Singing Mermaids and Antique Jewels

The Culture Edit, November 10th-November 23rd

Author

Susan Bannon
November 09, 2025

Florida Grand Opera’s season opener, the World War I drama Silent Night, headlines the cultural calendar this week; and to celebrate, FGO commissioned this trippy short film by AI filmmaker and fashion designer Keith Lissner. The company says more of Lissner’s work will be coming up this season - should be interesting!

In case you need something special to accessorize your ballgown for their gala opening night, the new Coconut Grove Jewelry & Watch Show has got you covered. It opens Friday, showcasing vintage, antique, and estate pieces from dealers around the world for three days at the Hangar at Regatta Harbor.

Also coming up this weekend, Miami New Drama opens their season with Holocaust drama Here There Are Blueberries, and the Miami Book Fair kicks off its 42nd edition on Sunday with a block party headlined by legendary producer and DJ Kenny Dope. So much to see!

Let’s get planning…

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Opera

Silent Night

The Minnesota Opera performing “Silent Night,” 2018. Photo: Don Norman

Florida Grand Opera opens its season with Pulitzer Prize-winning opera Silent Night, a moving and tragic retelling of the spontaneous Christmas Eve ceasefire between Scottish, French, and German troops during World War I. Composer Kevin Puts’s sweeping score blends everything from simple folk tunes to grand, cinematic orchestration, capturing the raw emotion of both battle and brotherhood. *If you plan to attend the Saturday premiere, be aware people get really dressed up. So if you’re looking for an excuse to break out the tux or ballgown, this is it!

November 15th-18th, Ziff Ballet Opera House at the Arsht, $30-$250

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

Nearby Eats: Brasserie Laurel, Casadonna, Klaw | Drinks: Klaw rooftop, Vice Versa

Theater

The Mother

To open the Arsht Center’s Theater Up Close series, Zoetic Stage presents The Mother, part of Florian Zeller’s searing, award-winning family trilogy (also including The Father and The Son). The play, starring multi-Carbonell winning actress (and friend of the newsletter) Jeni Hacker, chronicles a fateful night in the life of the titular mother, as she wrestles with her place in the world once her duties as a mother are no longer needed and her husband is largely absent. If that sounds rather tame, reviews of this play during it’s acclaimed Off Broadway run indicate her growing rage and unraveling mind all but set the stage on fire.

Through November 23rd, 7:30 evenings, 2:30 matinees, Carnival Studio Theater at the Arsht, $56-$61

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

Here There Are Blueberries

Miami New Drama opens its season with Here There Are Blueberries, a 2024 Pulitzer Prize finalist written by Miami New Drama co-founder Moisés Kaufman with playwright Amanda Gronich. Named one of the “10 Best Plays of 2024” by The Wall Street Journal, the play follows the true story of a mysterious album containing Nazi-era photographs that found its way to the U.S. Holocaust Museum archives in 2007. As curators unravel the shocking truth behind the images, the album soon makes headlines and ignites a debate that reverberates far beyond the museum walls.

November 13th-December 7th, Miami New Drama at the Colony Theatre, $45-$95

Neighborhood: Lincoln Road

More Upcoming Theater:

  • Opening Wednesday, November 19th: Man of La Mancha, the beloved Tony-award winning musical inspired by Cervantes’ Don Quixote, at Actors’ Playhouse through December 21st.

  • Opening Friday, November 21st: Left on Tenth, a story of second chances in life and love, based on Delia Ephron’s best-selling memoir, at Gablestage through December 21st.

Art Openings & Events

Woody De Othello Opening at PAMM

Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) hosts an evening of conversation, art, and dancing to celebrate the opening of coming forth by day, a new series of ceramic and wood sculptures from Miami-born, Haitian-American artist Woody De Othello. The immersive exhibit features grounding natural materials and subtle herbal scents to explore “the primordial relationship between body, earth, and spirit.” The night starts with an artist talk with exhibition curator Jennifer Inacio, followed by a DJ set by Miami’s own Paperwater on the terrace.

Thursday, November 13th, talk at 7:30, Paperwater at 9, PAMMSonic til 11, PAMM, $18

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

Nearby Eats: Verde at PAMM, Eight Bar (new!), Yamashiro (new!) | Drinks: Verde, Vice Versa

Spinello Projects’ 20th Anniversary Show

To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Spinello Projects is putting on a blockbuster show of fifteen well-known artists that have been a part of the gallery’s history and Miami’s evolving cultural landscape. Changes: Reflections on Time & Space will show seminal works from founder Anthony Spinello’s personal art collection, along with new or recent works by the same artists, many of whom share deep ties to Miami. Featured artists include Esaí Alfredo, Marlon Portales, and Kris Knight. This exhibit technically opens December 1st for Art Week, but you can get a first look at the “Locals Only” preview November 20th.

Preview Thursday, November 20th, 6-9pm, Spinello Projects, Free

Neighborhood: Allapattah

More Art Events:

  • Wednesday, November 12th: a mid-show garden reception for Josh Aronson’s Florida Boys (which just got a glowing feature in Vogue) at Baker—Hall Gallery, 7-9pm.

  • November 13th-December 20th: No Vacancy, a juried competition that puts immersive art installations in landmark hotels across Miami Beach, returns for its 6th edition, featuring work by Edison Peñafiel, Pepe Mar, and Nathalie Alfonso, among others.

  • Saturday, November 15th: Angles of Incredulity, a solo show of the work of multimedia artist Ariel Orozco opens at Dimensions Variable, with a reception from 6-9pm.

Indie Cinema

Opening Night: Miami short Film Festival

Turkish film “Tasliman” by director Gokhan Bulut opens the Miami short Film Festival.

Each year, the Miami short Film Festival brings us short films from around the world, showcasing some of the best independent, up-and-coming filmmakers. A red carpet reception at O Cinema South Beach kicks off the fest, with a selection of six films that fall under the theme of “defiance,” whether against injustice, fate, or the quiet pressures of everyday life. The festival continues through the weekend, with nine different compilations of selected shorts around town. You can check out the full calendar of screenings here.

Friday, November 14th, 8pm, O Cinema South Beach, $40, or $125 for 3-Day Festival Pass

Neighborhood: South Beach

The Librarians: Screening and Director Q&A

Coral Gables Art Cinema welcomes director Kim Snyder for a screening and post-show Q&A on her new film, The Librarians. Called “a different kind of superhero movie” by the Hollywood Reporter, the film follows a group of librarians as they fight the rising censorship movement sweeping the U.S. despite harassment, threats, and laws aimed at criminalizing their work.

Saturday, November 22nd, 12pm, Coral Gables Art Cinema, $16

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

Music

Dvořák's New World Symphony

Ladies, this man is a conductor and he’s leading New World Symphony this month!

One of today’s most exciting young conductors, Domingo Hindoyan has made waves as Conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Guest Conductor for marquee orchestras around the world. He’ll be making his New World Symphony debut, fittingly taking on Dvořák’s New World Symphony, one of the most famous symphonies of all time. Also on the program, celebrated young cello virtuoso Johannes Moser returns to NWS for Glanert’s Cello Concerto. This double bill of talented young artists is selling out fast, but if you can’t score a ticket, Saturday’s performance will be projected as a free WALLCAST concert in adjacent Soundscape park.

November 15th-16th, 7:30pm Saturday, 2pm Sunday, New World Center, $40-$175

Neighborhood: Lincoln Road

Nearby Eats: Pauline (opening Nov. 12th!), AVIV, Las’ Lap | Drinks: Water Lion at the Sagamore, Medium Cool

Sunday, November 16th

MISO Season Opener

Recently designated the Official Symphony Orchestra of the City of Miami by Mayor Suarez, the Miami Symphony Orchestra (aka MISO) opens its 2025-26 season with Wagner’s iconic Tristan & Isolde Prelude and special guest cellist Anna Litvinenko for Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B Minor, under the direction of conductor Eduardo Marturet.

Sunday, November 16th, 6pm, Knight Concert Hall at the Arsht Center, $47-$164

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

More Upcoming Music Events:

  • Friday, November 14th: to celebrate their favorite composer, the insanely talented singers and early music instrumentalists of Seraphic Fire present an evening devoted entirely to Bach, at 7:30pm at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church.

  • Sunday, November 16th: Miami Chamber Music Society presents Unbroken, an intimate recital of works by Shostakovich and Brahms by stars of the Sarasota Orchestra, at Sanctuary of the Arts at 4pm.

  • Saturday, November 22nd: Celia Sinfónica, a creative celebration of the life and music of Celia Cruz, with reimagined orchestral arrangements of her timeless songs performed by the FIU Symphony Orchestra, comes to the Arsht Center for one night only, at 8pm.

  • Saturday, November 22nd: Orchestra Miami presents, From Berlin to Broadway, a musical revue celebrating the songs of composer Kurt Weill (Mack the Knife, September Song), featuring four singing actors and a cabaret-style ensemble, at 7pm.

  • Saturday, November 22nd: everyone’s favorite Christmas music comes to life in A Charlie Brown Christmas Concert, featuring award-winning pianist Zach Bartholomew and his trio, at the Moss Center, at 5pm and 7:30pm.

  • November 22nd-23rd: Mexican conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto leads the New World Symphony in a concert celebrating the music of the Americas, at New World Center.

Book Talks & Events

Miami Book Fair: Opening Day Block Party

Each November, the Miami Book Fair takes over downtown for eight days to host hundreds of acclaimed authors in three languages, talking politics, pop culture, prose, poetry - and of course, selling autographed books. Check out the author list here to see who’s coming and reserve your seats. This year, the fair is leveling up its DJ game for the opening day block party, with four-time Grammy nominee and legendary producer Kenny Dope manning the turntables.

Opening Day Block Party Sunday, November 16th, 4pm, Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus and environs, Free

Neighborhood: Downtown

Kamala Harris on 107 Days

Books & Books and the Arsht Center present an evening with Kamala Harris, discussing her book 107 Days, recounting the dramatic, chaotic three months between her selection as the Democratic candidate for President and Election Day 2024. Written with remarkable candor and the pace of a thriller, 107 Days is the ultimate insider account of one of the wildest and most consequential elections in American history.

Thursday, November 20th, 8pm, Arsht Center, $73

Neighborhood: Downtown Arts & Entertainment District

More Literary Events:

Dance

Syncopate Collective: Five Fingers, Six Strings

Syncopate Collective presents Five Fingers, Six Strings, a dance journey inspired by Flamenco guitar, specifically the “divine connection between its six harmonic strings and the musicians virtuous fingers.” Choreographer Rafael Ruiz-del-Vizo uses the language of contemporary dance to tell an abstract story of the trials and tribulations an individual, and a group, must overcome to create harmony and elevation.

Saturday, November 15th, 8pm, Sanctuary of the Arts, $33

Neighborhood: Coral Gables

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…

Sunday, November 30th

Progressive Art Brunch: Art Week Edition

As longtime readers of this newsletter know, I adore the Progressive Art Brunch whenever it comes around. It’s a fun, prosecco-fueled sprint through many of Miami’s best galleries, so what’s not to love? But the Art Week edition is a special one, with every single participating gallery opening a new show - and very possibly their best of the year - that day for Art Week. If you can only attend one PAB all year, this is the one!

11am-4pm, Various Galleries, Free

Neighborhoods: Allapattah, Little River, Little Haiti

Nearby Eats: Hometown BBQ (Allapattah), the Citadel (Little River), Bar Bucce (Little River) | Drinks: Imperial Moto (Coffee), Off Site Nano Brewery 

December 7th-14th

A Seraphic Fire Christmas

In the spirit of giving, Seraphic Fire gives its audience what it wants - a holiday concert, complete with candlelight, a reading of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, and a fan favorite playlist featuring all your favorite carols (Silent Night, O Come All Ye Faithful, et al), plus more modern Christmas classics like Jesus Christ the Apple Tree. Even better, they are coming to a church near you, with four performances around town.

December 7th at St. Philip’s Episcopal (Coral Gables), 7:30pm, $85-$115

December 12th at Church of the Little Flower (also Coral Gables), 8pm, $65-$95

December 9th at St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church (The Roads), 7:30pm, $85-$115

December 14th at The Moss Center (Cutler Bay), 4pm, $30-$65

Nearby Eats: Platea, Golden Rule Seafood | Drinks: Ivy Rooftop, Fox’s 

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