Artist Series Concerts Of Sarasota Reveals 2023-2024 Season: Stars Ascending

Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota will present 26 concerts during its 28th season, Stars Ascending. The season – sponsored by Ernie Kretzmer – runs from October 1, 2023 through May 14, 2024 and offers a diverse range of intimate musical experiences featuring emerging and established classical, jazz, pops, and chamber artists presented at eight venues throughout Sarasota and Manatee counties. Discounted tickets are available through August 15; regular prices take effect August 16. For more information, visit ArtistSeriesConcerts.org or call (941) 306-1202.

The season opens October 1 with a concert in the new Sunday Best Series presented at First Presbyterian Church in Sarasota. Chicago-based collective Nexus Chamber Music creates unique and engaging classical music experiences; this program features piano trios by Haydn, Brahms, and Ravel. The Queen’s Six comes direct from Windsor Castle where they work and live. This extraordinary vocal sextet, drawn from the lay clerks of St. George's Chapel, was recently featured on “CBS Sunday Morning.” In addition to their royal duties, they present concerts that include austere early chant, bawdy madrigals, haunting folk songs, and upbeat jazz and pop arrangements. This program, on December 17, will also include seasonal favorites in the incomparable British tradition. On March 3, Hannah Cope, harp and Marcelina Suchocka, percussion – two of Sarasota Orchestra’s newest principal musicians – join forces for an innovative program featuring solos from the standard repertoire of each instrument and beloved classics reimagined for marimba and harp duet. One of America’s most celebrated and dedicated string quartets, Miró Quartet has been performing to sold out houses in the world’s most prestigious concert halls since 1995. First prize winner in the Banff International String Quartet Competition and the Naumberg Chamber Music Competition, they have an Emmy Award-winning multimedia project titled “Transcendence.” Their May 5 program includes Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 14, Op. 131, the piece around which the 2012 film “A Late Quartet” was based.

Piano Forte is a new series for keyboard lovers. Russian pianist Ilya Yakushev, winner of the 2005 World Piano Competition, will be joined at the Historic Asolo Theater on October 10 by a string quartet, including Daniel Jordan, concertmaster of the Sarasota Orchestra, in a performance of the Shostakovich Piano Quintet. Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” concludes this concert. Jonathan Mamora has taken the piano world by storm after winning first prize in the Olga Kern International Piano Competition, AntwerPiano International Competition, Dallas International Piano Competition, American Virtuoso International Music Competition, and “Sviatoslav Richter” International Piano Competition. He takes to the Historic Asolo Theater stage on January 9 for a program that includes Schubert’s iconic “Trout” Quintet. In 2019, Lin Ye wowed Sarasota audiences in two sold out programs. Having subsequently performed in prestigious venues worldwide, the former Artist Series Concerts prizewinner returns on February 24 with a program of works by Rachmaninoff and the chamber version of Chopin’s beloved Piano Concerto #1. Ye will be joined by principal musicians of the Sarasota Orchestra for this concert at Church of the Palms. Duo Beaux Arts, founded by a husband-and-wife team of internationally renowned pianists, takes the power of the piano and doubles it. Known for their adrenalized performances, they have received critical acclaim across the U.S., Europe, and China. This April 16 recital at the Studio for the Performing Arts Recital Hall, State College of Florida, features works for piano “four hands” and two pianos.

The popular Lighter Fare Series offers concerts outdoors at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens Downtown Campus, and indoors at Plantation Golf and Country Club (PGCC) in Venice. Programs at PGCC include dinner following the concert. The series kicks off October 18 at PGCC with bass-baritone Joseph Parrish, winner of the 2022 Young Concert Artists Susan Wadsworth International Auditions. At 24 years old, Parrish is a versatile artist who will sing traditional spirituals, opera arias, and music from the Broadway stage. On November 16, at Selby Gardens, the three winners of the Artist Series Concerts 2023 Statewide Vocal Competition come together for Sunset Serenade, a program of art songs, arias and duos from Mozart’s “Marriage of Figaro,” and African American spirituals. PGCC hosts the Cavatina Duo on January 17. Spanish flutist Eugenia Moliner and her husband, Bosnian guitarist Denis Azabagic, present an extravagant program featuring flamenco, tango, and opera fantasies. The series concludes on February 21 at Selby Gardens with Empire Wild, winner of the 2020 Concert Artists Guild Ambassador Prize. This genre-hopping trio with a love for musical exploration fuses the sounds of pop, folk, jazz and classical into their songwriting and composition. The Lighter Fare Series is sponsored by Don and JoAnn Burhart and Kandy Kaak.

The trademark Soirée Series returns to the one-of-a-kind music room of the Fischer/Weisenborne residence, beginning with Amit Peled, cello and Solomon Eichner, piano, in a program of music by American composers on October 29 and 30. Hina Khuong-Huu – Violin Channel “Rising Star” and first prize winner of the 2023 Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition – performs with Steinway artist Rohan De Silva on March 31 and April 1. First place winners of Artist Series Concerts’ 2017 and 2018 international violin and piano competitions, Shannon Lee and Ying Li, share their remarkable talents on April 28 and 29. These intimate afternoon programs give the audience the opportunity to get up-close-and-personal with the musicians. Refreshments are served following each performance. The Soirée Series is sponsored by Sora Yelin in loving memory of Cary Yelin.

The Lunch and Listen Series continues at the Sarasota Yacht Club. This series spotlights gifted young artists in concert at 11:00 a.m. followed by lunch. The Chopin Project® featuring Matthew Graybil, piano, is the first concert in this series on November 2. Woodwind power couple Sang Yoon Kim, principal clarinet of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and Christine Kim,principal oboe of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, play on November 30. Chelsea Guo, piano and soprano, is a rare musical double feature. Winner of the 2022 Young Concert Artists Susan Wadsworth International Auditions and included in Classic FM’s “Rising Stars: 30 Brilliant Musicians We’re Celebrating in 2022,” Guo performs on February 1. Duo Chinoiserie, performing on March 7, is a unique project initiated by Chinese guzheng performer Jing Xia and classical guitarist Bin Hu. Their blending of ancient Chinese zither and classical guitar has been described as “sonic alchemy.” Boyd Meets Girl – Rupert Boyd, Australian classical guitarist, and his wife, American cellist Laura Metcalf – close the series on April 4 with their eclectic mix of music from Debussy and Bach to Radiohead and Beyoncé.

Next Generation is a new two-program series at State College of Florida featuring students and alumni from two prestigious U.S. conservatories. The Curtis on Tour 2023-24 String Sextet brings together three Curtis Institute of Music alumni with three current Curtis students in a program of string sextets by Strauss, Berg, and Brahms on March 12. The 2023-24 String Sextet appears by special arrangement with Curtis on Tour, the Nina von Maltzahn global touring initiative of the Curtis Institute of Music. Trio Gaia, New England Conservatory’s graduate piano trio in residence, won first prize at the 2022 WDAV Young Chamber Musicians Competition. Their May 14 program includes music inspired by folk tunes including the daring trio by Charles Ives, and Antonín Dvořák’s iconic “Dumky” Trio.

Artist Series Concerts is thrilled to present its special event, the rock and roll oratorio “Caesar!”, on November 18 at Church of the Palms. Hurricane Ian disrupted presenting this concert which had been scheduled to open the 2022-2023 season. Internationally celebrated violinist Alexander Markov, son of acclaimed violinists Albert and Marina Markov, features his parents’ artistry alongside his own in a selection of masterpieces for violin duo and trio to open the concert. After intermission, Alexander takes the stage with his gold electric violin and brings to life his own composition about Julius Caesar, the legendary Roman general and statesman. Written in five short parts, the lyrics briefly portray historical moments in Caesar’s life. “Caesar!” is a dramatic and contrasting musical journey that takes listeners into a world of mystery. Key Chorale and the Booker High School VPA Choir will share the stage with Alexander, a rhythm section, organ, and orchestral musicians in this unique and unforgettable performance.

Discounted tickets are available through August 15; regular prices take effect August 16. For more information, visit ArtistSeriesConcerts.org or call (941) 306-1202.

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