Sarasota Orchestra

Sarasota Orchestra is one of the leading regional orchestras in the united states, performing a wide range of classical, pops, and chamber music concerts. Prior to the covid-19 pandemic, each season Sarasota Orchestra performed for more than 88,000 people across more than 100 live musical performances in a 36-week season from september to may. The 2022-2023 concert season continued to see audience recovery from the pandemic. Highlights of the season included yo-yo ma performing with the Orchestra, hosting a special performance by one of our partners, the sphinx ensemble, the continuation of free, outdoor concerts in local parks and cultural destinations (a new program developed to sustain the Sarasota Orchestra's mission to bring live music to the community safely in pandemic conditions). Sarasota Orchestra employs 76 contracted musicians, with 48 musicians forming the Orchestra's full-time core. Its outreach programs, including the "on the road with so" community tour, a dedicated free family concert, and free tickets through vettix and tickets for kids programs connect with Sarasota and manatee county residents of all ages who may not otherwise have access to concert experiences, thereby strengthening the community's artistic profile and reputation as a cultural hub in Florida.

For 62 years, Sarasota Orchestra has sponsored a youth Orchestra program that currently consists of eight orchestras: five string orchestras, one wind band, and two symphonic orchestras. The Sarasota youth orchestras meet once a week from september through april and present six concerts that are free to the public. After modifying the program in the previous season to safely support in-person rehearsals for four ensembles, operations of the Sarasota youth orchestras were able to offer five ensembles in the 2021-2022 season, providing music education to 177 young musicians. 54% of the Sarasota youth orchestras' students were supported by scholarship assistance. Sarasota Orchestra also presents a summer music camp for two weeks each july. After modifying the 2021 summer music camp to present four half day in-person sessions over four weeks, the 2022 summer music camp offered two weeks of half day instruction, concluding with a free recital for campers' families and the general public. Sarasota Orchestra's summer music camp supports "true beginners," enabling aspiring musicians as young as eight years old to learn how to play an instrument with no prior experienceto ensure all students have access to music instruction and educational programs, Sarasota Orchestra provides scholarships for participation in Sarasota youth orchestras and summer music camp, as well as private lesson, summer camps, and college scholarships. Students also have the opportunity to borrow instruments from the Orchestra. Other education programs include the young person's concert, which engages more than 9,000 fourth- and fifth- graders from Sarasota and manatee county schools. The program includes an in-school preparation curriculum guide and culminates in a concert by Sarasota Orchestra held at a professional concert venue. The curriculum for the young person's concert aligns with the Florida and national education standards. Due to a fall field trip freeze in our schools, Sarasota Orchestra was unable to offer in-person young person's concerts in fy22, shifting to a videoed program which was sent to all k-12 grade schools in manatee and Sarasota counties.other outreach programs include Orchestra musicians performing and coaching in local schools and other community venues. In a regular season, the total number of children and family members served by Sarasota Orchestra's educational programming exceeds 15,000.

Founded in 1965, the Sarasota music festival is one of the united states' premier teaching and performance festivals focused on chamber music. It was designated by the Florida state legislature as the "official teaching and performing festival of the state of Florida" in 1984. Through a competitive application process, the festival accepts more than 60 talented fellows each summer, the majority of them college-aged, pre-professional artists, to participate in three weeks of master classes and coaching sessions, along with public orchestral and chamber music performances. A roster of more than 40 internationally-acclaimed musicians representing the world's top orchestras, conservatories, and colleges come to the festival to mentor and perform alongside the fellows. Jeffrey kahane has served as music director of the Sarasota music festival since 2016. Festival audiences enjoy a wide variety of concert experiences and events, including thursday afternoon artist showcases featuring the faculty artists; concerts of chamber and orchestral music on fridays and saturdays; and sunday "rising stars" recitals in which the fellows are both the stars and curators of the programs. Many patrons enjoy the option of purchasing festival passes, which allow access to the artists' master classes and rehearsals. Special events and lectures throughout the festival offer rare opportunities for all festival participants, audiences and musicians alike, to engage with living composers and top performing artists of today.