One of The Hermitage Artist Retreat’s guest artists has been nominated for a Grammy, as Chicago Symphony Orchestra resident composer Anna Clyne earned a nomination for Best Contemporary Classical Composition with her double violin concerto, Prince of Clouds, which was composed during her stay in Sarasota.

“For me, it was perfect timing,” said Clyne of her experience with The Hermitage. “The biggest challenge is starting.” She had a concerto to compose, but hadn’t yet hit that moment where it all starts to come together. After two weeks at The Hermitage, Clyne had crafted the work that would eventually garner this year’s nomination.

“The Hermitage gives you space and resources to really just focus on your art,” said Clyne, who found the natural setting and easy early mornings a welcome refuge from the “hustle and bustle” of city life. But it wasn’t all solitude at The Hermitage, and Clyne found inspiration in her fellow artists, cooking meals together and feeding off each other’s creativity. “They give you a lot of freedom to use your time as is best for your project.”

Initially envisioning an epic piece involving an orchestra with at least 30 separate musical lines, Clyne’s background in digital composition – with its penchant for layering – was well-served, but she wasn’t happy with the results. She decided to switch gears and head in the opposite direction, reducing the number of musical lines to only five and focusing her efforts on those. “To write a simpler piece is much more challenging,” said Clyne, “because each line is so exposed.” The result was Prince of Clouds.

Of her Grammy nomination, Clyne called it “a great honor,” going on to say it was “also a surprise.” For now, she’s already working on two new chamber orchestra pieces, which she hopes to complete when she’s back at The Hermitage in late February.  

State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota has chosen Lan Cong-Tang as its new director of finance/controller. Cong-Tang brings industry and higher education experience to the position, coming from the University of South Florida-St. Petersburg, where she served as the associate director of accounting and financial services. Prior to that, she was an adjunct instructor of financial and managerial accounting at Hillsborough Community College. Earlier in her career, she was at Deloitte and Touche, and before that at Ernst and Young. 

State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota

Governor Rick Scott announced the reappointment of Sharon Cunningham to the Regulatory Council of Community Association Managers. Cunningham, of Sarasota, is the president of Cunningham Property Management. She is reappointed for a term ending October 31, 2018. Robert Sibley of Winter Springs was also appointed. The appointments are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate. 

Florida Governor's Office

There has been a debate going on for years about the importance of picking up dog waste, but today the question of whether or not dog feces is harmful to the environment is irrefutable. A survey by the Center for Watershed Protection found that 41 percent of respondents rarely or never cleaned up after their dogs. Their reasons included, "Because it eventually goes away," "Small dog, small poop," and my favorite: "Just because." I suppose I understand this type of apathy, yet I do find it loathsome, irresponsible and offensive.

The reason most municipalities, including Sarasota, have ordinances dictating you must pick up after your dog is quite simple: All dogs, from the blue-blooded champion to your little Fluffy, harbor 'coliform' bacteria in their gut. This bacterial group includes E. coli, a pretty well-known bacterium that is extremely toxic to humans. Dogs also carry salmonella and giardia. Salmonella bacteria can live on the ground for over two years. Freezing temperatures won't kill it and summer heat won't either, unless the temps get up to about 130. It has to degrade over time to die. If you get sick from the giardia parasite, your symptoms of diarrhea, stomach cramps and vomiting will take from two to six days to dissipate. At the worst, they can kill you. The demographic most likely to get sick from these bacteria are the very young, the infirm and the elderly.

If you're not used to picking up after your dog, get used to it! It's the right thing for your neighborhood and the right thing for the environment. And it couldn't be easier to simply put your hand in a bag, pick up a dog pile, turn the bag inside out, twist the top and toss it. Not doing that gives responsible dog owners a bad name.

A native of Louisiana, SRQ Daily Columnist Gregg Flowers owns Dog's Best Friend Dog Training Services here in Sarasota, where he "teaches dogs and trains people." Gregg became fascinated by our relationship with dogs as a boy in the '60s, and by 1985 had developed his own unique style of working with dogs and their humans 

Dog's Best Friend