Sarasota Orchestra January Concerts Stir Up New and Familiar Flavors for Every Musical Taste

Sarasota Orchestra ushers in the New Year with a stimulating variety of programming that will excite the newcomer and seasoned concertgoer alike. A new concert format, "A Guided Tour," presents a pared-down Masterworks experience with commentary from the conductor and soloists. The Pops series returns with music by Billy Joel and Elton John. The Orchestra presents a free family concert at the end of the month.

Masterworks 3: Mahler: A View of Heaven

Internationally celebrated violinist James Ehnes, "a violinist in a class of his own" (The Times), returns to perform Sibelius' celebrated Violin Concerto. Emotionally riveting and breathlessly virtuosic, the concerto is a display of Ehnes' masterful technique and musicality. Under the baton of Peter Oundjian, the Orchestra performs Mahler's expansive Fourth Symphony. Mahler compared his work to being "seized with panic and terror" on "the most beautiful day in a sunlit forest." Laquita Mitchell wields her lustrous voice in the work's concluding song, a view of heaven through a child's eyes.

Conductor Peter Oundjian, former member of the award-winning Tokyo String Quartet, was Music Director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra for 14 years. He now holds the title of Conductor Emeritus.

January 5 | 7:30pm | Neel PAC

January 7 | 7:30pm | Van Wezel

January 8 | 2:30pm | Van Wezel

Tickets from $37, available at www.SarasotaOrchestra.org or (941) 953-3434

A Guided Tour: Mahler and Sibelius

Conductor Peter Oundjian takes listeners on a tour of inspiring and joyous selections of music by Mahler and Sibelius. Accompanied by personal insights and musical examples, Oundjian will lead the Orchestra and soprano Laquita Mitchell in a performance of the first movement and heavenly finale of Mahler's Symphony No. 4. GRAMMY-winning violinist James Ehnes will explain the challenges and tricks in the Sibelius Violin Concerto, with a performance of the fiery and finger-bending final movement. This special program welcomes those new to classical music into the orchestra concert experience, while longtime symphony-goers will relish the exploration into what makes these masterworks truly great.

January 6, 7:30pm

Van Wezel

Tickets from $26, available at www.SarasotaOrchestra.org or (941) 953-3434

Great Escapes 3: A Little Night Music

Sarasota Orchestra invites audiences to come out for a concert of music that moves body and soul! In a tribute to fantastic stages from the ballet to the nightclub, from the opera house to Broadway, this concert captivates with sounds of Sondheim, Motown, and more. On the classical side, you'll hear Sarasota Orchestra kick up its heels in selections such as Bizet's "Toreador Song" from Carmen and the wild "Ritual Fire Dance" from de Falla's El amor brujo.

Conductor Christopher Confessore, Principal Pops Conductor of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, leads the concert.

January 11 | 5:30pm | Holley Hall

January 12 | 7:30pm | Holley Hall

January 13 | 5:30pm | Holley Hall

January 14 | 7:30pm | Holley Hall

January 15 | 4:00pm | Holley Hall

Tickets from $45, available at www.SarasotaOrchestra.org or (941) 953-3434

Pops 1: The Music of Billy Joel and Elton John

Multi-talented Michael Cavanaugh was handpicked by Billy Joel to star in the Broadway musical Movin' Out, for which Cavanaugh received both Tony and Grammy nominations. The "New Voice of the Great American Rock 'n' Roll Songbook" (Billboard Magazine) and Sarasota Orchestra swing through Joel's hits and those of fellow piano-rocking pop icon Elton John. Selections include "Piano Man," "Bennie and the Jets," "My Life," "Rocket Man," and more.

Stuart Chafetz, Principal Pops Conductor of the Columbus, Chautauqua and Marin Symphonies, joins the Orchestra as guest conductor.

January 20 | 7:30pm | Van Wezel

January 21 | 2:30pm and 7:30pm | Van Wezel

Tickets from $40, available at www.SarasotaOrchestra.org or (941) 953-3434

Chamber Soirée 4: Scottish Songs

Mezzo-soprano Susan Platts has been heard at Covent Garden, Carnegie Hall, and Lincoln Center, where The New York Times described her rich voice as "luscious." She joins Sarasota Orchestra musicians for an intimate program of classic works for voice, piano, and instruments by Brahms, Schubert, and Beethoven.

January 22, 4:00pm

Holley Hall

Tickets from $40, available at www.SarasotaOrchestra.org or (941) 953-3434

FREE Family Concert: Peter and the Wolf

Bring the whole family for a free afternoon of symphonic fun with Sarasota Orchestra. Led by Chelsea Gallo, assistant conductor of The Florida Orchestra, the orchestra will light up listeners of all ages in this 60-minute concert featuring Peter and the Wolf, Prokofiev's "symphonic fairy tale for children." Other pieces include classical renditions of Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty, Rossini's Cinderella and Nielsen's Aladdin. Pre-registration required for free general admission tickets.

January 29, 1:00pm and 4:00pm

Holley Hall

Reserve FREE tickets at www.SarasotaOrchestra.org.

Since 1949, Sarasota Orchestra has inspired and entertained music-lovers across the region and visitors from around the world. As the oldest continuing orchestra in the state of Florida, each year the 76-member Orchestra performs more than 100 classical, pops, chamber music, and community outreach concerts. Sarasota Orchestra's acclaimed music education program includes the Sarasota Youth Orchestras, established in 1959. Sarasota Orchestra is also the parent program of the world-renowned Sarasota Music Festival, founded in 1965. For further information, please visit www.SarasotaOrchestra.org.