Sarasota Orchestra Music Director Giancarlo Guerrero makes his Chamber Soirée debut, leading three landmark works. Stravinsky’s Danses concertantes is a delight tinged with Stravinsky’s trademark spicy interpretation. Wagner composed his highly romantic Siegfried Idyll as a birthday gift for his wife, hiring a small ensemble to perform it on the staircase outside her bedroom. Schoenberg’s Chamber Symphony No. 1 was a pivotal work, bridging the gap between 19th-century romanticism and 20th-century modernism.

The richness of music from the Americas is on full display in this captivating program. Argentinian composer Alberto Ginastera’s extraordinary string quartet combines rhythmic ferocity with South American folk music. Uruguayan native Enrique Crespo’s delightful brass quintet takes the listener on a sonic tour of the Americas, including the sounds of New Orleans, Brazil, Peru, Argentina, and Mexico. Cuban jazz musician Paquito D’Rivera is a master at combining jazz and classical traditions. His lively wind quintet is a tribute to the sounds of the Caribbean, Venezuela, and American jazz.

This thrilling program celebrates history’s greatest musicals, including The Lion King, Hamilton, Jersey Boys, The Phantom of the Opera, and the biggest blockbuster of them all: Wicked. A trio of phenomenal vocalists offer breathtaking performances with Evan Roider on the podium, conductor of more than 1,000 performances of Wicked.

Jazz artist Byron Stripling first stepped into the spotlight as lead trumpeter and star soloist with the Count Basie Orchestra. In this homage to the birth of the blues, Byron leads you on a journey through the classic melodies of hits made famous by Jazz Age icons and New Orleans favorites such as Muddy Waters, Ma Rainey, and Louis Armstrong.