Sinfonia Gulf Coast Concludes Main Event Season with Hypnotic Tchaikovsky X Drake May 17

Northwest Florida’s only fully professional orchestra in the region concludes main event season with boundary-pushing orchestral mash-up “when symphony meets hip hop”

DESTIN, FL (April 17, 2025) – Sinfonia Gulf Coast continues its mission to entertain, educate and inspire with a genre-defying season finale that lives up to its tagline: Your Symphony Experience … Redefined.

On Saturday, May 17 at 7:30 p.m., Sinfonia presents Tchaikovsky X Drake at the Destin–Fort Walton Beach Convention Center. This electrifying concert reimagines Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 through the lyrical lens of hip-hop icon Aubrey “Drake” Graham.

Conceived and arranged by acclaimed composer/conductor Steve Hackman, the work seamlessly weaves together 22 of Drake’s melodic hits including God’s Plan, One Dance and In My Feelings with the romantic brilliance of Tchaikovsky’s orchestration. The result is a symphonic experience that is both musically cinematic and soul-stirring.

Joining Sinfonia Gulf Coast on stage are three powerhouse vocalists—India Carney, Mario Jose, and Denise Carite—alongside Louisville rapper Jecorey “1200” Arthur, Braylon Lacy on bass, and New York-based percussionist Gabriel Globus-Hoenich.

The performance will be conducted by David Baker, a New York–based conductor and arranger whose work bridges classical and contemporary genres. Baker serves as assistant conductor for Hackman’s SYMPHONYFUSE productions and has appeared with the Detroit, Oregon, and Baltimore Symphony Orchestras. He recently made his debut with the Louisville Orchestra and conducted at SF Jazz and the Lake George Music Festival. He holds degrees from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the Eastman School of Music, and the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam.

“Whether you are familiar with either name, this is a concert that you can attend and thoroughly enjoy from the sheer vantage point that it is an incredible concert experience,” said Sinfonia Gulf Coast Music & Artistic Director Demetrius Fuller. “Steve Hackman is an impresario of the mash-up. He ingeniously takes Tchaikovsky’s epic Fifth Symphony and intertwines elements of Drake’s music and lyrics. It’s like nothing else you’ve witnessed.”

General admission tickets range from $40–$65 and may be purchased and downloaded at SinfoniaGulfCoast.org or by calling the box office at (850) 460-8800. Special savings for each concert are offered to active-duty military and students with valid ID.

The 2024–2025 season is made possible by the generous support of individuals, local businesses, and community partners.