Sarasota Orchestra Receives $65,000 Grant from Community Foundation of Sarasota County

January 23, 2023 – 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 a Title Sponsor for Sarasota Orchestra’s Dinner Series, the Community Foundation’s funding makes possible several programs and events in the 2022-2023 season, including the Parks and Partners concerts, the Sarasota Youth Orchestras program, the Special Concert & Gala event featuring Yo-Yo Ma, and the upcoming Free Family Concert of Peter and the Wolf.

Thanks in part to the generous support of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, the family-friendly On the Road with SO: Parks and Partners community concerts will continue this season. These outdoor performances are offered at no cost and feature either the Sarasota Brass Quintet or the Sarasota Wind Quintet in public parks and partner venues in Sarasota and Manatee counties.

Alongside the concerts, the Community Foundation helps fund the Orchestra’s extensive education offerings, including the Sarasota Youth Orchestras, which has been hailed as one of the most exemplary youth programs in the Southeast. The nationally acclaimed artistic staff, conductors and coaches have created an unparalleled learning experience for thousands of young musicians. Many become performers with major symphony orchestras throughout the country, including Sarasota Orchestra.

On January 29, Chelsea Gallo, assistant conductor of The Florida Orchestra, will lead Sarasota Orchestra in a free, 60 minute concert featuring Peter and the Wolf, Prokofiev’s “symphonic fairy tale for children.” Other pieces include classical renditions of Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty, Rossini’s Cinderella and Nielsen’s Aladdin. This special concert is made possible, in part, by the Strategic Partnership grant from the Community Foundation. 

“We are so thankful for our continued partnership with the Community Foundation of Sarasota County,” said Sarasota Orchestra President and CEO Joseph McKenna. “The Community Foundation’s generous support is an essential component of Sarasota Orchestra’s success and helps us broaden our overall impact.”  

To learn more about Sarasota Orchestra’s 2022-2023 season and programs, visit www.SarasotaOrchestra.org.