Sarasota Orchestra Announces 2020 – 2021 Season

Some of the greatest works of music ever composed, performed by many of the world's finest soloists, will be part of Sarasota Orchestra's 2020 - 2021 season.

The Orchestra's upcoming season will be filled with such well-loved works as Dvořák's Symphony No. 9 (The New World), Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade and Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2, with guest artists including violin superstar Augustin Hadelich and legendary pianist Garrick Ohlsson.

"This is a season rich with historical resonances and musical adventure," Jeffrey Kahane, Artistic Advisor and Sarasota Music Festival Music Director said, "At this extraordinarily difficult moment in history, we hope you will take full advantage of the spiritual nourishment, consolation and challenge that great music played by great musicians can provide."

Series: Sarasota Orchestra will present its hallmark series of seven powerful concerts featuring guest conductors from across America and the globe. Together with impressive soloists, each of these guest conductors selected a program of great masterworks.

Masters of Melody

November 6, 7, 8 | Van Wezel

Jeffrey Kahane, Artistic Advisor, SMF Music Director, conductor, and piano

GERSHWIN Piano Concerto in F

RACHMANINOFF Symphony No. 2

Beethoven Violin Concerto

December 4, 5, 6 | Van Wezel

Yaniv Dinur, Music Director, New Bedford Symphony

Angelo Xiang Yu, violin

GABRIELLA SMITH Field Guide

BEETHOVEN Violin Concerto

TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 4

Musical Heroines

January 7 - Neel PAC | January 8, 9,10 | Van Wezel

Kensho Watanabe, former Assistant Conductor, Philadelphia Orchestra

Isata Kanneh-Mason, piano

BEETHOVEN Leonore Overture No. 3

CLARA SCHUMANN Piano Concerto

RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Scheherazade

Symphonie Fantastique

February 4 - Neel PAC | February 5, 6, 7 - Van Wezel

Carl St. Clair, Music Director, Pacific Symphony

Augustin Hadelich, violin

MOZART Overture to The Abduction from the Seraglio

MENDELSSOHN Violin Concerto

BERLIOZ Symphonie Fantastique

Pictures at an Exhibition

February 18 - Neel PAC | February 20, 21 - Van Wezel

Marcelo Lehninger, Music Director, Grand Rapids Symphony

Orion Weiss, piano

GUARNIERI Festive Overture

MOZART Piano Concerto No. 23

MUSSORGSKY Pictures at an Exhibition

From the New World

March 19, 20, 21 | Van Wezel

Thomas Wilkins, Music Director, Omaha Symphony

Chee-Yun, violin

JIM BECKEL Toccata for Orchestra

LALO Symphonie espagnole

DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 9 (New World Symphony)

Russian Tales

April 9, 10, 11 | Van Wezel

Jeffrey Kahane, Artistic Advisor, SMF Music Director

Garrick Ohlsson, piano

STRAVINSKY Petrushka

RACHMANINOFF Piano Concerto No. 3

Books of Note: Sarasota Orchestra will also host a community reading program, "Books of Note," a collection of fiction and nonfiction books curated by Jeffrey Kahane, Artistic Advisor for Sarasota Orchestra, that reflect the times, historical perspective, or stories related to music and composers of our Masterworks performance season.

Masterworks concerts take place at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall and Neel Performing Arts Hall. Subscriptions for the Masterworks concerts are available now. Flex Pass subscriptions will be available in the fall.

Pops Series: This upcoming season for Pops will bring favorites from Broadway, film and TV, rock, jazz, and more to the Orchestra stage. Renowned guest conductors will lead three programs: Unforgettable: The American Songbook, romantic anthems by Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, and more; The Envelope Please, a celebration of songs and scores that have garnered Grammys, Tonys, and Oscars; Revolution: Music of the Beatles, an authorized symphonic tribute to the Fab Four with arrangements from Grammy winner Jeff Tyzik.

Unforgettable: The American Songbook

January 22, 23| Van Wezel

Guest Conductor: Sean O'Loughlin

Nick Ziobro, vocalist

Julia Goodwin, vocalist

The Envelope Please

March 5, 6| Van Wezel

Guest Conductor: Christopher Confessore

Susan Egan, vocalist

Douglas LeBrecque, vocalist

Lisa Vroman, vocalist

Revolution: Music of the Beatles

April 16, 17| Van Wezel

Guest Conductor: Stuart Malina

Chamber Soirées: The eight-concert Chamber Soirées will explore both classic and new repertoire, chosen by Sarasota Orchestra musicians. Highlights include a performance with Artistic Advisor Jeffrey Kahane alongside small musician ensembles and Sarasota Orchestra debuts of rare works with interesting instrumentation. The series will also continue to celebrate Beethoven's 250th birthday with an all-Beethoven recital by the Sarasota String Quartet.

Strings Attached

September 24| Holley Hall

ELGAR Serenade for Strings

BARBER Adagio for Strings

BARTÓK Divertimento (for strings)

Roots of Beethoven

October 11| Holley Hall

HAYDN String Quartet No. 2 (The Joke)

MOZART Horn Quintet in E-flat Major

BEETHOVEN String Quartet Op. 18, No.6

Serendipity

October 31| Holley Hall

LAUREN BERNOFSKY Trio for Brass

FRANÇAIX Trio for Piano, Oboe and Bassoon

REBECCA CLARKE Lullaby and Grotesque

JANÁČEK Concertino

String Quartet: All Beethoven Recital

December 20| Holley Hall

BEETHOVEN String Quartet No. 16

BEETHOVEN String Quartet No. 10

Latin Dances

January 24| Holley Hall

RAVEL Alborada del gracioso

MARQUEZ Danzade Mediodia

D'RIVERA Four Pieces

GOLIJOV Mariel

PIAZZOLLA Histoire du Tango

Americana

January 28 & January 31| Holley Hall

CAROLINE SHAW, Entr'acte

BARBER Summer Music

DVOŘÁK "American" String Quintet

Fairy Tale Romance

February 25 & February 28| Holley Hall

JOSEF SUK Piano Quartet

SCHUMANN Märchenerzählungen

SCHUBERT Trio No. 1

Music for 7, 8, 9

April 18| Holley Hall

STRAUSS Metamorphosen

STRAVINSKY Octet for Winds

MARTINU Nonet No. 2

Great Escapes series: Six thematic concerts include Pops and light classics with commentary by the conductor. Great Escapes concerts will be conducted by Christopher Confessore, Steven Jarvi, Michelle Merrill, William Waldrop, and David Alan Miller.

Strike Up the Band

October 14 - 17| Holley Hall

Guest Conductor: Steven Jarvi

Jingle Bells Forever

December 9 - 13| Holley Hall

Guest Conductor: William Waldrop

Beethoven at the Movies

January 13 - 17| Holley Hall

Guest Conductor: David Alan Miller

My Funny Valentine

February 10 - 14| Holley Hall

Guest Conductor: Michelle Merrill

Journey on the Orient Express

March 10 - 14| Holley Hall

Guest Conductor: Steven Jarvi

Comedy Tonight

April 21 - 24| Holley Hall

Guest Conductor: Christopher Confessore

Discover Mozart concerts: Sarasota Orchestra will present a trio of concerts celebrating the master composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the music inspired by his work. This revised format for the Discoveries series will showcase classical music's newest talents all of whom will make Sarasota debuts.

Brilliant Beginnings

October 3| Sarasota Opera House

Guest Conductor: Stephen Mulligan

Dominic Cheli, piano

BRITTEN Sinfonietta

MENDELSSOHN Piano Concerto No. 1

MOZART Symphony No. 25

European Holiday

December 22| Sarasota Opera House

Guest Conductor: Sameer Patel

DEBUSSY Petite Suite

RESPIGHI Trittico Botticelliano ("Adoration of the Magi" movement)

VIVALDI Concerto for Two Trumpets

MOZART Symphony No. 31 (Paris)

Fables and Fantasy

May 15| Sarasota Opera House

Guest Conductor: Elena Schwarz

Ifetayo Ali-Landing, cello

MOZART Overture to the Magic Flute

RAVEL Mother Goose Suite

TCHAIKOVSKY Rococo Variations

DUKAS Sorcerer's Apprentice

New subscriptions are on sale now. Subscription brochures are available by adding your name and address at www.SarasotaOrchestra.org or by calling the Sarasota Orchestra Box Office at (941) 953-3434.