September | October | November | December | January | February | March | April | May

The Green, Green Grass of Home

Andrew Lane, conductor
March 10, 11, 12 & 13 Holley Hall

Whether you are from near or far, this concert will have you reminiscing about the place you call home. The Orchestra performs My Old Kentucky Home, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!, My Wild Irish Rose, America the Beautiful and highlights from the musical Finian’s Rainbow. You’ll also be transported back to the fields of Europe with Edward Grieg’s Norwegian Dances.

Ellis Island: The Dream of America

Friday, March 19, 8 p.m.
Van Wezel

This program celebrates the American dream through the experience of Ellis Island and the art of Norman Rockwell. The Orchestra performs Peter Boyer’s Ellis Island: The Dream of America. A moving orchestral and visual tapestry, the concert features vintage photos from the Ellis Island archives with live actors reciting short monologues from the journals of seven immigrants who came through Ellis Island. The other half of the concert features Florida-composer Stella Sung’s Rockwell Reflections while nostalgic Rockwell paintings are projected on the big screen.

In Myth

Leif Bjaland, conductor | Key Chorale, children’s chorus & vocal soloists
March 25, 26, 27 & 28 (MW7)

Bringing an exhilarating close to the Masterworks season, the Orchestra is joined by the Key Chorale for Orff’s monumental Carmina burana. Based on 24 mythic poems about love, life and particularly fate, this vibrant work explores the struggle of man to survive in the hostile world of medieval Europe. This awe-inspiring concert also features Mozart’s turbulent and enigmatic Symphony No. 40, in which he delved into the very heart of the human soul. Don’t miss two of the most enduring and popular classical works of all time in one exceptional program.

Mona Lisa

Dirk Meyer, conductor
April 7, 8, 9 & 10 Holley Hall

Come linger in the Shadow of Her Smile as we celebrate great beauties past and present. Whether it’s Debussy’s ravishing Girl with the Flaxen Hair or Cy Coleman’s brassy Sweet Charity, one thing is for certain, A Pretty Girl really Is Like A Melody!

City Lights

Friday, April 16, 8 p.m.
Van Wezel

The concert hall transforms into a movie theater as Charlie Chaplin’s 87-minute silent film City Lights is projected on the big screen while the Orchestra performs the movie’s remarkable soundtrack live. Charlie Chaplin not only wrote, directed and starred in this film — he also composed the score. While Chaplin may be most famous for his comedy The Great Dictator in which he bitterly satirized Adolf Hitler, the American Film Institute has named City Lights the best romantic comedy and number one silent film of all time. Albert Einstein attended the Los Angeles premiere of City Lights in 1931. George Bernard Shaw took in the London opening. Get your tickets now and join us on the 121st anniversary of Charlie Chaplin’s birthday.

Beethoven: The Angry Revolutionary

Saturday, April 24, 8 p.m.
Sarasota Opera House

Following a sold-out performance last season, Beethoven: The Angry Revolutionary returns for an encore presentation. Facing the loss of his hearing and surrounded by the chaos of revolution and war across Europe, Beethoven composed one of the most triumphant (and familiar) pieces of music of all time. Hear and see the story of Beethoven’s personal journey that culminates in his remarkable Fifth Symphony.

“The audience was justified in its overwhelming ovation. Perhaps it had heard Beethoven with new ears and a new understanding of his music’s meaning in our own lives.” Herald Tribune review

Beyond the Blue Horizon

Dirk Meyer, conductor
May 5, 6, 7 & 8 Holley Hall

Isn’t it time to broaden your musical horizons? Opportunities like this come only once in a Blue Moon – so don’t miss the Blue Skies this program offers. You’ll have to duck for cover to avoid Stormy Weather and contemplate the Music Of The Spheres. Then, for the truly adventurous, the Orchestra will take you on a Star Trek to the outer limits of the galaxy.

From My Life

May 13 • The Sarasota String Quartet finishes the chamber music season with the emotional Voces Intimae and the semi-autobiographical From My Life.

Sibelius-- String Quartet “Voces Intimae” • Smetana – String Quartet “From My Life”

Season:

Beatrice Friedman
Virginia Toulmin

Masterworks:

Co-Title:
Alisa & Ernie Kretzmer

MWI:

Soloist:
Mr. & Mrs. Jerome E. Goldstein

Individual:
Flora Major in honor of Vivian Kouvant

Corporate:

Media:

MWII:

Soloist:
Toby & Gene Halpern

Individual:
Joyce Lipman Gordon

MWIII:

Soloist:
Jeremy & Cynthia Guiles

Individual:
Toby & Noel Siegel
Mildred Stein

Media:

MWIV:

Individual:
Audrey & Art Wolcott

Corporate:

MWV:

Soloist:
Mr. & Mrs. Harry Bernbaum

Individual:
Mr. & Mrs. Paul Steinwachs

Corporate:

MWVI:

Beatrice Friedman

MWVII:

Soloist:
Joyce & Bob Tate
Lee & Bob Peterson

Individual:
Ulla Searing

Corporate:

Series Media:

Media for Neel:

Great Escapes:

Thursday Casual Classics:

Individual:
Bette & Arnold Hoffman

Corporate:

Friday Concert Lites:

Individual:
Carolynne Smith

Saturday Enchanted Evenings:

Individual:
Jytte & Mort Mandel

Corporate:

Media:

Journeys to Genius

Title Series:

Jules & Sheila Rose

Mozart 

Individual:
Harry & Victoria Leopold

Media:

Chamber Soirees

From the Start:

Individual:
Sylvia Cohodas 

With Quartets:

Individual:
Sylvia Cohodas

In Monuments:

Individual:
Lois Stulberg

In Moonlight:

Individual:
Lois Stulberg

Corporate:

Everywhere:

Individual:
Lois Stulberg

Series Media Sponsor: