.”

Rucyl Mills is an American sound artist and an original member of the politically charged hip-hop group The Goats, performing internationally alongside bands like Bad Brains, Fishbone, and The Beastie Boys. Her creative methodologies deeply lean on punk, early dancehall, lovers rock, black folk, new wave, hip-hop, jazz, and experimental musical genres that celebrate anti-conventional compositional structure and performance as protest. Her preferred palette of electronic instruments and experimental software represents her belief that humanity can gracefully evolve using technology in art by democratizing access, and fostering new forms of creative expression and collaboration. Inspired by the experimental jazz musician Sun Ra, Mills co-founded Saturn Never Sleeps, an improvisational futuretronic label and audiovisual group. Mills has created interactive musical experiences, including the “Chakakhantroller,” a wearable MIDI controller for solo audiovisual performance; and “Sound Prism,” a solar powered interactive installation that explores sound as a physical representation of the frequencies of the color spectrum.

Three finalists for the 2025 Hermitage Greenfield Prize include Samora Pinderhughes, an Emmy Award-winning composer and multidisciplinary artist; Xenia Rubinos, a New York-based vocalist, composer, and performing artist; and Conrad Tao, an award-winning composer, pianist, and Hermitage alumnus. All three will receive a Hermitage residency, in addition to a finalist prize of $1,000.

“Great works of art get made when the community coalesces around an artist’s imagination and courage,” said 2025 HGP juror and BAM Artistic Director Amy Cassello. “The Hermitage Greenfield Prize allows time in a beautiful place for artists to experiment and grow. Rucyl Mills is inspired by the complexities and vastness of the universe. Her work as a sound artist brings human beings closer together.”

“All of the artists were so thoughtful and unique in their approaches that it was just a rewarding and fruitful process,” added Parcha Projects founder Lia Camille Crockett. “Rucyl really sparked a curiosity in all of us — in a way that makes us all genuinely excited to see the outcome of her residency and commission. What is also great is that all of the finalists get a Hermitage residency, and this experience is so vital to the creative process.”

“The Hermitage Greenfield Prize has now such a rich history of honoring, nurturing, and promoting the intense creativity of its recipients,” said Grammy Award-winning conductor and composer Robert Spano, also a Hermitage alumnus. “The unique, visionary, and innovative work of Rucyl Mills makes her an ideal choice to fulfill the mission of the prize. I look forward with great anticipation and excitement to hearing the work that this opportunity will afford her to produce. She is an inspiring creative force!”

“I am so honored to receive this award,” said Mills upon learning of her recognition as this year’s HGP winner. “Creating a new piece at the Hermitage will provide such a fertile and enriching environment with no distraction. I am thrilled to be able to further evolve my personal relationship to sound in a space where so many incredible artists have created before me.”

For her Hermitage commission, Rucyl Mills plans to create a notational score and composition that investigates our relationship to superstructures both physically and sonically. Superstructures constitute a major part of the universe; they are so massive that they challenge our understanding of how our universe evolved. “Sound, in the conventional sense, does not travel through the vacuum of space,” notes Mills. “It requires a medium like air or water to propagate. Superstructures interact in ways that can be interpreted as vibrations or waves, which are analogous to sound in certain contexts.” Mills will create a score that maps waves of pressure and gravity on to sonic frequencies, turning ‘Quipu’ data into audio signals for the audience to interpret, allowing the listener to ‘hear’ cosmic events using electronic instruments. Quipu was recently discovered in 2024 and is the largest group of superstructures discovered to date. 

Rucyl Mills will be celebrated at the Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner on Sunday, April 6 at 6pm at Michael’s On East in Sarasota, Florida. Event Co-Chairs are Robyn & Charles Citrin and Arthur Siciliano & B.Aline Blanchard. Capacity will be limited, so early reservations are strongly recommended. Tables and sponsorships are now available; additional information can be found at HermitageArtistRetreat.org.

In addition to the Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner on April 6, the Hermitage Greenfield Prize Celebration will include programs April 4-6 with current and past HGP winners, 2025, including the HGP commission premieres from 2023 recipients Rennie Harris and Sandy Rodriguez at The Ringling. The Hermitage Greenfield Prize Celebration is presented in partnership with the Greenfield Foundation, with the Community Foundation of Sarasota County serving as the Lead Community Sponsor.

“Hermitage Sunsets @ Benderson Park” Features Playwright, Director, and Performer Madeline Sayet on March 20

The Hermitage Artist Retreat announces the newest program in its popular “Hermitage Sunsets @ Benderson Park” series, an ongoing partnership with Nathan Benderson Park Conservancy that was established in 2023. The first Hermitage/NBP collaboration in 2025 is scheduled for Thursday, March 20 at 6:30pm, featuring playwright, director, performer, and Hermitage Fellow Madeline Sayet. Known throughout the theater world for her work in contemporary Native American theater and indigenizing Western classics, Sayet is a member of the Mohegan Tribe in Connecticut, where she was raised on a combination of traditional Mohegan stories and Shakespeare – both of which have influenced her work. Hermitage Sunsets @ Benderson Park: “For the Love of Language” showcases this multi-talented playwright who has been honored as a Forbes “30-Under-30,” a TED Fellow, and was a recipient of the White House Champion of Change Award from President Obama. This singular theater artist discusses her work – including the recent national tour of her one-person show Where We Belong – and how the love of language informs her creative process. 

The 2023-2024 “Hermitage Sunsets @ NBP” featured the work of two celebrated Hermitage playwrights, Terry Guest and James Anthony Tyler, followed by two memorable evenings of music showcasing the talents of two past Hermitage Greenfield Prize finalists, Kamala Sankaram and Etienne Charles, plus an improvisational jazz experience featuring two of the industry’s most innovative composers and trumpet players,  Chris Ryan Williams and Amir ElSaffar (recently seen again in Sarasota leading theTwo River Ensemble at The Ringling). The first Hermitage event at Benderson Park in 2023 featured the pop, rock, and folk music of award-winning composer and Hermitage alumna Zoe Sarnak

Each program in the “Hermitage Sunsets @ Benderson Park” features a celebrated Hermitage artist (or artists) sharing their original work with the greater Sarasota and Manatee communities. This outdoor series features performances and explorations of works-in-progress by Hermitage artists-in-residence and alumni. “Hermitage Sunsets @ Benderson Park” events take place by Benderson Lake near the Nathan Benderson Family Finish Tower (5851 Nathan Benderson Circle, Sarasota, FL 34235). 

“As we continue to offer one-of-a-kind Hermitage programming throughout the region, we are excited to continue our collaboration with Nathan Benderson Park, welcoming Gulf Coast audiences to another fantastic venue where they can share a magical evening with Hermitage artists amidst a beautiful sunset,” says Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg. “We are thrilled to build upon the success of previous programs at Nathan Benderson Park. Much like our beach programs on Manasota Key and other locations throughout Sarasota and Manatee County, these hour-long events offer our community the opportunity to experience a ‘sneak peek’ into these extraordinary artists’ creative process.” 

“We are honored to partner with the Hermitage Artist Retreat to celebrate the arts at Nathan Benderson Park,” said Bruce C. Patneaude, Chief Operating Officer of Nathan Benderson Park Conservancy, when these two organizations launched their collaboration “The artists coming to the Hermitage are some of the very best in the world. It is a unique opportunity to watch their creative performances and interactions with the audience. Hosting this event at the Park is one of the many ways we are pleased to bring creativity, diversity, and culture to the Sarasota County and Manatee County communities.” 

The next “Hermitage Sunsets @ Benderson Park” program is scheduled for Thursday, May 8, 2025 at 6:30pm, with an artist to be announced. Additional dates and events will be announced for the 2025-2026 season.

All Hermitage programs are free and open to the public (with a $5/person registration fee), offering Gulf Coast audiences a rare chance to engage and interact with some of the world’s leading talent. Due to capacity limitations, registration is required at HermitageArtistRetreat.org

Hermitage Receives $80,000 Grant from Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts 

The Hermitage Artist Retreat has received an $80,000 grant award from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts in support of Hermitage visual artists and their associated public programming. These funds, spread across a two-year period, are intended to support and increase visibility for the work of Hermitage Fellows in the visual arts through support of these artists’ Hermitage residencies and associated programming.

This is the first grant award for the Hermitage from the Warhol Foundation, which is committed to providing visual artists with invaluable, career-advancing opportunities to work in partnership with other artists and organizations. The Hermitage also supports the work of artists spanning the disciplines of music, theater, literature, dance, and more.

In accordance with the will of legendary artist Andy Warhol, the mission of the Warhol Foundation is the advancement of the visual arts. The foundation manages an innovative and dynamic grants program while also preserving Warhol’s legacy through creative and responsible licensing policies and extensive scholarly research for ongoing catalogue raisonné projects. To date, the foundation has awarded nearly $300 million in cash grants to over 1,000 arts organizations around the United States and abroad, and has donated 52,786 works of art to 322 institutions worldwide. 

Andy Warhol was an avant-garde artist and philanthropic visionary; his life, work, and directive to establish a foundation for “the advancement of the visual arts” are a testament to that. The Foundation honors his cultural influence in their core values and all of the Foundation’s activities. In strong mission alignment with the Hermitage, The Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts believes in the intrinsic value of experimental artistic practice and promote artistic participation in cultural conversations at the highest level, and celebrates artistic expression as an integral part of democracy, risk-taking, and supporting underserved communities. 

“We are truly grateful to the Warhol Foundation for recognizing and celebrating the Hermitage’s contributions to the world of visual arts,” says Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg. “This invaluable support will help us to further champion the work and creative process of the diverse and accomplished Hermitage artists who are making a meaningful impact in our community and around the world.”

“We are pleased to support the Hermitage Artist Retreat, which supports and inspires artists to make ambitious new work,” says Rachel Bers, Program Director at the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. “Through its residencies and public programs, the Hermitage provides artists with important opportunities to nurture their creativity and connect audiences to their work.”

Through the Hermitage’s long standing collaboration with The Ringling Museum of Art, memorable exhibitions from Hermitage Fellows have included Sanford BiggersTrenton Doyle HancockR. Luke DuBoisAnne Patterson, Coco FuscoLaurie OlinderDavid Burnett, and more. Hermitage Greenfield Prize (HGP) winner Sandy Rodriguez’s exhibition Currents of Resistance debuts at The Ringling in April, resulting from her Hermitage commission, while Hermitage Fellow Jess T. Dugan: I Want You to Know My Name is on view at The Ringling through February.

The Hermitage presented two acclaimed alumni exhibitions at the Sarasota Art Museum in 2024. Impact: Contemporary Artists at the Hermitage Artist Retreat, featured work from ten nationally and internationally renowned Hermitage alumni artists: Diana Al-HadidSanford Biggers (2010 Hermitage Greenfield Prize winner), Chitra GaneshTodd GrayTrenton Doyle Hancock (2013 Hermitage Greenfield Prize winner), Michelle LopezTed Riederer, the late John SimsKukuli Velarde, and William VillalongoImpact was overseen by guest curator and former Hermitage Curatorial Council member Dan Cameron.This robust and imaginative exhibition featured work across a range of media, including sculpture, painting, installation, video, photography, printmaking, ceramics, textiles, and social practice, all contemplating the various ways the Hermitage residency had and continues to impact their creative practice. The Truth of the Night Sky, a Hermitage collaboration, was the second exhibition of Hermitage alumni premiering at Sarasota Art Museum. After meeting while in residence at the Hermitage Artist Retreat ten years ago and building on their friendship and collaboration, multidisciplinary visual artist Anne Patterson and composer Patrick Harlin joined forces to develop a one-of-a-kind immersive experience. The exhibition featured several works by Patterson, as well as a suspended tree and her signature satin ribbon installation work. With each step, visitors traveled imaginatively through space and time. Of their time at the Hermitage Artist Retreat, Patterson and Harlin are fond of saying that their experience was invaluable to their craft and their collaboration, allowing them to achieve new heights, find a unique environmental inspiration, and explore new possibilities in their work. The Sarasota Art Museum also recently presented the work of Hermitage Fellow Juana Valdésentitled Embodied Memories, Ancestral Histories.

A leading national arts incubator, the Hermitage is the only major arts organization in Florida’s Gulf Coast exclusively committed to supporting the development and creation of new work across all artistic disciplines. The Hermitage hosts artists on its Gulf Coast Manasota Key campus for multi-week residencies, where diverse and accomplished artists from around the world and across multiple disciplines create and develop new works of visual art, theater, music, literature, dance, film, and more. As part of their residencies, Hermitage Fellows participate in free year-round community programs, offering audiences in the region a unique opportunity to engage with some of the world’s leading artists and to get an authentic “sneak peek” into extraordinary projects and artistic minds before their works go on to major galleries, concert halls, theaters, and museums around the world. These free and innovative programs include performances, conversations, readings, music concerts, interactive experiences, open studios, school programs, teacher workshops, and more, serving thousands in our regional community each year.

Hermitage Announces March Programs in Boca Grande, Bradenton, and Sarasota

The Hermitage Artist Retreat today announced new March programs in Sarasota, Venice, Boca Grande, and Bradenton. Continuing its commitment to innovative year-round arts programming, these events will be presented throughout Florida’s Gulf Coast region. Hermitage programs celebrate works-in-process from world-renowned artists through musical performances, candid conversations, theatrical presentations, literary readings, dance performances, and more. Each of these hour-long Hermitage programs offers a completely different experience, providing the Gulf Coast community a rare glimpse into innovative works and the creative process behind them. In recent years, the Hermitage has continued to expand the geographic reach and impact of these unique programs. 

On Monday, March 3rdJames Nyoraku Schlefer returns to Sarasota for three separate performances of “Schlefer on Shakuhachi: Ancient Flute in Modern Times.” The first two daytime programs are a part of the Sarasota Institute of Lifetime Learning’s (SILL’s) “Music Mondays” series, which offers program attendees new insights and fresh perspectives on the careers of professional musicians. Performances are at 10:30am at the Church of the Palms in Sarasota and 3pm at Venice Presbyterian Church

Please note the two SILL programs are not part of the Hermitage’s traditional free programming. The first two presentations of “Schlefer on Shakuhachi” are hosted by the Sarasota Institute of Lifetime Learning (SILL) as a part of the “Music Mondays” series. $15 single tickets are available at the door for this special event with James Nyoraku Schlefer. 

That same evening, in a special sunset program on Boca Grande, Schlefer will meld the ancient sounds of the shakuhachi with the waves on Monday, March 3rd at 6pm at the Gasparilla Island State Park – Range Lighthouse on Boca Grande. James Nyoraku Schlefer’s Hermitage Residency is generously sponsored by Alice & David Court. 

Registration for the 6pm program on Boca Grande is available through the Hermitage website: HermitageArtistRetreat.org.

Revered for its sonic as well as its spiritual resonance, the simple bamboo flute known as the shakuhachi has been an iconic part of Eastern culture since at least the Eighth Century. Hermitage Fellow James Nyoraku Schlefer is one of the few non-Japanese practitioners who has achieved the rank of Grand Master, blending the instrument’s essential traditions with contemporary Western instrumentation while still honoring what many consider its meditative properties. A scholar as well as a performer, join this uniquely gifted Hermitage Fellow, learn more about the history of the shakuhachi, and hear this magical instrument played by one of its greatest living practitioners. 

On Monday, March 10th at 6:30pm, the Hermitage presents its first program at the Manatee Performing Arts Center in Bradenton. From Tony Award winners like Jeanine Tesori, Michael R. Jackson, and Doug Wright, to generative artists and composers revolutionizing the form like Adam GwonZoe SarnakRona Siddiqui, and more, the Hermitage provides space and time to some of the most exciting musical theater writers working today. Hear selections from acclaimed Hermitage composers, librettists, and lyricists, performed by the Gulf Coast’s finest talents at this special program in Manatee County. In addition to the works themselves, “Songs from the SandAn Evening of Hermitage Music” provides audiences with the opportunity to hear little-known stories about the creation of some of New York theater’s recent success stories and insights into the creative process.

Next up on Thursday, March 13th at 6pm, Hermitage Fellow and author Jamila Minnicks will present “Moonrise Over New Work” at Bookstore1 in downtown Sarasota. Minnicks’ debut novel Moonrise Over New Jessup won the 2021 PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction, the 2024 Black Caucus for the American Library Association First Novelist Award, and the 2023 Southern Literary Review Book of the Year. The novel boldly questions the value of integration and acceptance if it means losing the comfort that separation has created. Hear selections from this incredible story, read by the author, and get a taste of where this gifted writer will take you in her next novel as she works to complete it while in residence at the Hermitage. Jamila Minnicks’ Hermitage Residency is generously sponsored by Georgia Court & Robin Radin.

All Hermitage programs are free and open to the public (with a $5/person registration fee), offering Gulf Coast audiences a rare chance to engage and interact with some of the world’s leading talent. Due to capacity limitations, registration is required at HermitageArtistRetreat.org(The two SILL programs in Sarasota and Venice are not part of the Hermitage registration.)

Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-Winning Playwright Doug Wright Returns to Sarasota

The Hermitage Artist Retreat announces a new program with Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winner Doug Wright as he returns to Sarasota for “The PlayWRIGHT’s the Thing.” Join the Hermitage at the Asolo’s Cook Theater in the FSU Center for Performing Arts, as Wright engages in conversation with Hermitage Artistic Director Andy Sandberg on Monday, February 10th at 6pm. In addition, program attendees will have the opportunity to hear selections from Wright’s lesser-known original works, performed by some of Sarasota’s brightest talents. Register here.

With his hit Broadway play Good Night, Oscar gearing up for its regional premiere at Asolo Repertory Theatre this spring, Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning playwright, screenwriter, and librettist Doug Wrighthas been creating celebrated works of theater and film for over two decades. Many of Wright’s worlds and characters have their basis in real life people and events, from Charlotte von Mahlsdorf in I Am My Own Wife, to Big and Little Edie in Grey Gardens, to the famous rivalry between Helena Rubenstein and Elizabeth Arden in War Paint. Hear what draws this acclaimed playwright to these stories, as well as other fascinating insights into his process. 

Wright is a proud Hermitage alumnus and trustee, and he served as a juror for the inaugural Hermitage Major Theater Award in 2021. He has remained an engaged and active member of the Hermitage alumni community. His Broadway credits include I Am My Own Wife (Pulitzer Prize; Tony Award), Grey Gardens,Hands on a HardbodyWar Paintand The Little MermaidIn film, Wright’s credits include screenplays for Fine Line Features, Fox Searchlight, and DreamWorks SKG, among others. His recent Amazon film The Burial stars Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild, where he served as President for many years. He previously returned to the Gulf Coast just last year, where he presented Hermitage programs in collaboration with SILL in Sarasota and Venice, as well as a Hermitage event in Boca Grande.

His most recent play, Good Night, Oscar, originally directed by Hermitage Fellow Lisa Peterson, received critical acclaim at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre before transferring to Broadway, where it earned SeanHayes a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Lead Actor. Asolo Repertory Theatre will present the Florida premiere of Good Night, Oscar this spring, running April 2-26, 2025.

Programs are free and open to the public (with a $5/person registration fee), offering Gulf Coast audiences a rare chance to engage and interact with some of the world’s leading talent. Due to capacity limitations, registration is required at HermitageArtistRetreat.org.

Hermitage Announces Fourth Annual Concert in the Ruby E. Crosby Alumni Music Series:“Piano in the Key of Vijay” 

The Hermitage Artist Retreat is pleased to announce the fourth annual concert in the Ruby E. Crosby Alumni Music Series at the Hermitage, featuring Grammy-nominated composer and award-winning pianist Vijay Iyer. This event will take place on Thursday, February 20th at 7pm at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens (Downtown Sarasota). This alumni music initiative was launched in 2022 to a full-capacity crowd at Selby Gardens with “Soulful Strings: An Evening of Harp Music,” featuring celebrated harpist and Hermitage alumna Ashley Jackson. The 2023 concert, “The Pop-Rock-Folk World of Zoe Sarnak,” featured award-winning New York City-based Hermitage alumna Zoe Sarnak, with Sarasota-based vocalists and musicians performing Sarnak’s original songs at Nathan Benderson Park. Last year’s concert, “Piano Classics Remade,” featured world-renowned pianist and Hermitage alumnus Conrad Tao performing for a sold-out crowd at Selby Gardens. 

This year, the Ruby E. Crosby Alumni Music Series at the Hermitage continues   this popular series with Grammy Award-nominated pianist, composer, and past Hermitage Greenfield Prize winner Vijay Iyer. Described by The New York Times as a “social conscience, multimedia collaborator, system builder, rhapsodist, historical thinker, and multicultural gateway,” Hermitage Fellow and composer-pianist Vijay Iyerhas earned a place as one of the leading music-makers of his generation. Beyond his recognition as aHermitage Greenfield Prize winner in the discipline of music, his honors include a MacArthur Fellowship, a Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, a United States Artist Fellowship, three Grammy Award nominations, and the Alpert Award in the Arts. 

The Ruby E. Crosby Alumni Music Series at the Hermitage offers the opportunity for a distinguished Hermitage alum to return for additional residency time and a special community concert. This initiative is made possible by a generous multi-year gift from the Ruby E. and Carole Crosby Family Foundation. Current Hermitage Board President Carole Crosby initiated this gift as a special tribute to her mother Ruby, who helped to inspire her own deep love of music. A musician herself, Carole Crosby graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music and played the harp in both the Atlanta Symphony and Detroit Symphony.

“The Hermitage brings some of the most talented artists and performers in the world to our community,” said Crosby. “Music was always incredibly important to me and to my mother, so it’s an honor to celebrate her memory with this initiative spotlighting and supporting some truly extraordinary composers and musicians. I am deeply inspired by the Hermitage’s commitment to these artists and the impact these magnificent talents are having in our region.”

“We are incredibly excited to welcome Vijay Iyer back to the Gulf Coast to share his talents with our growing Hermitage audience,” added Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg. “Vijay is one of the most innovative composers of his generation, not to mention an early recipient of the Hermitage Greenfield Prize. As we continue to reengage with and provide more opportunities for Hermitage alumni, this generous gift from Carole Crosby in her mother’s honor allows our community to celebrate and reconvene with groundbreaking musical talents who have come to know Sarasota through their time at the Hermitage.”

There isn’t much Hermitage Greenfield Prize winner Vijay Iyer hasn’t done in the world of music. A Grammy Award-nominated composer, he has performed at the world’s most iconic venues, composed works premiered by leading institutions such as the London Philharmonic, and collaborated with celebrated musicians and ensembles similarly admired for their innovative approach, such as Hermitage Fellow Claire Chase and the International Contemporary Ensemble. His newest albums are Defiant Life, his second suite of duets with visionary composer-trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith; Compassion, featuring his acclaimed trio with drummer Tyshawn Sorey and bassist Linda May Han Oh; Trouble, a composer portrait album comprising three of his orchestral works, including the titular violin concerto performed by Jennifer Koh; and Love in Exile, his Grammy Award-nominated collaboration with Arooj Aftab and Shahzad Ismaily. He teaches at Harvard University. The original composition resulting from Vijay’s Hermitage Greenfield Prize, Bruits, was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2022, performed by the critically acclaimed ensemble Imani Winds.

“Piano in the Key of Vijay” will be presented at Selby Gardens’ Event Center (Downtown Sarasota) on Thursday, February 20th at 7pm. This program is free and open to the public with a $5/person registration fee. Registration is required at HermitageArtistRetreat.orgCapacity is limited, and registration is available on a first-come, first-served basis, at which time registration will shift to a waitlist. Previous events in this series have reached capacity, so early registration is strongly encouraged.