Artist Series Concerts Of Sarasota Announces Changes To Its 2020-21 Season Schedule

With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing restrictions on travel and live music performances, Artist Series Concerts has had to make adjustments to its 2020-21 concert schedule.

"This season is proving to be every bit the moving target that we thought it would," says Joseph Holt, director of artist programs for Artist Series Concerts. "Fortunately we have been able to craft alternatives - some in new formats and at exciting new venues - that will keep our patrons, musicians and staff safe while also still presenting a full array of high caliber musical experiences."

A fully updated season schedule is listed below.

Tickets for Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota's 2020-2021 season will be available after September 15, 2020 by mail and by phone. Details and updates about the season are online at www.ArtistSeriesConcerts.org. For more information, call 941-306-1202, M - F, 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. or email Info@ArtistSeriesConcerts.org.

Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota's 2020-21

25th Anniversary Season

As of August 31, 2020

(Check individual listings for dates, times, and venue.)

October 1 - 12

Available for viewing online

Women of Note: A Celebration of Female Composers of the 19th and 20th Centuries with Jenny Kim-Godfrey, soprano; Robyn Rocklein, mezzo soprano; Gail Berenson and Lee Dougherty Ross, piano: As part of Florida Studio Theatre's Suffragist Project, an artistic celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the ratification of women's right to vote, this stellar all-female quartet which includes Artist Series Concerts co-founder Lee Dougherty Ross, performs pieces by Fanny Mendelssohn, Clara Schumann, Amy Beach and Marion Bauer. The concert was filmed in July 2020 at Church of the Palms in Sarasota. Women of Note is hosted by Marcy Miller, executive director of Artist Series, and features cameo appearances by Kate Alexander, Ariel Blue and Meg Gilbert.

Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Performance 11:00 a.m.

Luncheon 12:15 p.m.

Michael's On East, 1212 S. East Ave., Sarasota

HANZHI WANG, accordion: Praised for her captivating stage presence and performances that are technically and musically masterful, this groundbreaking young musician is the only accordionist in 59 years to win a place on the Young Concert Artists roster. With Wang confined by travel restrictions to her adopted home of Copenhagen, the event will open with the screening of a pre-recorded performance by Wang, playing a solo program created by her for Artist Series Concerts. Following that will be a Q&A session with ASC director of artist programs Joseph Holt talking with Wang, who will be live-streamed directly from Denmark. Musical program to be announced. This program will be presented live at Michael's On East as well as streamed for an online audience.

Monday, October 26, 5:30 p.m.

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, 900 S. Palm Ave., Sarasota

UNDER THE STARS with JENNIFER KREIDER, soprano; AUSTIN CRIPE, tenor; and Joseph Holt, piano: Jennifer and Austin delighted judges and audience members alike at Artist Series Concerts' 2016 National Voice Competition, where they took first and second place respectively. Fast-forward to 2020 and the duo, each now pursuing a busy music career, returns to Sarasota to perform together for the organization's 25th season.

Soprano Jennifer Kreider is pursuing a performer's diploma under the guidance of Jane Dutton at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music. Her past roles include Musetta (La Bohème), Dew Fairy (Hansel and Gretel), Linfea (La Calisto) and many others. She has been a young artist at Opera in the Ozarks, the CoOPERAtive Program in Princeton, New Jersey, and the Franz Schubert Institute in Baden bei Wien, Austr

A native of Brandon, Florida, tenor Austin Cripe is currently pursuing his master's degree at Florida State University. He has performed with Florida State Opera in the roles of Gastone in La Traviata, King Kaspar in Amahl and the Night Visitors, the title role in Candide and others. He has also performed with Red River Lyric Opera, the Savannah Voice Festival and Opera Tampa.

The trio performs works by Brahms, Donizetti, Kurt Weill, Jerome Kern and more.

Tuesday, November 3, 2020

Performance 11:00 a.m.

Luncheon 12:15 p.m.

Michael's On East, 1212 S. East Ave., Sarasota

MAX TAN, violin with Joseph Holt, piano: Taiwanese American violinist Max Tan has been praised as "eloquent" by the New York Times and as a "warmly rhapsodic player" by the Boston Globe. As a winner at Artist Series Concerts' 2018 National String Competition, an alumnus of the Perlman Music Program and a member of the Sarasota Orchestra, Tan is a welcome and familiar presence on Sarasota's arts scene. He has also been the recipient of numerous other awards, most recently the 2019 Foote Prize from the Harvard Musical Association. He has been featured on WNYC/WQXR and on Belgian radio Musiq3 as a semifinalist in the 2019 Queen Elisabeth International Violin Competition. He has performed as a soloist with many orchestras including the Juilliard Orchestra, New Juilliard Ensemble, Longwood Symphony, Boston Philharmonic Youth, and Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestras. Tan performs on the 1701 "ex-Franko" Stradivarius on generous loan from the Juilliard School.

Pianist, arranger and conductor Joseph Holt is director of artist programs for Artist Series Concerts and artistic director of Choral Artists of Sarasota. Dr. Holt served more than 20 years as principal pianist with the United States Army Chorus, performing for U.S. presidents, military officials and dignitaries from around the world.

Tan and Dr. Holt perform a variety of works by the composers Tchaikovsky, Paganini, Beethoven, Ravel, Beach and Wieniawski. This program will be presented live at Michael's On East as well as streamed for an online audience.

Sunday, November 15, 2020, 4:00 p.m.

Temple Sinai, 4631 S. Lockwood Ridge Road, Sarasota

NEXUS CHAMBER MUSIC CHICAGO (Brian Hong, violin and co-artistic director; Zoë Martin-Droike, viola; Alexander Hersh, cello and co-artistic director): Nexus Chamber Music Chicago was co-founded by cellist (and former Artist Series Concerts competition winner) Alexander Hersh and violinist Brian Hong, both acclaimed solo musicians and both still in their twenties. NEXUS is redefining the classical musical experience with youthful and passionate energy and first-class music making at venues across the country, both conventional and unconventional. Joining Hersh and Hong is up-and-coming Metropolitan Opera Orchestra violist Zoë Martin-Droike.

True to their mission of delivering unique programming that includes beloved favorites as well as little-known gems, their program includes works by Sibelius, Kurtag, Dohnányi, Strauss and Beethoven.

Sunday, November 22, 2020, 5:30 p.m.

Historic Spanish Point, 337 N. Tamiami Trail, Osprey

PALM COURT TREASURES with Chung-Yon Hong, violin; Natalie Helm, cello; and Joseph Holt, piano: Evocative of afternoon tea at the Ritz and of tea dances held amidst an enchanting court of potted palms, the term "Palm Court" remains synonymous with the light music repertoire that became popular in the resorts, spas, bandstands, floral halls - and palm courts - of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Violinist Chung-Yon Hong and cellist Natalie Helm, both of the Sarasota Orchestra, join pianist Joseph Holt for a musical trip back in time with a refreshing program of works by Bach, Boccherini, Puccini and more.

Sunday, December 6, 2020, 5:30 p.m.

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, 900 S. Palm Ave., Sarasota

Dick Hyman AND THE FLORIDA JAZZ MASTERS featuring Dick Hyman, piano; Peter BarenBregge, saxophones; Mark Neuenschwander, bass; Randy Sandke, trumpet; Mike Treni, trombone; percussionist to be announced: For Artist Series Concerts' first ever outdoor concert, the Great Lawn of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens swings with the music of Irving Berlin, Duke Ellington, George Gershwin Benny Goodman, Thelonius Monk and many others; performed by six of Florida's best jazz artists, including the incomparable Dick Hyman.

Saturday, January 9, 2021, 7:30 p.m. (Harumi Hanafusa)

Sunday, January 10, 2021, 3:00 p.m. (The Hanafusa Sisters Piano Duo)

Historic Asolo Theater, 5401 N. Bay Shore Road, Sarasota

HARUMI HANAFUSA, piano (January 9); THE HANAFUSA SISTERS PIANO DUO (January 10): Japanese pianist Harumi Hanafusa has been a major figure in the piano world of Japan for more than 40 years, performing regularly as a soloist with Japan's major orchestras and in frequent recital and chamber music concerts with a style of play that has been called "fashionable and free, sometimes romantic or coquettish." She has performed with symphony and chamber orchestras in prestigious venues across the globe, including Carnegie Hall. With her sister, Mami Hanafusa, she also performs as half of the Hanafusa Sisters Piano Duo. In a special pianistic 'double header,' on Saturday Harumi plays a solo recital of works by Beethoven, Debussy and Ravel. On Sunday she is joined by her sister Mami for a duo piano performance of works by Debussy, Fauré, Chabrier and Ravel.

Thursday, January 21, 2021

11:00 a.m. performance

12:15 p.m. luncheon

Michael's On East, 1212 S. East Ave., Sarasota

TODD THOMAS, baritone with Joseph Holt, piano: Todd Thomas has been recognized by opera companies and critics alike as one of the true Verdi baritones gracing stages today. A favorite of opera houses across the country, (including the Sarasota Opera), Thomas returns once again to Sarasota where he is joined by pianist Joseph Holt for a delicious assortment of operatic, Broadway and popular tunes.

Sunday, January 31, 2021, 4:00 p.m.

Temple Sinai, 4631 S. Lockwood Ridge Road, Sarasota

Steven Banks, saxophone, with XAK BJERKEN, piano: Recognized for his "glowing mahogany tone" and "breathtaking" performances," and the first saxophonist in 59 years to earn a place on the Young Concert Artists roster, Steven Banks is one of the bright young stars pioneering the evolution of great classical music. Winner of numerous other prizes, Banks also has an ongoing relationship with the Cleveland Orchestra, performing with the legendary ensemble in Severance Hall, Carnegie Hall and at the Blossom Music Center.

A professor of piano at Cornell University, Xak Bjerken is a pianist of the Los Angeles Piano Quartet, which tours the USA regularly. He has held chamber music residencies at the Tanglewood Music Center and the Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy.

The duo's program includes works by Schumann, Paul Creston, Steven Banks and a new piece, yet to be announced, commissioned by Young Concert Artists and the Washington Performing Arts Society.

Wednesday, February 10, 2021

6:00 p.m. dinner followed by the performance

Plantation Golf & Country Club, Venice, 500 Rockley Blvd., Venice

AMORE - THE GREATEST LOVE SONGS with vocalist Anthony Nunziata and pianist Eugene Gwodz: Songwriter, recording artist, "romantic singing sensation" and Artist Series Concerts favorite Anthony Nunziata returns to town with a brand new show. Joined by noted Broadway pianist and arranger Eugene Gwodz, Nunziata performs his signature, soulful takes on such classics as "Can't Take My Eyes Off You," "The Very Thought of You," "Unchained Melody," "O Sole Mio," and more.

Sunday, February 14, 2021, 4:00 p.m.

Temple Sinai, 4631 S. Lockwood Ridge Road, Sarasota

MERZ TRIO (Brigid Colderidge, violin; Julia Yang, cello; Lee Dionne, piano), with JORDAN BAK, viola: Merz Trio, is a bold, new and fiercely creative ensemble that has been hailed as 'impressive' by the New York Times, and 'impeccable' by Fanfare Magazine. The South Florida Classical Review praised the trio for its 'sense of joyful virtuosity.' Formed in 2017, the group has already garnered numerous awards, including the top prizes at the 2019 Fischoff and Concert Artists Guild competitions and the gold medal and audience-favorite award at the 2018 Chesapeake Competitions. They are currently a professional ensemble in residence at the New England Conservatory.

Hailed as "a star in the making," violist Jordan Bak is quickly gathering acclaim as an artist of passion, energy and authenticity. Bak was also a top prize winner at the 2019 Artists Guild Competition and is just the third viola player in the history of the Juilliard School to be enrolled in the school's prestigious Artist's Diploma Program. He performs regularly at major venues and festivals, and with major orchestras and ensembles across the globe.

The group's program will include chamber works by Fauré and Brahms as well as other selections featuring viola and piano.

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