A plan for Central Florida Vocal Arts to share space with the Blue Bamboo Center for the Arts at the former Winter Park Library has been called off, leaving questions about $1 million from Orange County that was earmarked to help renovate the building.

The Orange County Arts & Cultural Affairs Council will meet Nov. 12 to determine whether the $1 million grant will be disbursed.

The original grant, recommended by the council, was approved in June by Orange County commissioners as part of the cultural-facilities program.

“This transformative project will convert the 33,000-square-foot building into a state-of-the-art venue featuring multiple performance stages, rehearsal and recording spaces, a visual arts gallery, and educational facilities to support the next generation of artists,” Blue Bamboo wrote in its grant application. “More than an expansion, this is an investment in Winter Park’s cultural and economic vitality — creating opportunities for local performers, elevating the arts ecosystem, and contributing to a flourishing creative economy.”

Founded by Chris and Melody Cortez, Blue Bamboo hosts regular jazz and other music performances. Central Florida Vocal Arts, founded and led by Theresa Smith-Levin, provides singing instruction to youths and adults, while also staging operas and musicals.

The grant application did not guarantee the participation of Central Florida Vocal Arts in the project to take over the long-empty former Winter Park Library on New England Avenue. Instead, the application used language such as “the second floor is expected to become the permanent home” of CFVA.

“There was no legal requirement for them in the grant,” said Jeff Flowers, chairman of the Blue Bamboo board.

Vicki Landon, administrator of Orange County’s Arts & Cultural Affairs Office, agreed with that assessment, but said the council’s recommendation to fund the project was likely influenced by CFVA’s participation.

“I do think there was an expectation from the council that CFVA would be there,” she said. “It was a contributing factor.”

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The departure of Central Florida Vocal Arts was important enough to require the grant to be reviewed.

“Small changes to a project can be approved at staff level,” Landon explained. “Something like this is a significant change in scope.”

Another wrinkle: The grant required Blue Bamboo to raise $500,000 in matching funds, and Central Florida Vocal Arts was helping in that endeavor. Now, the arts center won’t have that assistance.

“We’re going in a new direction,” Flowers said. “We’re working on it.”

The former Winter Park library at 460 E. New England Ave. in Winter Park, seen in June 2024, has become the new home of Blue Bamboo Center for the Arts. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

Built in 1977 with two stories, the building was given a third floor in 1995. Flowers said Performing Arts Matter, a nonprofit umbrella organization for multiple orchestras that he leads, would occupy space on the second level, above Blue Bamboo. He said negotiations were underway with a nonprofit interested in renting the top floor — but in another possible hiccup with Orange County, that nonprofit was not directly connected to the arts.

Landon said council members would want details of the new plan for the space.

“Blue Bamboo will have to be prepared to answer questions,” she said.

The original grant funding was to be used specifically for a greenroom, a jazz garden, signage, lighting and elevator renovations. The Blue Bamboo began presenting concerts in the space, leased from the city of Winter Park, in June. Previously, the nonprofit had operated from 2016-2023 in a warehouse on Kentucky Avenue.

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The deal for Central Florida Vocal Arts to sublease a floor of the building from Blue Bamboo fell apart when it was time to sign the rental agreement, according to leaders of both organizations.

“It became clear that our vision for the space was not aligned,” said Smith-Levin.

She said many of the details she thought had been agreed upon during verbal negotiations were deemed unacceptable in the written lease. A critical sticking point: Her organization would have been restricted from using the space in the evenings — when CFVA teaches classes and stages productions — because of occupancy concerns if Blue Bamboo also was holding an event.

Flowers said city officials expressed concerns about parking issues and occupancy levels if simultaneous events were taking place.

Money raised by CFVA that would have gone toward fulfilling the Orange County grant requirement will be used to help find a different venue for the nonprofit, which already has been looking at several locations, Smith-Levin said..

“We’ve reached out to our donors and explained the situation,” she said. “They’ve all been very supportive.”

None of the $1 million has been paid to Blue Bamboo yet, Landon said, and if council members don’t approve the revised plan for the building, the grant will be canceled and the money put in reserve for future cultural projects — though Blue Bamboo would have the opportunity to again revise its proposal.

But Flowers was optimistic the county would get onboard with the changes, saying Blue Bamboo was prepared to “make lemonade out of lemons.”

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https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/10/22/cfva-blue-bamboo-winter-park-grant/