WEBVTT
00:00:08.339 --> 00:00:11.179
Welcome back to County Conversations, a program
00:00:11.179 --> 00:00:14.500
to help keep our community informed and understanding
00:00:14.500 --> 00:00:17.679
of community programs and events provided by
00:00:17.679 --> 00:00:20.100
St. John's County. On this episode of County
00:00:20.100 --> 00:00:22.399
Conversations, we're pleased to have back Diana
00:00:22.399 --> 00:00:24.920
Markowitz, who's the Director of Public Relations
00:00:24.920 --> 00:00:28.079
and Partnerships for St. John's County Cultural
00:00:28.079 --> 00:00:31.030
Events, Inc. a non -profit in our community doing
00:00:31.030 --> 00:00:33.649
wonderful work when it comes to the music scene
00:00:33.649 --> 00:00:36.170
here in our community. Diana, let's jump right
00:00:36.170 --> 00:00:39.369
into where we left off with one of the two facilities
00:00:39.369 --> 00:00:42.810
that your organization manages, and that's the
00:00:42.810 --> 00:00:46.710
AMP, or St. Augustine Amphitheater. We talked
00:00:46.710 --> 00:00:49.890
about the AMP experience, but let's do a deeper
00:00:49.890 --> 00:00:53.289
dive into the phenomenal rankings of the AMP
00:00:53.289 --> 00:00:57.119
in terms of its stature. uh and awareness not
00:00:57.119 --> 00:00:59.840
only in the united states but across the world
00:00:59.840 --> 00:01:02.579
yes well we are so proud and incredibly grateful
00:01:02.579 --> 00:01:05.319
to all to everyone who's who's contributed to
00:01:05.319 --> 00:01:07.480
our success because you can't do it without the
00:01:07.480 --> 00:01:09.239
patrons you can't do it without the artists the
00:01:09.239 --> 00:01:12.120
volunteers and the staff but um yes we recently
00:01:12.120 --> 00:01:14.540
ranked number one in the united states and number
00:01:14.540 --> 00:01:18.599
two in the world behind sydney um sydney australia's
00:01:18.599 --> 00:01:22.750
amphitheater uh in poll star's 2026 mid -year
00:01:22.750 --> 00:01:25.150
top 50 amphitheaters, again, number one in the
00:01:25.150 --> 00:01:27.310
United States and number two in the world. And
00:01:27.310 --> 00:01:31.629
we're just incredibly proud of that honor. And
00:01:31.629 --> 00:01:33.170
again, we couldn't do that without the artists
00:01:33.170 --> 00:01:35.170
and the patrons and everybody who contributes
00:01:35.170 --> 00:01:38.150
to the success of the amphitheater. We were also
00:01:38.150 --> 00:01:41.170
awarded Top East Coast Amphitheater by Billboard
00:01:41.170 --> 00:01:44.469
Magazine in their annual top music venues list
00:01:44.469 --> 00:01:47.900
in February of 2026. Diana, it's important for
00:01:47.900 --> 00:01:50.299
our listeners and viewers to know that these
00:01:50.299 --> 00:01:53.040
rankings that you just spoke of are not new in
00:01:53.040 --> 00:01:56.260
terms of the AMP being ranked before. I mean,
00:01:56.420 --> 00:01:58.239
this for several years, the last couple years,
00:01:58.359 --> 00:02:01.079
it seems every six to nine months, 12 months,
00:02:01.579 --> 00:02:04.000
you all are announcing some other award or ranking
00:02:04.000 --> 00:02:07.629
recognition. So this is not new. We've consistently
00:02:07.629 --> 00:02:11.990
ranked in the top 5 in the United States and
00:02:11.990 --> 00:02:14.289
top 10 in the world for the past several years
00:02:14.289 --> 00:02:16.310
from Polestar. Yes, we are very pleased with
00:02:16.310 --> 00:02:18.490
that and it's just testament to the hard work
00:02:18.490 --> 00:02:20.469
and dedication. But again, we couldn't do any
00:02:20.469 --> 00:02:22.330
of this if the artists didn't play the venue
00:02:22.330 --> 00:02:25.289
and the fans didn't come. So we are incredibly
00:02:25.289 --> 00:02:28.120
grateful to those. those folks who help us be
00:02:28.120 --> 00:02:30.500
successful. And part of the folks that help you
00:02:30.500 --> 00:02:33.120
be successful is your staff. You mentioned that
00:02:33.120 --> 00:02:35.879
in an earlier episode, but you've got dedicated
00:02:35.879 --> 00:02:37.900
staff that'll show up in the wee hours of the
00:02:37.900 --> 00:02:40.419
morning to help unload a truck, that'll address
00:02:40.419 --> 00:02:43.840
customer patron issues or opportunities, and
00:02:43.840 --> 00:02:46.020
just your staff is really the backbone of your
00:02:46.020 --> 00:02:48.199
operation, I would say. Yes, thank you. And we
00:02:48.199 --> 00:02:51.569
take pride in being very responsive. We read
00:02:51.569 --> 00:02:54.789
the DMs in social media. We read the Google reviews.
00:02:54.969 --> 00:02:58.349
We read the emails. We respond as often as possible.
00:02:58.789 --> 00:03:00.449
People come to the box office. We're there to
00:03:00.449 --> 00:03:02.569
help them with any issue that they need. Day
00:03:02.569 --> 00:03:04.590
of show. We've got an information tent right
00:03:04.590 --> 00:03:06.349
there at the entrance of the amphitheater. So
00:03:06.349 --> 00:03:08.770
if you have an issue or you just want to say,
00:03:08.789 --> 00:03:11.169
hey, thanks, and I wanted to meet somebody behind
00:03:11.169 --> 00:03:14.409
the scene. There we are. We want to be accessible
00:03:14.409 --> 00:03:16.110
because we are part of the community. We are
00:03:16.110 --> 00:03:18.889
community owned, community led, community operated.
00:03:19.129 --> 00:03:22.569
And we take that mission and that pledge very
00:03:22.569 --> 00:03:26.360
seriously. And you also get support from partner
00:03:26.360 --> 00:03:29.879
agencies like the Sheriff's Office. The amphitheater
00:03:29.879 --> 00:03:33.340
is there. You've got an area for pedestrian crossing
00:03:33.340 --> 00:03:35.520
and the St. John's Sheriff's Office is there
00:03:35.520 --> 00:03:38.120
to help you with that and also provide security.
00:03:38.319 --> 00:03:41.259
There's rarely if ever an incident at the venue.
00:03:41.340 --> 00:03:43.259
Talk a little bit about the safety and security
00:03:43.259 --> 00:03:45.759
of traversing to the facility and once you're
00:03:45.759 --> 00:03:47.800
there. Well we take that very seriously as well.
00:03:47.860 --> 00:03:49.840
Our front of house staff is dedicated to making
00:03:49.840 --> 00:03:54.530
sure that pedestrians pedestrian safety is paramount.
00:03:54.689 --> 00:03:56.770
So yes, we have people blocking off the streets.
00:03:56.849 --> 00:03:59.409
We manage the traffic flow in and out of the
00:03:59.409 --> 00:04:01.909
venue. We've got a trolley system that we're
00:04:01.909 --> 00:04:04.490
extremely proud of. We've partnered with Old
00:04:04.490 --> 00:04:08.110
Town Trolley's to ensure safe, efficient and
00:04:08.110 --> 00:04:10.310
pleasant travel when you park at the satellite
00:04:10.310 --> 00:04:14.439
parking areas. Let's traverse from the amp to
00:04:14.439 --> 00:04:16.720
the Panamese Concert Hall. In an earlier episode,
00:04:16.759 --> 00:04:19.839
you did talk about the the AV awards that you
00:04:19.839 --> 00:04:23.620
recently are a finalist for competing, I think,
00:04:23.819 --> 00:04:26.720
with one venue in Australia. But let's do a deeper
00:04:26.720 --> 00:04:29.300
dive. What does that mean? Is that audio board,
00:04:29.540 --> 00:04:31.240
sound and lights, the quality of the lights,
00:04:31.399 --> 00:04:33.810
the operators kind of... take us on a deep dive
00:04:33.810 --> 00:04:38.850
into what goes on behind putting on such a wonderful
00:04:38.850 --> 00:04:43.170
performance of light and show. Sure, sure. So
00:04:43.170 --> 00:04:45.350
for folks that are unfamiliar with Panavitra
00:04:45.350 --> 00:04:47.629
Concert Hall, it's about 40 minutes north of
00:04:47.629 --> 00:04:49.370
the St. Augustine Amphitheater up in northern
00:04:49.370 --> 00:04:52.689
St. John's County. We recently underwent a massive
00:04:52.689 --> 00:04:56.209
renovation, $12 .9 million reimagining of the
00:04:56.209 --> 00:04:58.810
Panavitra Concert Hall. We expanded our capacity.
00:04:59.069 --> 00:05:01.129
We have enhanced production capabilities. We
00:05:01.129 --> 00:05:04.009
brought in an exceptional sound system. It's
00:05:04.009 --> 00:05:08.110
L Acoustics L2D system. We were one of only two
00:05:08.110 --> 00:05:10.250
in the United States to install it at the time,
00:05:10.709 --> 00:05:12.970
but now the word's gotten out that L Acoustics
00:05:12.970 --> 00:05:15.149
is phenomenal, so plenty of other venues have
00:05:15.149 --> 00:05:17.410
followed suit, but we're so proud of that sound
00:05:17.410 --> 00:05:20.189
system. We invested over one million dollars
00:05:20.189 --> 00:05:23.329
into that sound and audio in that audio and visual
00:05:23.329 --> 00:05:27.560
system. We've got a larger stage. This is an
00:05:27.560 --> 00:05:29.600
interesting statistic. The original square footage
00:05:29.600 --> 00:05:33.060
of the building was 10 ,500. The new square footage
00:05:33.060 --> 00:05:36.220
is 25 ,000. And speaking of square footage, going
00:05:36.220 --> 00:05:38.220
back in the day, it used to be a church. It used
00:05:38.220 --> 00:05:40.860
to be a church, yes, in the 1980s. It was a Baptist
00:05:40.860 --> 00:05:44.639
church, yes. And then in 2011, we reopened it
00:05:44.639 --> 00:05:46.839
as Ponte Vedra Concert Hall. And since then,
00:05:46.879 --> 00:05:50.240
we've had over 1 ,100 acts come through the Ponte
00:05:50.240 --> 00:05:53.720
Vedra Concert Hall. It is an outstanding inside
00:05:53.720 --> 00:05:58.720
venue. So very intimate, 638 seated, 1100 standing.
00:05:58.839 --> 00:06:01.180
So we have standing and seated shows. Similar
00:06:01.180 --> 00:06:03.240
to the amphitheater, it can be a seated or standing
00:06:03.240 --> 00:06:05.860
pit. People often ask us, well, how do you determine
00:06:05.860 --> 00:06:08.339
that? That's up to the band. It's up to the band
00:06:08.339 --> 00:06:10.819
if they wanted a seated or standing pit. But
00:06:10.819 --> 00:06:12.420
at Ponte Vedro Concert Hall, it's so versatile,
00:06:12.639 --> 00:06:15.600
so intimate, and that sound is so good that we
00:06:15.600 --> 00:06:18.120
were actually nominated. We were shortlisted
00:06:18.120 --> 00:06:21.699
for the Mondo DR Awards. And that's recognizing
00:06:21.699 --> 00:06:24.459
excellence in audio, acoustics, lighting, and
00:06:24.459 --> 00:06:27.000
venue technology. We went up against a venue
00:06:27.000 --> 00:06:29.060
in Sydney, Australia, the Sydney Opera House,
00:06:29.480 --> 00:06:32.339
the Waku Hall in Japan, and the Glasgow Royal
00:06:32.339 --> 00:06:35.160
Concert Hall in Scotland. We lost to the Sydney
00:06:35.160 --> 00:06:37.779
Opera House, but we lost to the Sydney Opera
00:06:37.779 --> 00:06:40.720
House. I mean, we were in the pantheon of that
00:06:40.720 --> 00:06:43.839
venue, and that's fantastic. We were the only
00:06:43.839 --> 00:06:46.060
venue in the Americas to be nominated for excellence
00:06:46.060 --> 00:06:51.319
in this category. prestigious organizations like
00:06:51.319 --> 00:06:55.220
the PGA wanting to hitch their cart to your horse,
00:06:55.220 --> 00:06:58.040
so to speak, because just most recently with
00:06:58.040 --> 00:07:01.120
the golf tournament in town, there was some first
00:07:01.120 --> 00:07:05.459
ever events. Sounds of Sawgrass. Sounds of Sawgrass
00:07:05.459 --> 00:07:09.019
was our first partnership with TPC and we're
00:07:09.019 --> 00:07:10.860
so with the players championship and we're so
00:07:10.860 --> 00:07:14.339
excited about it. We had Robert Earl Keane and
00:07:14.339 --> 00:07:18.299
forgive me. I've forgotten the other other player,
00:07:18.299 --> 00:07:20.680
but we were so thrilled to have that partnership
00:07:20.680 --> 00:07:22.819
because it's such an exciting week for the county
00:07:22.819 --> 00:07:25.519
and they realized we need stuff to do at night.
00:07:25.519 --> 00:07:27.600
So we said let's have parties and let's have
00:07:27.600 --> 00:07:30.579
shows at Panavidra Concert Hall. So a great program.
00:07:31.139 --> 00:07:33.519
So you've talked a lot in the community. You're
00:07:33.519 --> 00:07:36.120
on the speaking circuit a lot promoting, as you
00:07:36.120 --> 00:07:41.480
should be, the efforts of the organization SJCCE.
00:07:41.959 --> 00:07:45.139
One of the terms you've used a lot recently is
00:07:45.139 --> 00:07:47.639
something called music tourism. What is music
00:07:47.639 --> 00:07:50.680
tourism and how does that fit into the business
00:07:50.680 --> 00:07:53.199
model for your organization? Sure. Music tourism
00:07:53.199 --> 00:07:56.379
has been a buzzword over the past couple of years.
00:07:56.620 --> 00:07:59.139
It refers to travel where the primary motivation
00:07:59.139 --> 00:08:03.220
is to see a music event or a musical site, to
00:08:03.220 --> 00:08:06.339
see a festival, maybe go to where Elvis was born.
00:08:06.379 --> 00:08:08.939
Think about that. Graceland, that is music tourism.
00:08:09.519 --> 00:08:11.560
Music tourism is alive and well here. in St.
00:08:11.639 --> 00:08:13.759
John's County. When I talk about multi -night
00:08:13.759 --> 00:08:15.839
shows at the amphitheater and at the concert
00:08:15.839 --> 00:08:19.040
hall, we had Billy Strings for three nights and
00:08:19.040 --> 00:08:21.959
over 70 % of the people that came for that show
00:08:21.959 --> 00:08:24.339
were from out of the area. These people would
00:08:24.339 --> 00:08:26.180
imagine, you know, they used to do Grateful Dead
00:08:26.180 --> 00:08:28.300
tours, right, where people would go in caravans
00:08:28.300 --> 00:08:30.899
and follow these bands around. that is alive
00:08:30.899 --> 00:08:33.940
and well today and people go to places first
00:08:33.940 --> 00:08:35.899
of all they see that their favorite act is playing
00:08:35.899 --> 00:08:37.700
somewhere really cool and they say i'm going
00:08:37.700 --> 00:08:39.960
there and we're going to go see that show and
00:08:39.960 --> 00:08:42.799
that's what happens that's music tourism and
00:08:42.799 --> 00:08:46.100
to bridge from music tourism to one of the most
00:08:46.100 --> 00:08:50.519
uh well sought after weekends weekends of events
00:08:50.519 --> 00:08:54.059
sing out loud which brings in tourists from all
00:08:54.059 --> 00:08:57.110
throughout the country You've announced recently
00:08:57.110 --> 00:09:00.429
the dates for Sing Out Loud coming up in September.
00:09:00.549 --> 00:09:02.629
What are those dates and what can folks be looking
00:09:02.629 --> 00:09:04.750
forward to with this year's edition of Sing Out
00:09:04.750 --> 00:09:06.710
Loud? Well, it's the 10th year. It's our 10th
00:09:06.710 --> 00:09:08.870
anniversary. We launched Sing Out Loud in 2016.
00:09:09.470 --> 00:09:12.750
We're thrilled. It's St. Augustine, St. John's
00:09:12.750 --> 00:09:15.789
County annual month of music. You've got over
00:09:15.789 --> 00:09:19.590
160 free performances by local and regional acts
00:09:19.590 --> 00:09:23.309
at 17 venues across St. John's County, and it's
00:09:23.309 --> 00:09:25.720
free and open to the public. I mean, that's unheard
00:09:25.720 --> 00:09:28.919
of. I generally call it trick or treating for
00:09:28.919 --> 00:09:30.740
live music. You can go around town throughout
00:09:30.740 --> 00:09:33.539
September and go see an indie rock band, go see
00:09:33.539 --> 00:09:35.899
a bluegrass band, go see some comedy, some spoken
00:09:35.899 --> 00:09:39.279
word. And it happens Sing Out Loud local artist
00:09:39.279 --> 00:09:42.240
showcases take place the first three weekends
00:09:42.240 --> 00:09:45.179
in September. And then we transition over to
00:09:45.179 --> 00:09:47.080
the St. Augustine Songwriters Festival, which
00:09:47.080 --> 00:09:50.259
is an exceptional festival featuring 35 singer
00:09:50.259 --> 00:09:53.919
songwriters that have worked with people ranging
00:09:53.919 --> 00:09:57.659
from Taylor Swift to Brad Paisley to some of
00:09:57.659 --> 00:10:00.220
the major country artists. And they tell the
00:10:00.220 --> 00:10:02.879
stories behind the songs. So that's an exceptional
00:10:02.879 --> 00:10:05.159
festival. So it's St. Augustine Songwriters Festival
00:10:05.159 --> 00:10:07.460
that's at the end of the year. Other events that
00:10:07.460 --> 00:10:10.299
we have during Sing Out Loud is the Record Fair,
00:10:10.620 --> 00:10:13.360
which will take place on that last Sunday of
00:10:13.360 --> 00:10:15.860
the festival. We have a music business panel,
00:10:15.879 --> 00:10:18.000
so if somebody's interested in how to become
00:10:18.000 --> 00:10:19.940
successful as an independent artist, you can
00:10:19.940 --> 00:10:21.980
attend the business panel, which is September
00:10:21.980 --> 00:10:25.139
23rd at Spencer Abbott's. We knew this year is
00:10:25.139 --> 00:10:28.200
also Sip Out Loud, which is a culinary and wine
00:10:28.200 --> 00:10:31.899
event, and it's taking place at Bend 39. Tickets
00:10:31.899 --> 00:10:34.899
are available for that. That is a ticketed event.
00:10:35.769 --> 00:10:39.830
And so we really do have this great mix of free
00:10:39.830 --> 00:10:42.049
and some ticketed events throughout the month
00:10:42.049 --> 00:10:44.450
of September, and that is Sing Out Loud Festival.
00:10:44.929 --> 00:10:47.149
Then as you know, last year we had the marquee
00:10:47.149 --> 00:10:49.330
event down at Francis Field, which has moved
00:10:49.330 --> 00:10:53.179
to May of 2027. Well, it's a great event series
00:10:53.179 --> 00:10:55.080
of events sing out loud that brings in folks
00:10:55.080 --> 00:10:56.919
from throughout the country But I can tell you
00:10:56.919 --> 00:10:59.000
personally it's also a great opportunity to do
00:10:59.000 --> 00:11:01.559
a progressive date night progressive date night
00:11:01.559 --> 00:11:05.059
To go eat someplace or have apps someplace and
00:11:05.059 --> 00:11:07.539
drink someplace and maybe hit two three four
00:11:07.539 --> 00:11:09.860
Concerts in one night. So it's a great it's all
00:11:09.860 --> 00:11:14.139
free. Yes Let's talk about as we close up this
00:11:14.139 --> 00:11:17.340
edition Sing Out Loud, there's some opportunities
00:11:17.340 --> 00:11:19.899
because you've got so much going on with 160
00:11:19.899 --> 00:11:23.080
free events at 17 venues, how to keep track of
00:11:23.080 --> 00:11:25.919
it all. You've got a Sing Out Loud electronic
00:11:25.919 --> 00:11:28.320
newsletter and an app. Talk about ways people
00:11:28.320 --> 00:11:30.620
can sign up for these things. Yes, we just launched
00:11:30.620 --> 00:11:33.379
our app this week, so please, and it's downloadable
00:11:33.379 --> 00:11:36.860
for Apple and Android, so you can go to singoutloudfestival
00:11:36.860 --> 00:11:38.659
.com and there are links to the app there, and
00:11:38.659 --> 00:11:41.379
that's the best way to stay updated because 160
00:11:41.379 --> 00:11:43.500
acts is a whole lot of acts to keep track of.
00:11:44.680 --> 00:11:47.320
like I said, every the first three weekends in
00:11:47.320 --> 00:11:49.139
September, and then we move into the Songwriters
00:11:49.139 --> 00:11:51.379
Festival. But you can keep track of it all on
00:11:51.379 --> 00:11:53.879
the app or on our website at singoutloudfestival
00:11:53.879 --> 00:11:56.379
.com. Awesome. Well, Diana, thank you again for
00:11:56.379 --> 00:11:58.159
being a guest on County Conversations. Thanks
00:11:58.159 --> 00:12:00.120
for having a conversation with us about all the
00:12:00.120 --> 00:12:02.779
great things going on at the Amp, the Ponte Vedra
00:12:02.779 --> 00:12:04.720
Concert Hall, and Sing Out Loud. Thank you for
00:12:04.720 --> 00:12:07.080
having me. For more details on everything Diana
00:12:07.080 --> 00:12:09.799
talked about, check out their website at theamp
00:12:09.799 --> 00:12:12.840
.com. Again, thank you for joining us on this
00:12:12.840 --> 00:12:15.960
episode of County Conversations. You've been
00:12:15.960 --> 00:12:18.299
listening to County Conversations with Director
00:12:18.299 --> 00:12:20.799
of Public Affairs for St. John's County, Wayne
00:12:20.799 --> 00:12:23.379
Larson. If you'd like to keep the dialogue going,
00:12:23.759 --> 00:12:26.000
like, share, and leave a review on our social
00:12:26.000 --> 00:12:29.419
media for news, events, and resources, make sure
00:12:29.419 --> 00:12:34.240
you visit our county website, sjcfl .us. That
00:12:34.240 --> 00:12:37.259
is sjcfl .us.
00:00:08.339 --> 00:00:11.179
Welcome back to County Conversations, a program
00:00:11.179 --> 00:00:14.500
to help keep our community informed and understanding
00:00:14.500 --> 00:00:17.679
of community programs and events provided by
00:00:17.679 --> 00:00:20.100
St. John's County. On this episode of County
00:00:20.100 --> 00:00:22.399
Conversations, we're pleased to have back Diana
00:00:22.399 --> 00:00:24.920
Markowitz, who's the Director of Public Relations
00:00:24.920 --> 00:00:28.079
and Partnerships for St. John's County Cultural
00:00:28.079 --> 00:00:31.030
Events, Inc. a non -profit in our community doing
00:00:31.030 --> 00:00:33.649
wonderful work when it comes to the music scene
00:00:33.649 --> 00:00:36.170
here in our community. Diana, let's jump right
00:00:36.170 --> 00:00:39.369
into where we left off with one of the two facilities
00:00:39.369 --> 00:00:42.810
that your organization manages, and that's the
00:00:42.810 --> 00:00:46.710
AMP, or St. Augustine Amphitheater. We talked
00:00:46.710 --> 00:00:49.890
about the AMP experience, but let's do a deeper
00:00:49.890 --> 00:00:53.289
dive into the phenomenal rankings of the AMP
00:00:53.289 --> 00:00:57.119
in terms of its stature. uh and awareness not
00:00:57.119 --> 00:00:59.840
only in the united states but across the world
00:00:59.840 --> 00:01:02.579
yes well we are so proud and incredibly grateful
00:01:02.579 --> 00:01:05.319
to all to everyone who's who's contributed to
00:01:05.319 --> 00:01:07.480
our success because you can't do it without the
00:01:07.480 --> 00:01:09.239
patrons you can't do it without the artists the
00:01:09.239 --> 00:01:12.120
volunteers and the staff but um yes we recently
00:01:12.120 --> 00:01:14.540
ranked number one in the united states and number
00:01:14.540 --> 00:01:18.599
two in the world behind sydney um sydney australia's
00:01:18.599 --> 00:01:22.750
amphitheater uh in poll star's 2026 mid -year
00:01:22.750 --> 00:01:25.150
top 50 amphitheaters, again, number one in the
00:01:25.150 --> 00:01:27.310
United States and number two in the world. And
00:01:27.310 --> 00:01:31.629
we're just incredibly proud of that honor. And
00:01:31.629 --> 00:01:33.170
again, we couldn't do that without the artists
00:01:33.170 --> 00:01:35.170
and the patrons and everybody who contributes
00:01:35.170 --> 00:01:38.150
to the success of the amphitheater. We were also
00:01:38.150 --> 00:01:41.170
awarded Top East Coast Amphitheater by Billboard
00:01:41.170 --> 00:01:44.469
Magazine in their annual top music venues list
00:01:44.469 --> 00:01:47.900
in February of 2026. Diana, it's important for
00:01:47.900 --> 00:01:50.299
our listeners and viewers to know that these
00:01:50.299 --> 00:01:53.040
rankings that you just spoke of are not new in
00:01:53.040 --> 00:01:56.260
terms of the AMP being ranked before. I mean,
00:01:56.420 --> 00:01:58.239
this for several years, the last couple years,
00:01:58.359 --> 00:02:01.079
it seems every six to nine months, 12 months,
00:02:01.579 --> 00:02:04.000
you all are announcing some other award or ranking
00:02:04.000 --> 00:02:07.629
recognition. So this is not new. We've consistently
00:02:07.629 --> 00:02:11.990
ranked in the top 5 in the United States and
00:02:11.990 --> 00:02:14.289
top 10 in the world for the past several years
00:02:14.289 --> 00:02:16.310
from Polestar. Yes, we are very pleased with
00:02:16.310 --> 00:02:18.490
that and it's just testament to the hard work
00:02:18.490 --> 00:02:20.469
and dedication. But again, we couldn't do any
00:02:20.469 --> 00:02:22.330
of this if the artists didn't play the venue
00:02:22.330 --> 00:02:25.289
and the fans didn't come. So we are incredibly
00:02:25.289 --> 00:02:28.120
grateful to those. those folks who help us be
00:02:28.120 --> 00:02:30.500
successful. And part of the folks that help you
00:02:30.500 --> 00:02:33.120
be successful is your staff. You mentioned that
00:02:33.120 --> 00:02:35.879
in an earlier episode, but you've got dedicated
00:02:35.879 --> 00:02:37.900
staff that'll show up in the wee hours of the
00:02:37.900 --> 00:02:40.419
morning to help unload a truck, that'll address
00:02:40.419 --> 00:02:43.840
customer patron issues or opportunities, and
00:02:43.840 --> 00:02:46.020
just your staff is really the backbone of your
00:02:46.020 --> 00:02:48.199
operation, I would say. Yes, thank you. And we
00:02:48.199 --> 00:02:51.569
take pride in being very responsive. We read
00:02:51.569 --> 00:02:54.789
the DMs in social media. We read the Google reviews.
00:02:54.969 --> 00:02:58.349
We read the emails. We respond as often as possible.
00:02:58.789 --> 00:03:00.449
People come to the box office. We're there to
00:03:00.449 --> 00:03:02.569
help them with any issue that they need. Day
00:03:02.569 --> 00:03:04.590
of show. We've got an information tent right
00:03:04.590 --> 00:03:06.349
there at the entrance of the amphitheater. So
00:03:06.349 --> 00:03:08.770
if you have an issue or you just want to say,
00:03:08.789 --> 00:03:11.169
hey, thanks, and I wanted to meet somebody behind
00:03:11.169 --> 00:03:14.409
the scene. There we are. We want to be accessible
00:03:14.409 --> 00:03:16.110
because we are part of the community. We are
00:03:16.110 --> 00:03:18.889
community owned, community led, community operated.
00:03:19.129 --> 00:03:22.569
And we take that mission and that pledge very
00:03:22.569 --> 00:03:26.360
seriously. And you also get support from partner
00:03:26.360 --> 00:03:29.879
agencies like the Sheriff's Office. The amphitheater
00:03:29.879 --> 00:03:33.340
is there. You've got an area for pedestrian crossing
00:03:33.340 --> 00:03:35.520
and the St. John's Sheriff's Office is there
00:03:35.520 --> 00:03:38.120
to help you with that and also provide security.
00:03:38.319 --> 00:03:41.259
There's rarely if ever an incident at the venue.
00:03:41.340 --> 00:03:43.259
Talk a little bit about the safety and security
00:03:43.259 --> 00:03:45.759
of traversing to the facility and once you're
00:03:45.759 --> 00:03:47.800
there. Well we take that very seriously as well.
00:03:47.860 --> 00:03:49.840
Our front of house staff is dedicated to making
00:03:49.840 --> 00:03:54.530
sure that pedestrians pedestrian safety is paramount.
00:03:54.689 --> 00:03:56.770
So yes, we have people blocking off the streets.
00:03:56.849 --> 00:03:59.409
We manage the traffic flow in and out of the
00:03:59.409 --> 00:04:01.909
venue. We've got a trolley system that we're
00:04:01.909 --> 00:04:04.490
extremely proud of. We've partnered with Old
00:04:04.490 --> 00:04:08.110
Town Trolley's to ensure safe, efficient and
00:04:08.110 --> 00:04:10.310
pleasant travel when you park at the satellite
00:04:10.310 --> 00:04:14.439
parking areas. Let's traverse from the amp to
00:04:14.439 --> 00:04:16.720
the Panamese Concert Hall. In an earlier episode,
00:04:16.759 --> 00:04:19.839
you did talk about the the AV awards that you
00:04:19.839 --> 00:04:23.620
recently are a finalist for competing, I think,
00:04:23.819 --> 00:04:26.720
with one venue in Australia. But let's do a deeper
00:04:26.720 --> 00:04:29.300
dive. What does that mean? Is that audio board,
00:04:29.540 --> 00:04:31.240
sound and lights, the quality of the lights,
00:04:31.399 --> 00:04:33.810
the operators kind of... take us on a deep dive
00:04:33.810 --> 00:04:38.850
into what goes on behind putting on such a wonderful
00:04:38.850 --> 00:04:43.170
performance of light and show. Sure, sure. So
00:04:43.170 --> 00:04:45.350
for folks that are unfamiliar with Panavitra
00:04:45.350 --> 00:04:47.629
Concert Hall, it's about 40 minutes north of
00:04:47.629 --> 00:04:49.370
the St. Augustine Amphitheater up in northern
00:04:49.370 --> 00:04:52.689
St. John's County. We recently underwent a massive
00:04:52.689 --> 00:04:56.209
renovation, $12 .9 million reimagining of the
00:04:56.209 --> 00:04:58.810
Panavitra Concert Hall. We expanded our capacity.
00:04:59.069 --> 00:05:01.129
We have enhanced production capabilities. We
00:05:01.129 --> 00:05:04.009
brought in an exceptional sound system. It's
00:05:04.009 --> 00:05:08.110
L Acoustics L2D system. We were one of only two
00:05:08.110 --> 00:05:10.250
in the United States to install it at the time,
00:05:10.709 --> 00:05:12.970
but now the word's gotten out that L Acoustics
00:05:12.970 --> 00:05:15.149
is phenomenal, so plenty of other venues have
00:05:15.149 --> 00:05:17.410
followed suit, but we're so proud of that sound
00:05:17.410 --> 00:05:20.189
system. We invested over one million dollars
00:05:20.189 --> 00:05:23.329
into that sound and audio in that audio and visual
00:05:23.329 --> 00:05:27.560
system. We've got a larger stage. This is an
00:05:27.560 --> 00:05:29.600
interesting statistic. The original square footage
00:05:29.600 --> 00:05:33.060
of the building was 10 ,500. The new square footage
00:05:33.060 --> 00:05:36.220
is 25 ,000. And speaking of square footage, going
00:05:36.220 --> 00:05:38.220
back in the day, it used to be a church. It used
00:05:38.220 --> 00:05:40.860
to be a church, yes, in the 1980s. It was a Baptist
00:05:40.860 --> 00:05:44.639
church, yes. And then in 2011, we reopened it
00:05:44.639 --> 00:05:46.839
as Ponte Vedra Concert Hall. And since then,
00:05:46.879 --> 00:05:50.240
we've had over 1 ,100 acts come through the Ponte
00:05:50.240 --> 00:05:53.720
Vedra Concert Hall. It is an outstanding inside
00:05:53.720 --> 00:05:58.720
venue. So very intimate, 638 seated, 1100 standing.
00:05:58.839 --> 00:06:01.180
So we have standing and seated shows. Similar
00:06:01.180 --> 00:06:03.240
to the amphitheater, it can be a seated or standing
00:06:03.240 --> 00:06:05.860
pit. People often ask us, well, how do you determine
00:06:05.860 --> 00:06:08.339
that? That's up to the band. It's up to the band
00:06:08.339 --> 00:06:10.819
if they wanted a seated or standing pit. But
00:06:10.819 --> 00:06:12.420
at Ponte Vedro Concert Hall, it's so versatile,
00:06:12.639 --> 00:06:15.600
so intimate, and that sound is so good that we
00:06:15.600 --> 00:06:18.120
were actually nominated. We were shortlisted
00:06:18.120 --> 00:06:21.699
for the Mondo DR Awards. And that's recognizing
00:06:21.699 --> 00:06:24.459
excellence in audio, acoustics, lighting, and
00:06:24.459 --> 00:06:27.000
venue technology. We went up against a venue
00:06:27.000 --> 00:06:29.060
in Sydney, Australia, the Sydney Opera House,
00:06:29.480 --> 00:06:32.339
the Waku Hall in Japan, and the Glasgow Royal
00:06:32.339 --> 00:06:35.160
Concert Hall in Scotland. We lost to the Sydney
00:06:35.160 --> 00:06:37.779
Opera House, but we lost to the Sydney Opera
00:06:37.779 --> 00:06:40.720
House. I mean, we were in the pantheon of that
00:06:40.720 --> 00:06:43.839
venue, and that's fantastic. We were the only
00:06:43.839 --> 00:06:46.060
venue in the Americas to be nominated for excellence
00:06:46.060 --> 00:06:51.319
in this category. prestigious organizations like
00:06:51.319 --> 00:06:55.220
the PGA wanting to hitch their cart to your horse,
00:06:55.220 --> 00:06:58.040
so to speak, because just most recently with
00:06:58.040 --> 00:07:01.120
the golf tournament in town, there was some first
00:07:01.120 --> 00:07:05.459
ever events. Sounds of Sawgrass. Sounds of Sawgrass
00:07:05.459 --> 00:07:09.019
was our first partnership with TPC and we're
00:07:09.019 --> 00:07:10.860
so with the players championship and we're so
00:07:10.860 --> 00:07:14.339
excited about it. We had Robert Earl Keane and
00:07:14.339 --> 00:07:18.299
forgive me. I've forgotten the other other player,
00:07:18.299 --> 00:07:20.680
but we were so thrilled to have that partnership
00:07:20.680 --> 00:07:22.819
because it's such an exciting week for the county
00:07:22.819 --> 00:07:25.519
and they realized we need stuff to do at night.
00:07:25.519 --> 00:07:27.600
So we said let's have parties and let's have
00:07:27.600 --> 00:07:30.579
shows at Panavidra Concert Hall. So a great program.
00:07:31.139 --> 00:07:33.519
So you've talked a lot in the community. You're
00:07:33.519 --> 00:07:36.120
on the speaking circuit a lot promoting, as you
00:07:36.120 --> 00:07:41.480
should be, the efforts of the organization SJCCE.
00:07:41.959 --> 00:07:45.139
One of the terms you've used a lot recently is
00:07:45.139 --> 00:07:47.639
something called music tourism. What is music
00:07:47.639 --> 00:07:50.680
tourism and how does that fit into the business
00:07:50.680 --> 00:07:53.199
model for your organization? Sure. Music tourism
00:07:53.199 --> 00:07:56.379
has been a buzzword over the past couple of years.
00:07:56.620 --> 00:07:59.139
It refers to travel where the primary motivation
00:07:59.139 --> 00:08:03.220
is to see a music event or a musical site, to
00:08:03.220 --> 00:08:06.339
see a festival, maybe go to where Elvis was born.
00:08:06.379 --> 00:08:08.939
Think about that. Graceland, that is music tourism.
00:08:09.519 --> 00:08:11.560
Music tourism is alive and well here. in St.
00:08:11.639 --> 00:08:13.759
John's County. When I talk about multi -night
00:08:13.759 --> 00:08:15.839
shows at the amphitheater and at the concert
00:08:15.839 --> 00:08:19.040
hall, we had Billy Strings for three nights and
00:08:19.040 --> 00:08:21.959
over 70 % of the people that came for that show
00:08:21.959 --> 00:08:24.339
were from out of the area. These people would
00:08:24.339 --> 00:08:26.180
imagine, you know, they used to do Grateful Dead
00:08:26.180 --> 00:08:28.300
tours, right, where people would go in caravans
00:08:28.300 --> 00:08:30.899
and follow these bands around. that is alive
00:08:30.899 --> 00:08:33.940
and well today and people go to places first
00:08:33.940 --> 00:08:35.899
of all they see that their favorite act is playing
00:08:35.899 --> 00:08:37.700
somewhere really cool and they say i'm going
00:08:37.700 --> 00:08:39.960
there and we're going to go see that show and
00:08:39.960 --> 00:08:42.799
that's what happens that's music tourism and
00:08:42.799 --> 00:08:46.100
to bridge from music tourism to one of the most
00:08:46.100 --> 00:08:50.519
uh well sought after weekends weekends of events
00:08:50.519 --> 00:08:54.059
sing out loud which brings in tourists from all
00:08:54.059 --> 00:08:57.110
throughout the country You've announced recently
00:08:57.110 --> 00:09:00.429
the dates for Sing Out Loud coming up in September.
00:09:00.549 --> 00:09:02.629
What are those dates and what can folks be looking
00:09:02.629 --> 00:09:04.750
forward to with this year's edition of Sing Out
00:09:04.750 --> 00:09:06.710
Loud? Well, it's the 10th year. It's our 10th
00:09:06.710 --> 00:09:08.870
anniversary. We launched Sing Out Loud in 2016.
00:09:09.470 --> 00:09:12.750
We're thrilled. It's St. Augustine, St. John's
00:09:12.750 --> 00:09:15.789
County annual month of music. You've got over
00:09:15.789 --> 00:09:19.590
160 free performances by local and regional acts
00:09:19.590 --> 00:09:23.309
at 17 venues across St. John's County, and it's
00:09:23.309 --> 00:09:25.720
free and open to the public. I mean, that's unheard
00:09:25.720 --> 00:09:28.919
of. I generally call it trick or treating for
00:09:28.919 --> 00:09:30.740
live music. You can go around town throughout
00:09:30.740 --> 00:09:33.539
September and go see an indie rock band, go see
00:09:33.539 --> 00:09:35.899
a bluegrass band, go see some comedy, some spoken
00:09:35.899 --> 00:09:39.279
word. And it happens Sing Out Loud local artist
00:09:39.279 --> 00:09:42.240
showcases take place the first three weekends
00:09:42.240 --> 00:09:45.179
in September. And then we transition over to
00:09:45.179 --> 00:09:47.080
the St. Augustine Songwriters Festival, which
00:09:47.080 --> 00:09:50.259
is an exceptional festival featuring 35 singer
00:09:50.259 --> 00:09:53.919
songwriters that have worked with people ranging
00:09:53.919 --> 00:09:57.659
from Taylor Swift to Brad Paisley to some of
00:09:57.659 --> 00:10:00.220
the major country artists. And they tell the
00:10:00.220 --> 00:10:02.879
stories behind the songs. So that's an exceptional
00:10:02.879 --> 00:10:05.159
festival. So it's St. Augustine Songwriters Festival
00:10:05.159 --> 00:10:07.460
that's at the end of the year. Other events that
00:10:07.460 --> 00:10:10.299
we have during Sing Out Loud is the Record Fair,
00:10:10.620 --> 00:10:13.360
which will take place on that last Sunday of
00:10:13.360 --> 00:10:15.860
the festival. We have a music business panel,
00:10:15.879 --> 00:10:18.000
so if somebody's interested in how to become
00:10:18.000 --> 00:10:19.940
successful as an independent artist, you can
00:10:19.940 --> 00:10:21.980
attend the business panel, which is September
00:10:21.980 --> 00:10:25.139
23rd at Spencer Abbott's. We knew this year is
00:10:25.139 --> 00:10:28.200
also Sip Out Loud, which is a culinary and wine
00:10:28.200 --> 00:10:31.899
event, and it's taking place at Bend 39. Tickets
00:10:31.899 --> 00:10:34.899
are available for that. That is a ticketed event.
00:10:35.769 --> 00:10:39.830
And so we really do have this great mix of free
00:10:39.830 --> 00:10:42.049
and some ticketed events throughout the month
00:10:42.049 --> 00:10:44.450
of September, and that is Sing Out Loud Festival.
00:10:44.929 --> 00:10:47.149
Then as you know, last year we had the marquee
00:10:47.149 --> 00:10:49.330
event down at Francis Field, which has moved
00:10:49.330 --> 00:10:53.179
to May of 2027. Well, it's a great event series
00:10:53.179 --> 00:10:55.080
of events sing out loud that brings in folks
00:10:55.080 --> 00:10:56.919
from throughout the country But I can tell you
00:10:56.919 --> 00:10:59.000
personally it's also a great opportunity to do
00:10:59.000 --> 00:11:01.559
a progressive date night progressive date night
00:11:01.559 --> 00:11:05.059
To go eat someplace or have apps someplace and
00:11:05.059 --> 00:11:07.539
drink someplace and maybe hit two three four
00:11:07.539 --> 00:11:09.860
Concerts in one night. So it's a great it's all
00:11:09.860 --> 00:11:14.139
free. Yes Let's talk about as we close up this
00:11:14.139 --> 00:11:17.340
edition Sing Out Loud, there's some opportunities
00:11:17.340 --> 00:11:19.899
because you've got so much going on with 160
00:11:19.899 --> 00:11:23.080
free events at 17 venues, how to keep track of
00:11:23.080 --> 00:11:25.919
it all. You've got a Sing Out Loud electronic
00:11:25.919 --> 00:11:28.320
newsletter and an app. Talk about ways people
00:11:28.320 --> 00:11:30.620
can sign up for these things. Yes, we just launched
00:11:30.620 --> 00:11:33.379
our app this week, so please, and it's downloadable
00:11:33.379 --> 00:11:36.860
for Apple and Android, so you can go to singoutloudfestival
00:11:36.860 --> 00:11:38.659
.com and there are links to the app there, and
00:11:38.659 --> 00:11:41.379
that's the best way to stay updated because 160
00:11:41.379 --> 00:11:43.500
acts is a whole lot of acts to keep track of.
00:11:44.680 --> 00:11:47.320
like I said, every the first three weekends in
00:11:47.320 --> 00:11:49.139
September, and then we move into the Songwriters
00:11:49.139 --> 00:11:51.379
Festival. But you can keep track of it all on
00:11:51.379 --> 00:11:53.879
the app or on our website at singoutloudfestival
00:11:53.879 --> 00:11:56.379
.com. Awesome. Well, Diana, thank you again for
00:11:56.379 --> 00:11:58.159
being a guest on County Conversations. Thanks
00:11:58.159 --> 00:12:00.120
for having a conversation with us about all the
00:12:00.120 --> 00:12:02.779
great things going on at the Amp, the Ponte Vedra
00:12:02.779 --> 00:12:04.720
Concert Hall, and Sing Out Loud. Thank you for
00:12:04.720 --> 00:12:07.080
having me. For more details on everything Diana
00:12:07.080 --> 00:12:09.799
talked about, check out their website at theamp
00:12:09.799 --> 00:12:12.840
.com. Again, thank you for joining us on this
00:12:12.840 --> 00:12:15.960
episode of County Conversations. You've been
00:12:15.960 --> 00:12:18.299
listening to County Conversations with Director
00:12:18.299 --> 00:12:20.799
of Public Affairs for St. John's County, Wayne
00:12:20.799 --> 00:12:23.379
Larson. If you'd like to keep the dialogue going,
00:12:23.759 --> 00:12:26.000
like, share, and leave a review on our social
00:12:26.000 --> 00:12:29.419
media for news, events, and resources, make sure
00:12:29.419 --> 00:12:34.240
you visit our county website, sjcfl .us. That
00:12:34.240 --> 00:12:37.259
is sjcfl .us.
