Honoring Our Music Director’s Legacy
When we first announced the music center site in March, our beloved Music Director Bramwell Tovey recognized an acoustic concert hall would have a transformative impact on our community.
“For an orchestra to best resonate, it must be done naturally, in an acoustic hall,” he said.
Honoring Our Music Director’s Legacy
When we first announced the music center site in March, our beloved Music Director Bramwell Tovey recognized an acoustic concert hall would have a transformative impact on our community.
“For an orchestra to best resonate, it must be done naturally, in an acoustic hall,” he said.
As shared by our board chair, Tom Koski, “Maestro Tovey’s death was a loss not only for our orchestra, but also for the world of music. He was a great friend and collaborator, and as we mourn his loss, we commit to honoring his legacy through our vision for the music center.”
Community Survey Planned
As we promised in March, music center planning will reflect input from our patrons, partners, neighbors, and the community at large. Since our last update, we’ve engaged in several listening sessions to provide more details about our future and to gather valuable feedback. We are also finalizing a community survey and expect to distribute that widely in the coming weeks.
Site Neighbors Express Support
David Brain, program director for urban studies and sociology professor at New College of Florida, continues to lead workshops for us to gather insight from our local neighbors. In our most recent meetings, our team answered several questions regarding the Orchestra’s vision and permitting process, as well as the potential for park land and walking trails. We were appreciative to hear our future neighbors express support for the music center and for our conceptual plan.
Reaching Out to Other Arts Organizations
We have held additional conversations with approximately 35 regional arts and cultural partners and continue to hear that there is a significant need for a music center that provides performance space, as well as space for practice, education, and equipment storage. We appreciate the supportive feedback we continue to receive from performing arts organizations throughout the community.
Meetings with Sarasota County Advance
Our work with Sarasota County leaders on the zoning approval process continued in June and July. The approval process is progressing as anticipated and is expected to continue through December. We are requesting an amendment to an earlier zoning approval and a special exception to construct the concert hall at the desired height to optimize acoustics, as well as an exception for operations to continue beyond 10 p.m. for the Orchestra’s performance-related activities.
This process included a pre-application meeting with Sarasota County staff, which took place on July 7, and a Sarasota County virtual workshop on July 13 for residents within 750 feet of the property to review our zoning requests. Our project team engaged in constructive and positive discussion with community residents about landscape buffers, stormwater planning, and lighting restrictions. We are thankful to our community for the support we have received during this process. We look forward to bringing this region a truly transformative music center that will be enjoyed for generations.
If you have any questions or would like to provide input on our plans for the music center, please contact us at
Sincerely,
Sarasota Orchestra's Music Center Planning Team
