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Brahms and Elgar

Concerts

On Sale: Yes
Flex: Yes
Date(s):
- Date: 03-05-2027 19:30, Venue: Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Purchase URL: https://buy.sarasotaorchestra.org/8265/8328, Is Sold Out?: No, Is Cancelled?: No, Is Postponed?: No
- Date: 03-06-2027 19:30, Venue: Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Purchase URL: https://buy.sarasotaorchestra.org/8265/8334, Is Sold Out?: No, Is Cancelled?: No, Is Postponed?: No
- Date: 03-07-2027 14:30, Venue: Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Purchase URL: https://buy.sarasotaorchestra.org/8265/8343, Is Sold Out?: No, Is Cancelled?: No, Is Postponed?: No
Event Cancelled: No
Program (short):
- Composer: Julia ADOLPHE, Piece: {i}Underneath the Sheen{/i}
- Composer: ELGAR, Piece: Cello Concerto
- Composer: BRAHMS, Piece: Symphony No. 2
Has intermission?: Yes
Conductor: Christian Reif
Featured Guest Artists: None/Single Artist, Sterling Elliott
Cost Override: Starting at $43
Program: 2627 | MW6 | ADOLPHE Underneath the Sheen, 2627 | MW6 | ELGAR Cello Concerto , 2627 | MW6 | BRAHMS Symphony No. 2

GRAMMY® Award-winning German conductor Christian Reif makes his Sarasota Orchestra debut in a program designed to light up your senses. Winner of a 2021 Avery Fisher Career Grant, cellist Sterling Elliott has quickly emerged as one of classical music’s most exciting performers. He makes his Sarasota Orchestra debut in Sir Edward Elgar’s deeply moving Cello Concerto, the composer’s final masterpiece for orchestra. The concert culminates with Johannes Brahms’ radiant Symphony No. 2, composed during one of the happiest summers of his life and filled with warmth, lyricism, and the quiet joy of communing with nature. Opening the program, Julia Adolphe’s Underneath the Sheen offers a luminous musical tribute to California’s majestic redwood forests, setting the tone for a listening experience of reflection and renewal.

Chopin and Mahler

Concerts

On Sale: Yes
Flex: Yes
Date(s):
- Date: 04-03-2027 19:30, Venue: Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Purchase URL: https://buy.sarasotaorchestra.org/8266/8335, Is Sold Out?: No, Is Cancelled?: No, Is Postponed?: No
- Date: 04-04-2027 14:30, Venue: Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Purchase URL: https://buy.sarasotaorchestra.org/8266/8344, Is Sold Out?: No, Is Cancelled?: No, Is Postponed?: No
Event Cancelled: No
Program (short):
- Composer: WEBER, Piece: Overture to {i}Der Freischütz{/i}
- Composer: MAHLER, Piece: Adagio from Symphony No. 10
- Composer: CHOPIN, Piece: Piano Concerto No. 2
- Composer: RAVEL, Piece: {i}Daphnis et Chloé{/i} Suite No. 2
Has intermission?: Yes
Conductor: Giancarlo Guerrero
Featured Guest Artists: None/Single Artist, Emanuel Ax
Cost Override: Starting at $43
Program: 2627 | MW7 | WEBER Overture to Der Freischutz, 2627 | MW7 | Mahler Symphony 10 Adagio, 2627 | MW7 | Chopin Piano Concerto No. 2, 2627 | MW7 | RAVEL Daphnis et Chloe Suite No. 2

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Our Masterworks season concludes in dazzling fashion. Don’t miss your chance to hear one of today’s greatest pianists as Musical America’s 2026 Artist of the Year, Emanuel Ax, performs Fryderyk Chopin’s lyrical Piano Concerto No. 2. The journey continues with the opening movement of Gustav Mahler’s unfinished Tenth Symphony, a sweeping musical reflection filled with longing and hope. The season reaches a dazzling finale with Maurice Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2, whose shimmering orchestral depiction of sunrise makes it one of classical music’s most spectacular showpieces.

Romantic Rendezvous

Concerts

On Sale: Yes
Flex: Yes
Date(s):
- Date: 02-10-2027 17:30, Venue: Holley Hall, Purchase URL: https://buy.sarasotaorchestra.org/8282/8311, Is Sold Out?: No, Is Cancelled?: No, Is Postponed?: No
- Date: 02-11-2027 19:30, Venue: Holley Hall, Purchase URL: https://buy.sarasotaorchestra.org/8282/8317, Is Sold Out?: No, Is Cancelled?: No, Is Postponed?: No
- Date: 02-12-2027 17:30, Venue: Holley Hall, Purchase URL: https://buy.sarasotaorchestra.org/8282/8323, Is Sold Out?: No, Is Cancelled?: No, Is Postponed?: No
- Date: 02-13-2027 19:30, Venue: Holley Hall, Purchase URL: https://buy.sarasotaorchestra.org/8282/8348, Is Sold Out?: No, Is Cancelled?: No, Is Postponed?: No
- Date: 02-14-2027 16:00, Venue: Holley Hall, Purchase URL: https://buy.sarasotaorchestra.org/8282/8353, Is Sold Out?: No, Is Cancelled?: No, Is Postponed?: No
Event Cancelled: No
Has intermission?: Yes
Conductor: Mélisse Brunet
Cost Override: $50

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Ignite your heart with a performance designed to sweep you off your feet as the orchestra performs a lush selection of love-themed anthems. From sweeping cinematic romances to the most tender melodies ever written, it’s an accessible, sophisticated way to celebrate Valentine’s week. Some of the highlights include the theme from Casablanca, “As Time Goes By,” Nat King Cole’s "L.O.V.E.," and John Williams' love theme from Superman.

Beethoven and Prokofiev

Concerts

On Sale: Yes
Flex: Yes
Date(s):
- Date: 11-07-2026 19:30, Venue: Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Purchase URL: https://buy.sarasotaorchestra.org/8260/8329, Is Sold Out?: No, Is Cancelled?: No, Is Postponed?: No
- Date: 11-08-2026 14:30, Venue: Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Purchase URL: https://buy.sarasotaorchestra.org/8260/8336, Is Sold Out?: No, Is Cancelled?: No, Is Postponed?: No
Event Cancelled: No
Program (short):
- Composer: Lera AUERBACH, Piece: {i}Icarus{/i}
- Composer: BEETHOVEN, Piece: Violin Concerto
- Composer: PROKOFIEV, Piece: Symphony No. 5
Has intermission?: Yes
Conductor: Giancarlo Guerrero
Featured Guest Artists: None/Single Artist, Gil Shaham
Cost Override: Starting at $43
Program: 2627 | MW1 | AUERBACH Icarus, 2627 | MW1 | BEETHOVEN Violin Concerto, 2627 | MW1 | PROKOFIEV Symphony No. 5

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Feel the collective rush as Sarasota Orchestra launches the Masterworks season in magnificent fashion. Legendary violinist Gil Shaham brings his “deeply intense sincerity” (The New York Times) to Ludwig van Beethoven’s luminous Violin Concerto—a piece that soars with pure lyricism. Then, feel the profound emotional impact of Sergey Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5. Written as the smoke of World War II began to clear, Prokofiev penned this towering work as “a hymn to free and happy Man, to his mighty powers, his pure and noble spirit.” Opening with Lera Auerbach’s gripping musical retelling of the myth of Icarus, who flew too close to the sun, this concert reaches for the heights of human ambition.

Adagio for Strings

Concerts

On Sale: Yes
Flex: Yes
Date(s):
- Date: 10-29-2026 17:30, Venue: Holley Hall, Purchase URL: https://buy.sarasotaorchestra.org/8271/8370, Is Sold Out?: No, Is Cancelled?: No, Is Postponed?: No
Event Cancelled: No
Program (short):
- Composer: BERNSTEIN, Piece: Dance Suite
- Composer: BRIDGE, Piece: Phantasy Piano Quartet
- Composer: RAVEL, Piece: {i}Le Tombeau de Couperin{/i}
- Composer: BARBER, Piece: String Quartet
Has intermission?: Yes
Cost Override: $52
Program: 2627 | CS2 | LEONARD BERNSTEIN Dance Suite, 2627 | CS2 | BRIDGE Phantasy Piano Quartet, 2627 | CS2 | MAURICE RAVEL Le Tombeau de Couperin, 2627 | CS2 | SAMUEL BARBER String Quartet

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Some music stays with you long after the last note. Barber’s Adagio for Strings is that kind of music. From its unforgettable role in the Oscar-winning film Platoon to surprising appearances in beloved television comedies like Seinfeld, The Simpsons, and How I Met Your Mother, Barber’s soaring melody has captivated audiences far beyond the concert hall. Before it became a familiar soundtrack to poignant moments on screen, this music began with just four musicians. At this Chamber Soirée in the intimate setting of Holley Hall, experience Barber’s beloved Adagio as he first imagined it: two violins, viola, and cello, weaving their individual lines into something breathtaking. The Sarasota String Quartet performs Barber’s complete String Quartet, placing the famous Adagio at the heart of a work filled with passion and energy. It’s a chance to hear a longtime favorite up close and discover the vibrant music that surrounds it.

And there’s more to discover:

Bernstein, the composer of West Side Story brings his flair for rhythm and personality to Dance Suite. Five miniature dances sparkle in the hands of the Sarasota Brass Quintet, including a cheeky nod to pop culture titled “MTV.”

Ravel offers irresistible French charm. Elegant melodies, sparkling textures, and lively dance rhythms make Le tombeau de Couperin a colorful delight. The Sarasota Wind Quintet brings its own distinctive blend of instrumental colors to this enchanting music.

Take a flight of imagination with Frank Bridge. The title Phantasy offers a clue: this music lets imagination lead the way. Written for a patron who wanted to revive the English tradition of musical fantasies, Bridge’s work blends piano and strings in a continuous journey through lyrical warmth, playful energy, and sweeping Romantic expression.