Hermitage Sunsets: “Book, Music, and Lyrics,” featuring Emmy Award and Drama Desk nominee Mark Sonnenblick

The Hermitage Artist Retreat’s popular series, “Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens,” continues into its fifth anniversary as part of the Hermitage’s 2024-2025 season. The outdoor series — a celebrated collaboration between the Hermitage and Marie Selby Botanical Gardens — features performances and explorations of works-in-progress by Hermitage artists-in-residence and alumni.  “Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens” events are currently scheduled to take place at Selby Gardens’ Downtown Sarasota campus and the Historic Spanish Point campus in Osprey. Registration for all events is $5.00 per person and free to Selby Gardens Members. Registration is required at HermitageArtistRetreat.org.

A Hermitage Fellow and recipient of a Jonathan Larson Grant, Sonnenblick will share stories and songs from his original works, and will preview some of what might be next for this rising star of the musical theater world. This Hermitage program will take place on Thursday, January 30th at 5:30pm at Selby Gardens’ downtown campus.

Fresh off the ‘heels’ of his collaboration with Elton John on the West End premiere of The Devil Wears Prada and celebrated for his talents as a lyricist, book writer, and composer, Hermitage Fellow Mark Sonnenblick‘s work has been called “lushly romantic” by The New York Times, as well as “sly and unexpectedly subversive” by The New Yorker.

With a career that already spans stage and screen, including songs on such hits as Apple’s Spirited, starring Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell, Searchlight Pictures’ Theater Camp, and Netflix’s Lyle Lyle Crocodile, Sonnenblick’s talents span multiple styles and genres. Mark Sonnenblick‘s Hermitage residency is generously sponsored by the Huisking Family Fund of Community Foundation of Sarasota County.