Announcing Sarasota Orchestra’s New Music Director

August 22, 2024 | Sarasota

Sarasota Orchestra is elated to welcome back Giancarlo Guerrero to Sarasota Orchestra—this time, as the music director designate. Giancarlo will fully transition into the role of music director in the fall of 2025. With Flex Pass subscriptions on sale now, patrons have two opportunities to see Giancarlo lead Sarasota Orchestra this season: Masterworks 1: Going Places (November 8-10, 2024) and Masterworks 4: Heroic Spirit (January 30-February 2, 2025). Read on for more information about these concerts!

Praised for his “viscerally powerful performances” (The Boston Globe) and described as “at once vigorous, passionate, and nuanced” (Bachtrack), Giancarlo is one of the most well-respected orchestra conductors in the world. This opportunity with Sarasota Orchestra presents an exciting new chapter in his career as the Orchestra advances planning for a Music Center that will elevate the region to new artistic prominence, bringing the Gulf Coast its first concert hall engineered and purpose-built for orchestral and acoustic music.

“Giancarlo’s exceptional talent and esteemed reputation will significantly enhance our Orchestra’s standing among the world’s most prestigious ensembles,” says Joseph McKenna, Orchestra president and CEO. “His visionary leadership, coupled with a fervent commitment to community advocacy, will be critical in further establishing Sarasota as a thriving center for classical music excellence. Giancarlo will also guide our organization into an exciting future as the visionary leader for our Music Center.”

“In my conversations with members of the organization, from board to musicians to staff, I sensed a great degree of pride in the future of the institution and a desire to achieve the highest possible artistic ground. Being asked to be music director at this important and historic moment of the Orchestra is a tremendous honor. I am excited to be a part of the planning during this forward-looking time, and to add my artistic voice to the process, doing what I can to ensure a vibrant future for the Orchestra and the Sarasota-Manatee community.”–Giancarlo Guerrero, Music Director Designate

In the 2024-2025 season, Giancarlo will serve in his 16th and final year as music director of the Nashville Symphony, where he has been beloved for his ability to reach and inspire a wide range of audiences.
During his tenure, Giancarlo collaborated with the Nashville Symphony to premiere over two dozen new works and release 21 commercial albums, taking advantage of the Schermerhorn Symphony Center’s outstanding acoustics. These definitive recordings garnered 13 GRAMMY® nominations and six GRAMMY® wins, cementing Giancarlo and the Symphony’s international reputation as standard-bearers for recordings of contemporary American music.

Giancarlo also recently completed a six-season tenure as music director of the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic in Poland. His previous posts include time as principal guest conductor of both the The Cleveland Orchestra’s Miami residency and the Gulbenkian Orchestra in Lisbon, music director of the Eugene Symphony, and associate conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra.

Given his beginnings in civic youth orchestras, Giancarlo has remained engaged with training orchestras and has worked with Juilliard, the Curtis Institute of Music, Colburn School in Los Angeles, National Youth Orchestra (NYO2), and Yale Philharmonia.

Visit the website to read the full announcement and learn more about Giancarlo Guerrero as we turn the page on a thrilling new chapter for your Sarasota Orchestra.