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Romantic Reveries

Sarasota Opera House

Rising Stars 3

Sarasota Orchestra

Lustrous Sounds

Rising Stars 2

This one-night-only musical event sums up the spirit of the 2024 Festival—unbound, uninhibited, and genuinely transformative. Hailstork’s beautifully evocative Sonata da Chiesa—“church sonata” in the Baroque era—reflects his personal fascination with cathedrals. Written for Benny Goodman, Copland’s dynamic Clarinet Concerto is the only conductor-led piece on the program. Tessa Lark, Mike Block, and Jeffrey Kahane improvise on beloved American songs, while Lark and Block duet with traditional fiddle tunes. The perfumed world of 18th-century France collides with 21st-century jazz in Block’s arrangement of Dieupart’s Sarabande, then Block leads Festival fellows in an exhilarating, spur-of-the-moment jam. Lark puts her distinctive stamp on bluegrass legend Bill Monroe’s “Blue Moon of Kentucky,” and the experience culminates with Iniche Cosebe, Block’s quasi-improvised work inspired by “thank you very much” in the language of the Mandinka people.

American Soundscapes

Tales and tributes come to life in vibrant musical colors. The teenage Richard Strauss pays homage to Mozart and Mendelssohn in his strikingly original E-flat Serenade for Winds. Subtitled “A Romance,” Ralph Vaughan Williams’s bittersweet The Lark Ascending brings pastoral innocence to life through rhapsodic solos that sound deceptively simple. Jeff Scott’s Trail of Tears tells the story of his great-great-grandfather, of Cherokee descent, who was among the 60,000 Native Americans forcibly ejected from their homes in the 19th century. Written in 1876 and bearing the dedication “For My Nation,” Antonín Dvořák’s Quintet in G Major adds double bass to the traditional string quartet, opening leagues of musical depth to the work that helped launch his international career.

Tales And Tributes

Treasured masterpieces and novel experiences highlight the unique talents of this year’s Festival artists. The consummate perfectionist, Maurice Duruflé allowed only a few of his compositions—like his famous Requiem—to be published. Written for the unusual combination of flute, violin, and piano, his breathtaking Trio is among the few chamber works he composed. Modeled after Mozart and written early in his career, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Quintet in E-flat Major is almost symphonic in scope. Harnessing the magic of spontaneous live performance, two exciting young Festival faculty—Tessa Lark and Mike Block—join Jeffrey Kahane for an impromptu take on the famous theme from Dvořák’s “New World” Symphony. Dvořák’s emotionally charged Piano Trio No. 4 unfolds in a series of vividly colorful dumka, or poetic elegies.

Something Old, Something New

Rising Stars 1

Beethoven and Mendelssohn are icons of classical music. Don’t miss the chance to hear two of the most popular composers of all time. The not-to-be missed concert also features the Festival debut of two spectacular artists. Conductor Stephanie Childress makes her Festival debut with the music of Indian-American composer Reena Esmail, who weaves Hindustani ragas and Western classical techniques in the captivating, tuneful 11-minute Teen Murti ( Three Statues ). SMF Alumna Rachel Breen takes time out from her thriving European career to make her Festival solo debut with Ludwig van Beethoven’s bold Piano Concerto No. 1. The program concludes with a final first—Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 1, composed when he was just 15 and bursting with youthful vigor.

Beethoven And Mendelssohn

Festival faculty, fellows, and the Borromeo String Quartet join forces for music separated by time yet linked by raw emotion, startling innovation, and inspiring creativity. Festival faculty Jeff Scott’s Passion for Bach and Coltrane proceeds from the opening of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Goldberg Variations and ventures boldly down unexpected avenues. Jeffrey Kahane plays the role of keyboard maverick in Bach’s thrilling Brandenburg Concerto No. 5.

Bach And Beyond

Combine these 20th-century works for two, three, and four musicians, and the result is an intriguing concert that expands horizons. Written in 1994, Jean Françaix’s lighthearted Trio for Oboe, Bassoon, and Piano is charming and witty. Folk and classical idioms intertwine in Erwin Schulhoff’s 1925 Duo for Violin and Cello, while Maurice Ravel’s revolutionary encounter with jazz reverberates throughout his electrifying second Sonata for Violin and Piano. The Borromeo String Quartet, heralded for their “edge-of-the-seat performances” (Boston Globe), takes on the intelligent intensity of the String Quartet No. 6 by Polish composer Grażyna Bacewicz.

Two, Three, Four

The 60th Anniversary Festival begins with a program that unites the past, present, and future. With Music Director Jeffrey Kahane on harpsichord, SMF alum Marianne Gedigian shimmers in a work from the archives—Francois Couperin’s elegant Le Rossignol en amour (The Nightingale in Love). Bohuslav Martinů’s mid-20th-century Sonata, written on Cape Cod, offers a thought-provoking contrast with its jazz infused rhythms.

60th Anniversary Concert

What would have been on Tchaikovsky’s playlist? Conductor David Alan Miller offers a “sampler platter” of works by some of Tchaikovsky’s musical heroes, featuring beloved pieces by Bizet, Grieg, Schumann and Mozart. The program concludes with virtuoso cellist Zlatomir Fung performing Tchaikovsky’s timeless “Rococo” Variations—a glorious glimpse into the soul of one of music’s most treasured composers.

Becoming Tchaikovsky

Musical genius knows no borders. Join Christopher Confessore and Sarasota Orchestra in a journey across continents in search of glorious music. From Strauss’ Blue Danube to beloved works by Puccini and Elgar, the sonic riches are endless. Sarasota Orchestra Concertmaster Daniel Jordan celebrates his own “fantastic voyage,” marking 25 years in the Orchestra with a performance of Johan Svendsen’s Romance for Violin and Orchestra.

Fantastic Voyage

Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center

Pianist Joyce Yang, a favorite of Sarasota audiences, returns to our stage as soloist in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 24. One of Mozart’s most striking concertos, the work rolls with a stormy turbulence. Yang is joined by Austrian conductor Katharina Wincor, who makes her Sarasota Orchestra debut. The program also features Dvořák’s popular Symphony No. 8, a tribute to the composer’s beloved Bohemia translated into sonic terrain filled with birdsong, rustling leaves, and folk dances. Sarasota native Roger Zare named his ten-minute NEOWISE after the comet that flared across our skies in 2020.

Yang Plays Mozart

Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall

Enjoy the fun as Sarasota Orchestra celebrates the 100th anniversary of the premiere of George Gershwin’s iconic Rhapsody in Blue. American pianist Michelle Cann joins as the soloist in this blockbuster, as well as Florence Price’s extraordinary Piano Concerto. The concert’s effervescent opening brings you the cheeky wit of Rossini’s Overture to The Thieving Magpie. Creative Partner Peter Oundjian returns to Sarasota to lead these works, as well as Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony. One of Tchaikovsky’s most personal pieces, the symphony packs an emotional wallop with a triumphant conclusion.

Rhapsody In Blue @ 100

State College of Florida - SCF Bradenton

You don’t have to be Irish to get your green on for this St. Patrick’s Day shindig! Composers the world over have long delighted in paying homage to the music of the Emerald Isle. High-energy conductor Steven Jarvi takes you on a shamrock-filled tour of all things Irish, from Leroy Anderson’s peppy Irish Suite to the gorgeous strains of “Danny Boy.”

Luck Of The Irish

Be swept off your feet with a program of smoky romance and fiery virtuosity. Norwegian conductor Rune Bergmann makes his Sarasota Orchestra debut in a program featuring Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2. Its passionate melodies and lush orchestration thread through well-known songs and movie scores today. Violinist Stella Chen, winner of the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Competition, performs Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2. This showpiece is packed with soaring melodies, lively dances, and dazzling violin pyrotechnics. The program begins with the rousing overture to Danish composer Carl Nielsen’s opera Maskarade.

Smoke And Fire

Every now and again, someone composes a work that changes everything. Whether it’s the opening of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony or the shower scene from Psycho, certain music sticks with us and changes us forever. Conductor Lawrence Loh leads the Orchestra in this tribute to “revolutionary” music, including selections from Verdi, The Beatles, and the film music of the great John Williams.

Revolutionary Music

Led by Giancarlo Guerrero, Music Director of the Nashville Symphony, this unforgettable program opens with Mozart’s Overture to The Marriage of Figaro. Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 is one of classical music’s most powerful symphonic experiences. Dramatic, folklike, and rollicking, the “Titan” blazes all the way through to its breathtaking close. GRAMMY and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Kevin Puts drew on the genius of Mozart when crafting his impressive Marimba Concerto. The marimba, rarely seen as a solo instrument with orchestra, and Ji Su Jung’s riveting performance style create a fascinating combination.

Orchestral events in Sarasota, FL

Romantic Reveries

Sarasota Music Festival

Rising Stars 3

Sarasota Music Festival

Lustrous Sounds

Sarasota Music Festival

Rising Stars 2

Sarasota Music Festival

American Soundscapes

Sarasota Music Festival

Tales And Tributes

Sarasota Music Festival

Something Old, Something ...

Sarasota Music Festival

Rising Stars 1

Sarasota Music Festival

Beethoven And Mendelssohn...

Sarasota Orchestra

Bach And Beyond

Sarasota Music Festival

Two, Three, Four

Sarasota Music Festival

60th Anniversary Concert

Sarasota Music Festival

Becoming Tchaikovsky

Sarasota Orchestra

Fantastic Voyage

Sarasota Orchestra

Yang Plays Mozart

Sarasota Orchestra

Rhapsody In Blue @ 100

Sarasota Orchestra

Luck Of The Irish

Sarasota Orchestra

Smoke And Fire

Sarasota Orchestra

Revolutionary Music

Sarasota Orchestra

Titans

Sarasota Orchestra