On Thursday, August 17th at 7 pm, join us for:
“Jazz it Up with Joe Donato”

Doors open at 6 pm if you’d like to stop by early and check out our new exhibit, “Florida’s Got the Blues.”

Free refreshments. Please RSVP by calling our office between Tuesday and Saturday at (352) 341-6428.

At this event, Mr. Donato will share his extensive knowledge on the origins and history of jazz while delighting the audience with his saxophone. Joe Donato is a saxophonist, band leader, composer, and lyricist in the field of jazz and has been inducted into the Jazz Hall of Fame. He has performed with some of the greats: Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey, Carmen McRae, Nina Simone and Jack Jones. He has toured throughout the United States of America, Canada, Central and South America, Europe, and Asia. Mr. Donato has performed as a soloist with the Jerry Fischer Jazz Orchestra, and has served as an adjunct professor at The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at The University of Miami.

Donato was born in New Jersey, studied saxophone and started touring with The Honeycombs when he was 15. He performed with other groups, mainly in the South, until 1968. Though reading music was not his forte, Donato won a scholarship to study at Houston Baptist College. While he was honing his musical talents, the Dean of The University of Miami School of Music heard Donato perform and offered him a scholarship to study. He’s been playing music out of South Florida since.