By Gabe Themar
On June 16, Valrico Elementary School teacher Sidney O’Sullivan sang and played guitar at Voodoo Brewing Co.’s charity concert for the Honorary Mayor’s Race of East Hillsborough County in partnership with the Valrico/FishHawk Chamber of Commerce and two different charities: Hope for Her and ECHO (Emergency Care Help Organization) of Brandon.
O’Sullivan has been a musician since she was in middle school. Going from Bevis Elementary School to Randall Middle School and then to Newsome High School, O’Sullivan participated in choir and show choir in middle and high school, respectively. After graduating from Newsome in 2014, she enrolled at the University of South Florida (USF), where she raised money by singing with her sorority at the Singing for Shriners charity event at Shriners Hospital.
After graduating from USF in the spring of 2018, O’Sullivan began teaching at Valrico Elementary. She is now going in her eighth year there and is currently teaching third graders. O’Sullivan has also performed in front of her students and the whole school many times, including teaming up with three of her co-workers to sing at Valrico Elementary’s yearly Veterans Day ceremony.
Outside of school, she began performing live at weddings and other events. Then, one of her coworkers got her in contact with Voodoo Brewing Co., and she began performing live at the restaurant in April. O’Sullivan shared that her passion has always been for live music.
“It’s not lost on me how beautiful it is when a community comes together through music,” said O’Sullivan. “It’s so special, I am so grateful for Chris Ciulla for the opportunity and experience.”
Voodoo Brewing Co. is a national brewpub franchise that opened its fourth Florida location under the ownership of Chris Ciulla in December 2024 in Valrico at 3432 S.R. 60. Voodoo Brewing Co. emphasizes community connections and was thrilled to bring on O’Sullivan as a regular performer.
O’Sullivan sings and plays the guitar every second Saturday at Voodoo Brewing Co. from 6:30-10 p.m. She mostly performs cover songs but hopes to release her own album at the end of the summer. Fans interested can learn about her next shows and book her for live events through her Instagram page @sidneyosullivanmusic.
Those interested in Voodoo Brewing Co. can visit https://valrico.voodoobrewery.com/ for more information.
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