Sarasota Orchestra Celebrates 75 Years With Special Concert

Sarasota Orchestra celebrates its 75th Anniversary season with a one-night-only program on February 15 entitled Celebrate 75. The program, led by Creative Partner Peter Oundjian, will capture the euphoria of the anniversary milestone and the Orchestra's rich history as Florida's oldest continuously operating orchestra.

From its humble beginnings as a gathering of teachers, students, and community members, to its present-day status as a highly regarded ensemble of 76 professional musicians, the Orchestra has seen tremendous growth. This special concert is a celebration of the organization's past, its present and its bold vision for the next 75 years of music-making.

After fanfares by Aaron Copland and Joan Tower, legendary pianist Garrick Ohlsson will join Sarasota Orchestra for Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3. The concert concludes with Gershwin's An American in Paris, a rhapsodic portrait of a stroll through the City of Lights.

Since his triumph as winner of the 1970 Chopin International Piano Competition, Ohlsson has established himself worldwide as a musician of magisterial interpretive and technical prowess. Although long regarded as one of the world's leading exponents of the music of Frédéric Chopin, he commands an enormous repertoire that includes over 80 concertos.

Conductor Peter Oundjian, former member of the award-winning Tokyo String Quartet, is Conductor Emeritus of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

Sarasota Orchestra is celebrating 75 years of performances that move, delight, and inspire music-lovers across the region and visitors from around the world. Each year, the 76-member Orchestra performs more than 100 classical, pops, chamber music, and community outreach concerts. Sarasota Orchestra's mission also extends to music education, including its acclaimed Sarasota Youth Orchestra programs and the world-renowned Sarasota Music Festival. For further information, please visit www.SarasotaOrchestra.org.

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