Sarasota Orchestra

06/04/2026

06/01/2026

We are thrilled to welcome back internationally celebrated conductor Nicholas McGegan to our Sarasota Music Festival faculty.

Long-hailed as “one of the finest Baroque conductors of his generation” (The Independent), McGegan’s approach has made him a pioneer in broadening the reach of historically informed practice beyond the world of period ensembles to conventional symphonic forces.

You can help this year’s fellows become pioneers in their own right—AND … thanks to the generosity of Barbara Brizdle, every Festival donation through June 7th will be matched, dollar-for-dollar, up to the first $10,000!

Double your impact. Invest in their future. Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org/SMFMatch to make a gift today.

06/01/2026

Take a closer look at Mozart's Wind Serenade No. 11 with Mark Nuccio, clarinet

⭐ Mark Nuccio has been the Houston Symphony's principal clarinet for the past 10 years, previously serving as associate principal with the New York Philharmonic. Mark knows that the true "pulse" of Mozart is found in the balance between a healthy respect for Classical style and the spontaneity of the moment. A successful rendition will be more than merely beautiful. As Mark prepares to work with seven of the Festival's fellows on a conductorless performance of Mozart's Wind Serenade No. 11, he's thinking about how to encourage a departure from the comfort zone, moving past rote recreation to tap into the formidable genius inside this work.

"It's the highest form of what we do, really—trying to interpret Mozart the way he intended for his music to be performed. It's going to be exciting for me to share that with students, because although they always try to play beautifully, it's important they play Mozart with a style that would match the Classical period. Unlike Romantic or contemporary music, sometimes you have to be cleaner and more particular with the lengths of notes and the way you finish phrases. When we get together, I believe everybody in that room will be prepared and capable of playing their parts. The trick will be to accomplish the style by the end of the week.

"Mozart was brilliant, and part of the problem is that he was so brilliant, he just assumed everybody else was going to be that brilliant. And so, some of what he wanted is not written, because he assumed you'd figure it out. Everyone in this ensemble will have to be a little bit creative. It's going to force us all to get a little bit out of our comfort zone and do things in the style of the era Mozart wrote in.

"Not many of us can be put in Mozart's category of genius—I'm certainly not one—but we will be doing our best to present something to the audience that's not only enjoyable, but maybe it's something different, something they haven't heard from this piece before, because we're doing it in the moment."

Experience Mozart as he was heard in his own time—spontaneous, intelligent, and brilliantly alive! Get your tickets to our second Chamber Showcase of the Saraosta Music Festival > 🔗 https://www.sarasotaorchestra.org/

05/28/2026

The Symphony Center is getting ready for Sarasota Music Festival 2026 and the only thing missing is you! 💙

On June 1, Sarasota will welcome classical music superstars from around the globe for what’s been called “a chamber musician’s dream come true.” Join us for two weeks of world-class music!

05/23/2026

A quiet look into the future with Music Director Giancarlo Guerrero and his wife, Shirley, at the site of our future Music Center.

Every performance creates something that lives only in that room, in that moment, shared between the musicians and the audience. Soon, that magic will have a home built for it, a vision brought dramatically closer by this week's $11.7 million gift. As Giancarlo recently shared with us, what's happening in Sarasota is unlike anywhere else in the world.

Learn more about our $11.7 million gift announcement and see the latest project renderings at https://www.sarasotaorchestra.org/component/content/article/music-center-update-may-2026?catid=56&Itemid=809.

05/21/2026

"Guerrero’s selection of Haydn’s 45th as the final performance in a stunning first season with the Sarasota Orchestra demonstrated the love of humor and mischief he shares with the famed composer. I look forward to discovering what Guerrero’s sophomore season has in store." - Emma Jo Patten for ArtsBeat.

Read Patten's full review of Discoveries: Unfinished Business:
https://www.artsbeat.org/p/music-review-sarasota-orchestra-s-discoveries-unfinished-business?fbclid=IwY2xjawR8LQJleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFyWDhpS0kzczBmaGNETWxac3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHoUA1TmY_4Sjl4019ECmCzHWm7155xsdxktik0HZvfbJSJ_11N6xf-T5OT8-_aem_Mnr7WoVcwXbMWS-cHUTkEg

05/20/2026

Calling all Sarasota artists! 📣 Sarasota Orchestra invites artists to submit applications to exhibit their work during the 2026-2027 concert season in the Orchestra’s Harmony Gallery, located in the atrium of the Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center.

📆 The application deadline for 2026-2027 Harmony Gallery exhibitions is June 30, 2026. Exhibitors will be selected by jury and announced August 15, 2026.

Interested artists should submit a completed application, along with 10-15 digital samples of their most recent work. Applications are available online: https://www.sarasotaorchestra.org/about/community/harmony-gallery

05/19/2026

An anonymous donor's $11.7 million gift raises the total donations for Sarasota Orchestra's new home on Fruitville Road close to $87 million.
https://www.yourobserver.com/news/2026/may/18/sarasota-orchestra-announces-anonymous-12-million-music-center-donation/

05/19/2026

Double your impact—support a fellow through June 7th!

The Sarasota Music Festival is a life-changing opportunity for the next generation of classical musicians. This year, only 41 fellows have been selected from hundreds of applications to study, perform, and be mentored by some of the world’s most renowned musicians and faculty.

You can make it happen! With a $500 gift, you can help cover a fellow’s tuition—and right now, thanks to the generosity of Barbara Brizdle, all SMF gifts received by June 7th will be matched, dollar-for dollar, up to the first $10,000!

Support tomorrow’s virtuosi today. Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org/SMFMatch to make a difference now.