Sarasota Orchestra December Programs Inspire Joy and Discovery for the Holiday Season

Sarasota Orchestra brings joy to the season with favorites including its popular holiday-themed Great Escapes program. Lina González-Granados and Sarah Ioannides, already acclaimed conductors nationally and internationally, make their debuts on the Masterworks and Discoveries series, respectively, presenting inspired programs that include works by musical influencers and young composers alike.

Masterworks 2: Luminous Colors

Colombian-American conductor Lina González-Granados makes her Sarasota debut in a program of swirling musical color. Flashes of radiance emerge from a gentle and mysterious sound world in Nina Shekhar's Lumina, 2021 winner of ASCAP's Rudolf Nissim Prize. Bruch's Violin Concerto takes listeners on a wild ride through soulful melodies and explosive bursts of passion. South Korean violinist Bomsori Kim-one of the most "dynamic and exciting violinists of today" (Germany's NDR radio)-tackles Bruch's challenging composition. Dvořák's Symphony No. 7 travels from sadness to triumphant joy, concluding the colorful program.

Recently appointed Resident Conductor by the LA Opera, Lina González-Granados is the recipient the 2021 Sphinx Medal of Excellence. Violinist Bomsori Kim is the winner of the 62nd ARD International Music Competition.

When/Where:

December 2 | 7:30pm | Van Wezel

December 3 | 7:30pm | Van Wezel

December 4 | 2:30pm | Van Wezel

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

Great Escapes 2: Seasonal Gifts

The holiday season is all about family time, togetherness, reflection, gratitude, joy-and beautiful music, of course! Sarasota Orchestra invites you and your loved ones to light up your December celebrations with a concert program dedicated to this most wonderful time of the year. The Orchestra honors the Festive Sounds of Hanukkah and accompanies a special narrator in 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. Be sure to hum a few holiday tunes on your way to Holley Hall, because you'll want to be warmed up to join in A Holly and Jolly Sing-a-Long!

Praised as an "eloquent and decisive" conductor by The Wall Street Journal, Steven Jarvi has held conducting positions with the St. Louis Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, and the New World Symphony.

December 7 | 5:30pm | Holley Hall

December 8 | 7:30pm | Holley Hall

December 9 | 5:30pm | Holley Hall

December 10 | 7:30pm | Holley Hall

December 11 | 4:00pm | Holley Hall

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

Chamber Soirée 3: Wind Quintet and Trio

Members of Sarasota Orchestra's resident woodwind quintet bring to life two extraordinary works for wind instruments. André Jolivet composed the gorgeous trio Pastorales de Noël for flute, bassoon, and harp. The trio is a magical holiday season treat. David Maslanka was one of the United States' most important composers of music for wind instruments. His Wind Quintet No. 3 was inspired by the music of J.S. Bach.

When: December 18, 4:00pm

Where: Holley Hall

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

Discoveries 2: The French Influencers

Oxford-trained conductor Sarah Ioannides, music director of Symphony Tacoma, leads a program devoted to musical influencers-and those whom they inspired. Berlioz and Schumann both greatly admired the music of innovative 19th-century French composer Louise Farrenc, who battled sexism in music-and won. Liszt got the idea for Christus, an oratorio about the life of Christ, from Handel's Messiah. In his exuberant Symphony in C Major, Bizet not only emulates, but directly quotes, his teacher Gounod.

Described by The New York Times as a conductor with "unquestionable strength and authority" and as a conductor with "magic," Sarah Ioannides' dynamic presence on the podium has won praise from audience and critics internationally.

When: December 21, 7:30pm

Where: Sarasota Opera House

How: Tickets from $32, available at www.SarasotaOrchestra.org or (941) 953-3434

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.

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