We are planning a Music Center that will expand the Sarasota-Manatee region’s cultural capacity for many generations. As the area grows, and the arts and cultural community grows along with it, demand for performance, rehearsal and education space is eclipsing available supply. The Music Center will address this critical need for expansion and elevate the community to new artistic heights with something the region has never had: a concert hall purpose-built for acoustic music.
Our Music Center will be located at 5701 Fruitville Road between Honore Avenue and Cattlemen Road. The site’s proximity to Interstate 75 increases accessibility to arts and cultural experiences for residents across the region and visitors from around the world, serving as a gateway to the nearby downtown Sarasota area.
The 32-acre site at 5701 Fruitville Road accommodates the required building height needed for an acoustically engineered concert hall (up to 110 feet) and offers protection from coastal vulnerabilities. It also provides space for ample parking and easy access from Interstate 75.
Our Music Center will bring the community something it’s never had: a concert hall purpose-built for acoustic music. Our concert hall will be one of only four in Florida and the first on Florida’s Gulf Coast (others include the New World Center in Miami Beach, Knight Concert Hall in Miami, and Steinmetz Hall in Orlando).
Fundamentally different from a venue built to support theatrical sets and amplified productions, concert halls are built with specific intent to optimize acoustic (non-amplified) performances. In a concert hall, the audience and musicians share the same room without separation from the stage. This is different from a multipurpose performance space, in which a proscenium arch frames the stage and the space above and around the stage is open to fly lofts and storage for theatrical set. The resulting sound reverberation in a concert hall enables memorable physical sensations, culminating in a truly immersive experience.
Learn more about what makes a concert hall unique: HYPERLINK TO ANIMATED EXPLAINER
We have a long-term lease agreement with the City of Sarasota for our current location at the Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center and will continue operations there until a new site is completed and adequately equipped to house all our performances, rehearsals, educational programing and administration. The lease terms at our current facility will be evaluated in the future by our board of directors in consultation with the City of Sarasota.
The Music Center project team is currently in the final stages of design, which will conclude in early 2027. Groundbreaking will be determined after that work is complete.
The Music Center is projected to cost between $375 million and $425 million. The final cost may vary depending on external economic factors.
Any time! Gifts to support the Music Center, no matter how big or small, will help us realize our vision and bring this transformational community asset to life.
For more information, please contact Tracy Harbilas, senior director of development services, at 941-487-2740 or [email protected].