Flutist Brings Solace to Winter Park Castle

By Jonathan Romero

WINTER PARK, Fla. -- As the claps resonated against the 19^th century old bricks in the living room at the Casa Feliz, the appreciative locals marveled at the beauty of the music being played in the historic venue.  The angelic sounds that warranted all the clapping was emanating out of Kelli Boquet’s flute, as she entertained a room filled with people of all ages.

Playing three 45-minute sets in the beautifully restored Spanish Farmhouse designed by acclaimed architect James Gamble Rogers II last Sunday, Boquet tried to elegantly imitate her own childhood hero Sir James Galway, an Irish-born virtuoso flutist whom she still admires to this day.

“I love his tone, and the emotion that he brings out in his music “ said Boquet, “I try to emulate that.”

Born in Miami, Boquet has lived in Orlando since 1987 and has played flute for over 30 years.  She attended the University of Central Florida where she majored in psychology and received a minor in music.  When she’s not playing at events, she spends her time working as a full-time paralegal. 

It was at a young age that she realized that the flute was her calling and she knew early on that it would be her profession as an adult. “When I was ten, I picked up the flute and I could play it right away” said Boquet, “it came real natural to me.”

Boquet’s music sets have a wide range of genres that she plays to entertain people of all different ages.  From classical to jazz and pop, she smoothly transitions between Vivaldi and Bach, to Antonio Carlos Jobim and Jason Mraz.

But she doesn’t just limit herself to adults, as in-between performing Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” masterpiece, she threw in some Disney songs such as "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" from Cinderella.  “My mom used to sing this to me every night before I went to sleep” said 11-year old Ashley Cohn with tears in her eyes.

Although she normally plays locally, Boquet has travelled as far as Sarasota and Vero Beach for weddings and events.  She plays in hotels, wedding receptions, art events, as well as being a part of the Orlando Flute Choir which features at Disney and SeaWorld.

“Kelli is amazing,” said Francois Mignon, “and this is a great place to showcase her ability and her music.”

In the near future she will be playing at the Orlando Museum of Art on Thursday, Oct. 28, as well as a the Morse Museum of American Art as part of her flute trio.  For more information visit her website at www.beautifulmusic.cc.

Former University of Central Florida Hero Returns Home To Defeat Florida Tuskers

Daunte Culpepper shines on his return to the stadium that launched his NFL career a decade ago.

By Jonathan Romero

ORLANDO, Fla. - Marking his 12 year return to the Citrus Bowl, former UCF quarterback Daunte Culpepper of the Sacramento Mountain Lions, rallied his team in the 4th quarter to beat the Florida Tuskers 21-17 in front of 10,066 fans.

Culpepper led Sacramento 71-yards down the field, before scoring himself from a 10-yard quarterback draw with two minutes remaining on the clock.  It was the second time this season that the Mountain Lions have come from behind to beat the Tuskers in the final quarter of the game. 

The 11-year NFL veteran, who called the Citrus Bowl home from 1995-1998 played a starring role in UCF's transformation into a respected Division 1 program, with a record-setting college career that included 12,459 total yards and 108 total touchdowns.  "I have a piece of the history and piece of the hard work we put into it," said Culpepper earlier this week.

But it was Sacramento's defense that kept them in the game, holding the Tuskers to just 179 total offensive yards.  After a botched fake punt, two fumbles, an interception and a safety, Tuskers head coach Jay Gruden reflected on his team's inability to maintain the lead against a seemingly weaker opponent.

"Offensively, we're just not getting it done" said Gruden after the game.  "It seems we are playing real tight right now."

Florida started the game in convincing fashion, after kicker Nick Novak completed a 48-yard field on their first possession.  The defense shut down the Sacramento offense the entire 1st quarter and went into the 2nd with a 10-0 advantage after running back Dominic Rhodes scored a 3-yard touchdown from an eight play drive.

The Mountain Lions put some points on the board two minutes before halftime after a 97 yard drive that culminated in a six-yard touchdown pass to former Tuskers receiver Marcus Maxwell.  The Florida Tusker's inability to score in the final two minutes of the half was a telling foreshadow of their offensive shortcomings and would prove divisive later in the game.

Both teams struggled offensively at the start of the second half, but it was the Mountain Lions who capitalized the most after an eight yard sack deep in Florida's territory led to a Tusker's safety, bringing the score to an almost even 10-9 going in to the final quarter.

After a botched fake punt in the 4th quarter, Sacramento found themselves on the Florida 20-yard line, but had to settle for a 27-yard field goal to take their first lead of the game (10-12).  On their following possession, facing a 4th and five, Culpepper threw an interception to Tuskers linebacker Tony Taylor, who returned it for 32 yards to the Mountain Lion 5-yard line.  On the following play, Rhodes took an inside handoff up the middle for the touchdown to give the Tuskers the lead back at 17-12 with 8 minutes remaining on the clock. 

Culpepper led his trailing team on a six minute, 14-play, 71-yard touchdown run, to give his team the final score of 17-21.  Florida had two minutes remaining to salvage the win, but came up short just as they had before the half and walked away with a familiar bitter taste in their mouths.

The loss drops the Tuskers to 2-3 on the season, trailing both Omaha and Las Vegas (3-1), but coach Gruden isn't relinquishing any hope of a successful season.  "The main thing is that I told our guys that this season is not over by a long shot, I still believe 5-3 will get a team in to a championship game." 

The Tuskers play host to Omaha in two weeks time at the Citrus Bowl on November 5th, and Gruden believes the time off will be beneficial for his players to compose themselves, come back and make an imperative sweep of their final three games.  "I told our guys that they just need to come back, relax and start having some fun.