Sarasota Orchestra Awarded Strategic Partnership Grant

September 20, 2024 | Sarasota

Sarasota Orchestra has received a $65,000 Strategic Partnership Grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, which comes from the Martha Leiter and Nancy Streetman Fund II. In addition to being the Foundation Title Sponsor for Sarasota Orchestra’s 2024-2025 Dinner Series, the Community Foundation’s grant funding will support the Orchestra’s brand-new Pops Supper Club event, as well as the free, public encore performance of the annual Young Person’s Concert.

“We are so thankful for our longstanding partnership with the Community Foundation of Sarasota County,” said Sarasota Orchestra President and CEO Joseph McKenna. “The Community Foundation’s generous support enables the Orchestra to positively impact the quality of life for all who call Sarasota home and at the same time helps raise Sarasota’s arts brand to increased national prominence.”

Sarasota Orchestra’s Young Person’s Concerts (YPC) have been presented since 1953. This live orchestra concert experience for fourth and fifth grade students combines a year-long curriculum in schools with a field trip to see the professional Sarasota Orchestra in concert. With grant funding from the Community Foundation, the Orchestra is able to offer a free family concert for the public at 7:00 pm on Friday, October 11, 2024 at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. Like YPC, this encore concert will feature conductor Rei Hotoda, along with the return of popular narrator Gregory Smith.

In the 2024-2025 season, the Orchestra is debuting a new special event: the Pops Supper Club. This exciting evening will feature inventive cocktails, an elegant dinner, and a one-night-only Pops performance by the Orchestra. Grant support from the Community Foundation means that fan-favorite Stuart Chafetz will join the Orchestra to conduct the performance. The Pops Supper Club will be held Wednesday, April 16, 2025 at The Ora.

With the Community Foundation as the Title Sponsor, the Orchestra’s Dinner Series offers an opportunity to meet renowned maestros and dine with them at Sarasota’s most distinguished venues. Each unique dinner features a short performance by select Sarasota Orchestra musicians and a moderated conversation with the featured guest conductor. This season, two of the dinners will feature the Orchestra’s newly named Music Director Designate Giancarlo Guerrero.

By funding the Dinner Series, the Strategic Partnership Grant from the Community Foundation also provides essential support for Sarasota Orchestra’s full artistic season, which begins this month and runs through May 2025. Sarasota Orchestra’s season of programming includes performances in a variety of venues and formats and is comprised of concerts in five different series: Masterworks, Discoveries, Chamber Soirées, Pops and Great Escapes. The season concludes with the ever-popular Outdoor Pops concerts at Ed Smith Stadium.

To learn more about Sarasota Orchestra’s 2024-2025 season and programs, visit www.SarasotaOrchestra.org.