Music Director Giancarlo Guerrero opens the rich treasure chest of American music. Adolphus Hailstork’s An American Port of Call captures the relentless energy of the port of Norfolk, Virginia. Pianist Clayton Stephenson performs Gershwin’s jazz and blues-infused Concerto in F. Charles Ives composed his delightful and quirky Variations on “America” when he was only 17. Audiences at the 1934 premiere of Dawson’s Negro Folk Symphony were so moved that they erupted in applause at the end of each movement. Decades later, the extraordinary work has returned to the standard repertoire with accolades.

The program showcases Ravel’s orchestration of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. The vibrant musical depictions of Viktor Hartmann’s paintings, including the majestic Great Gate of Kiev, have been inspiring audiences for generations. Fourteen-year-old Japanese violinist Himari has been described as a once-in-a-generation talent. The prodigy will perform Bruch’s richly Romantic Violin Concerto No. 1. Pulitzer Prize-winner Michael Abels is best known for his genre-defying scores for the Jordan Peele films Get Out, Us, and Nope. His work Amplify was co-commissioned by Sarasota Orchestra.

Magic is in the air as Sarasota Orchestra journeys to locales both real and imagined. Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice brings to life Goethe’s tale of magic gone awry and was featured in Disney’s original Fantasia. The virtuosic Suite from Close Encounters of the Third Kind reminds us why film composer John Williams is revered as one of the most gifted orchestral composers of our time. Spanish guitar virtuoso Pablo Sáinz-Villegas takes us to the Royal Palace of Aranjuez in Rodrigo’s popular guitar concerto. Respighi’s Pines of Rome offers a vivid portrait of the Roman countryside.

Music Director Giancarlo Guerrero opens the Masterworks season with a technicolor program of audience favorites. Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances was the master’s final orchestral composition. A virtuoso showpiece for the orchestra, it bursts with the fierce energy and Romantic melodies that are Rachmaninoff’s trademarks. Alessio Bax, “among the most remarkable young pianists now before the public” (Gramophone), performs Tchaikovsky’s glorious Piano Concerto No. 1, perhaps the most beloved piano concerto of all time. Jennifer Higdon’s ethereal blue cathedral opens this vibrant program.