Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota Closes its 27th Season With Violins and Violas

Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota presents its final two programs of the 2022-23 season in May: Vivaldi and Mendelssohn, 7:30 pm on May 9 at Sarasota Opera House, featuring four young concertmasters; and Viola Royale, with brothers Paul and Steven Laraia, 4:00 pm on May 14 at First Presbyterian Church. For more information and tickets, visit ArtistSeriesConcerts.org or call (941) 306-1202.

Vivaldi and Mendelssohn, 7:30 pm on May 9 at Sarasota Opera House, features superstar concertmasters Rimma Bergeron-Langlois (Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra), Nikki Chooi (Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra), Jun Iwasaki (Kansas City Symphony), and Emerson Millar (Seattle Symphony) sharing the role of soloist in Vivaldi's iconic Four Seasons. Mendelssohn's beloved String Octet sees all four together, with four additional artists, performing the masterpiece Mendelssohn composed when he was only 16.

Viola Royale, 4:00 pm on May 14 at First Presbyterian Church, closes the season. Brothers Paul and Steven Laraia are both world class violists. Paul is with the Grammy Award-winning Catalyst String Quartet and has been acclaimed by The Strad for his "eloquent" and "vibrant" playing. Steven is with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, having begun his career as principal violist of the Sarasota Orchestra. Their program features music by composers who played the viola, including a viola quintet by Mozart where they will be joined by several Sarasota Orchestra colleagues.

For tickets and more information, visit ArtistSeriesConcerts.org or call (941) 306-1202.