HERMITAGE SUNSETS @ SELBY GARDENS to Return for Seventh Season

The Hermitage Artist Retreat's popular series, 'Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens,' continues into its seventh year as part of the Hermitage's upcoming 2026-2027 season.

The outdoor series — a celebrated collaboration between the Hermitage Artist Retreat and Marie Selby Botanical Gardens — features performances and explorations of works-in-progress by Hermitage artists-in-residence and alumni. 'Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens' events are currently scheduled to take place at Selby Gardens' Downtown Sarasota campus and the Historic Spanish Point campus in Osprey.

Newly announced dates for this seventh season of 'Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens' include:

TOUR DATES

Friday, October 16, 2026, Downtown Sarasota campus

Friday, November 20, 2026, Historic Spanish Point campus

Thursday, February 11, 2027, Historic Spanish Point campus

Thursday, February 25, 2027, Downtown Sarasota campus

Thursday, March 18, 2027, Downtown Sarasota campus

Thursday, May 6, 2027, Downtown Sarasota campus

The first of these events, 'New Music Under the Old Oak,' features Hermitage Fellows Madeline Benson & Chris Peters who collaborated as arrangers, orchestrators, and performers for late Hermitage Fellow Gavin Creel's original musical Walk on Through, which was developed in part at the Hermitage. They have since partnered on other ventures, including Benson's debut album, Leave it All to Me, produced by Peters, and a concert at Lincoln Center featuring their individual and collaborative work. Matīss Čudars, winner of the Hermitage Prize in Composition at the Aspen Music Festival & School, is a Latvian composer and guitar player who draws upon a diverse musical upbringing encompassing math-rock, jazz, classical music, and avant-garde improv. Last seen at the 2025 Hermitage Artful Lobster, he composes for orchestras, chamber ensembles, and solo performance. These talented Hermitage musicians will share their original work and their creative process as the sun sets into the Bay at Selby Gardens' downtown Sarasota campus on Friday, October 16 at 5:30pm.

Start times for the additional program dates will vary with sunset and will be announced when each event opens for registration. Admission for these events has no ticket cost, though availability is subject to capacity limitations at each venue; advance registration is required ($5/person) at HermitageArtistRetreat.org.

Each program will feature a celebrated Hermitage artist (or artists) to be announced. Last year's 'Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens' spotlighted the works and talents of acclaimed violist and founder of the quartet ETHEL Ralph Farris, Broadway performer and writer Lauren Marcus, Hermitage Roundabout Fellow and playwright Migdalia Cruz, Tony Award winner Britton Smith, acclaimed jazz musician Adam O'Farrill, Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning playwright Doug Wright, Obie Award winner Morgan Bassichis, celebrated Broadway and television actor and playwright Adam Chanler-Berat, award-winning singer-songwriter and composer Julian Hornik, and Juilliard-trained flutist Emi Ferguson.

Previous seasons of 'Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens' have included internationally celebrated flutist Claire Chase; world-renowned pianist and composer Vijay Iyer; Tony Award-nominated Broadway performer Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer; Grammy, Golden Globe, and Academy Award-winning composer and lyricist Mark Sonnenblick; 2025 Hermitage Greenfield Prize winner and sound artist Rucyl Mills; Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Michael R. Jackson; celebrated mime and storyteller Bill Bowers; internationally renowned composer and singer Kavita Shah; award-winning Chicago playwright Terry Guest; Kleban Prize winner César Alvarez, world-renowned violinist and Beyoncé collaborator Lady Jess; Hermitage Curatorial Council member Nataki Garrett; acclaimed classical harpist Ashley Jackson; interdisciplinary performance artist Ni'Ja Whitson; opera singer and Sarasota native Thea Lobo; composer Sofía Rocha, winner of the Hermitage Prize in Composition at the Aspen Music Festival; Tony Award-winning Broadway producer Tom Kirdahy; Hermitage Major Theater Award Winner Shariffa Ali; celebrated cellist Karen Patterson; classical composer Jim Stephenson; and more.

'This seventh season of 'Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens' promises to be another memorable one,' says Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg. 'The forthcoming lineup will once again introduce audiences to some of the most dynamic artists and performers of our generation – six magical evenings set against the backdrop of these beautiful bayfront sanctuaries. This popular series has been a joyous collaboration with our friends at Selby Gardens, and we look forward welcoming new and returning audiences to experience a 'sneak peek' into the creative process of our leading artists, writers, and performers.'

'We are so excited to celebrate seven years of this wonderful collaboration with the Hermitage Artist Retreat,' says Selby Gardens President & CEO Jennifer Rominiecki. 'Welcoming world-class Hermitage artists to our expanded bayfront sanctuary at our Downtown Sarasota and vibrant Historic Spanish Point campuses is something we look forward to each year. Treating Gulf Coast patrons to these special programs has been such a joy, and we are thrilled that the 'Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens' series continues to flourish.'

These outdoor events are one part of many ongoing programs and collaborations planned throughout the season, spanning Sarasota County, Charlotte County, Manatee County, Lee County, and the surrounding region. The programs feature industry-leading playwrights, visual artists, musicians, poets, choreographers, and more — all free to the members of our community with a $5/person registration fee.

A leading national arts incubator, the Hermitage is the only major arts organization in Florida's Gulf Coast exclusively committed to supporting the development and creation of new work across all artistic disciplines. The Hermitage hosts artists on its Gulf Coast Manasota Key campus for multi-week residencies, where diverse and accomplished artists from around the world and across multiple disciplines create and develop new works of theater, music, visual art, literature, dance, film, and more. As part of their residencies, Hermitage Fellows participate in free year-round community programs, offering audiences in the region a unique opportunity to engage with some of the world's leading artists and to get an authentic 'sneak peek' into extraordinary projects and artistic minds before their works go on to major galleries, concert halls, theaters, and museums around the world. These free and innovative programs include performances, conversations, readings, interactive experiences, open studios, school programs, teacher workshops, and more, serving thousands in our regional community each year.

For more information about the Hermitage and upcoming programs, visit: HermitageArtistRetreat.org.

NEWLY ANNOUNCED HERMITAGE PROGRAMS

Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens: 'New Music Under the Old Oak' with Hermitage Fellows Madeline Benson & Chris Peters and Matīss Čudars, Friday, October 16, 2026 @ 5:30pm: Don't miss the first program in the seventh season of 'Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens.' Join the Hermitage for this popular series as we welcome the fall under a beautiful live oak tree at Selby Gardens. Hermitage Fellows Madeline Benson & Chris Peters first collaborated as arrangers, orchestrators, and performers for late Hermitage Fellow Gavin Creel's original musical Walk on Through, which was developed in part at the Hermitage. They have since partnered on other ventures, including Benson's debut album, Leave it All to Me, produced by Peters, and a concert at Lincoln Center featuring their individual and collaborative work. Matīss Čudars, winner of the Hermitage Prize in Composition at the Aspen Music Festival & School, is a Latvian composer and guitar player who draws upon a diverse musical upbringing encompassing math-rock, jazz, classical music, and avant-garde improv. Last seen at the 2025 Hermitage Artful Lobster, he composes for orchestras, chamber ensembles, and solo performance. Join us as these talented Hermitage musicians share their original work and their creative process as the sun sets into the Bay. Presented in Partnership with Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. Registration is required at HermitageArtistRetreat.org ($5/person registration fee). Marie Selby Botanical Gardens – Downtown Sarasota campus, 1534 Mound Street, Sarasota, FL 34236

'Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens' Friday, November 20, 2026, Presented in Partnership with Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. Registration is required at HermitageArtistRetreat.org ($5/person registration fee). Marie Selby Botanical Gardens – Historic Spanish Point campus, entrance at 401 North Tamiami Trail, Osprey, FL 34229

'Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens' Thursday, February 11, 2027, Presented in Partnership with Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. Registration is required at HermitageArtistRetreat.org ($5/person registration fee). Marie Selby Botanical Gardens – Historic Spanish Point campus, entrance at 401 North Tamiami Trail, Osprey, FL 34229

'Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens' Thursday, February 25, 2027, Presented in Partnership with Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. Registration is required at HermitageArtistRetreat.org ($5/person registration fee). Marie Selby Botanical Gardens – Downtown Sarasota campus, 1534 Mound Street, Sarasota, FL 34236

'Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens' Thursday, March 18, 2027, Presented in Partnership with Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. Registration is required at HermitageArtistRetreat.org ($5/person registration fee). Marie Selby Botanical Gardens – Downtown Sarasota campus, 1534 Mound Street, Sarasota, FL 34236

'Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens' Thursday, May 6, 2027, Presented in Partnership with Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. Registration is required at HermitageArtistRetreat.org ($5/person registration fee). Marie Selby Botanical Gardens – Downtown Sarasota campus, 1534 Mound Street, Sarasota, FL 34236

THE HERMITAGE ARTIST RETREAT

Sarasota County, Florida

Andy Sandberg, Artistic Director and CEO

The Hermitage is a leading national arts incubator and multidisciplinary artist retreat located on Manasota Key, Florida. For more than two decades, the Hermitage has invited accomplished artists across multiple disciplines for residencies on its beachfront campus, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. Hermitage artists are invited to interact with the local community, reaching thousands of Gulf Coast residents and visitors each year with unique and inspiring programs. Hermitage Fellows have included 20 Pulitzer Prize winners, Poets Laureate, MacArthur 'Genius' Fellows, and multiple Tony, Emmy, Grammy, Oscar winners and nominees. Works created at this beachside retreat by a diverse and accomplished group of Hermitage alumni have gone on to renowned theaters, concert halls, and galleries throughout the world. Each year, the Hermitage awards the Hermitage Greenfield Prize for a new work of art or performance, the Hermitage Major Theater Award for an original theater commission, and the Aspen Music Festival's Hermitage Prize in Composition.

For more information, visit HermitageArtistRetreat.org.

MARIE SELBY BOTANICAL GARDENS

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