Sarasota Music Festival Announces Week One Highlights

The Sarasota Music Festival is a program of the Sarasota Orchestra, college-age student participants in the Sarasota Music Festival (SMF) attend master classes and coaching sessions, participate in the SMF orchestra, create outreach concerts for the local community and perform chamber music.

The first Sarasota Music Festival events open to the public are Master Classes beginning on June 2, 2019. Costing $5 per class to observe, Master Classes are taught by renowned faculty and offer students the opportunity to learn from experts in a small group setting.

Sarasota Music Festival Week One (June 2 – 9, 2019) Highlights:

Artist Showcase 1: Fairy Tales & Fantasy

Thursday, June 6, 4:30 pm – Holley Hall, Tickets from $29

The first concert of the Festival is composed of well-known moments and is performed by the Festival faculty featuring Music Director Jeffrey Kahane.

Robert Schumann’s rarely-heard Märchenbilder (Fairy Tale Pictures) for Viola and Piano evokes a world of childlike imagination. Paul Schoenfield described the second movement of his Klezmer-infused Trio for Violin, Clarinet and Piano as “somewhat diabolical.”

The program continues with two works for solo instrument: Pierre-Octave Ferroud’s Bergère Captive (Captive Shepherd) for solo flute and the world premiere of Andrea Clearfield’s Ha-Galgal (The Wheel), a prayerful work inspired by the sound of the shofar, for solo horn featuring SMF Faculty Julie Landsman. Finally, violist Aloysia Friedmann joins the Montrose Trio for the elegant and exultant Piano Quartet No. 1 by Gabriel Fauré to close this evocative program.

Festival Concert 1: Triple Crown

Friday, June 7, 8:00 pm – Sarasota Opera House, Tickets from $29

The first mixed faculty/ student chamber concert of the Festival features a trio of concerti from history’s great masters. The concert opens with J.S. Bach’s beloved Triple Concerto featuring Music Festival Faculty Ani Kavafian, joined by two of 2019’s violin Fellows and Festival Music Director Jeffrey Kahane on harpsichord. Boston Symphony Principal Bassoonist Richard Svoboda and Jeffrey Kahane bring to life one of Antonio Vivaldi’s 39 concertos for bassoon, followed by Metropolitan Opera Principal Oboist Nathan Hughes performing Mozart’s only concerto for the oboe.

The concert closes with the Montrose Trio, of whom the Washington Post raved are “poised to become one of the top piano trios in the world,” in Mendelssohn’s energetic Piano Trio No. 2.

Saturday Symphony 1: Four, Two, One

Saturday, June 8, 8:00 pm – Sarasota Opera House, Tickets from $35

The Festival Orchestra, under the direction of Music Director Jeffrey Kahane, takes the stage in a program spotlighting current and former Festival Fellows in a configuration of four, a scintillating duo, and a poignant solo.

Four 2019 Violin Fellows join forces for Vivaldi’s Concerto Grosso from L’estro Armonico. Additional highlights include 2018 Festival alumni Katherine Arndt, violin, and Cassia Drake, viola, sharing the stage for Mozart’s beloved Sinfonia Concertante. Finally, pianist Jon Kimura Parker, world-renowned for his energy and onstage charisma, will bring his spirited personality to Beethoven’s iconic Piano Concerto No. 4.

 Rising Stars 1

Sunday, June 9, 3:00 pm – Holley Hall, Tickets from $10

Festival students perform Chamber works of their choice; repertoire and students to be announced.