We are planning a Music Center that will expand the Sarasota-Manatee region’s cultural capacity for many generations. As the area grows, and the arts and cultural community grows along with it, demand for performance, rehearsal and education space is eclipsing available supply. The Music Center will address this critical need for expansion and elevate the community to new artistic heights with something the region has never had: a concert hall purpose-built for acoustic music.

Our Music Center will be located at 5701 Fruitville Road between Honore Avenue and Cattlemen Road. The site’s proximity to Interstate 75 increases accessibility to arts and cultural experiences for residents across the region and visitors from around the world, serving as a gateway to the nearby downtown Sarasota area.

The 32-acre site at 5701 Fruitville Road accommodates the required building height needed for an acoustically engineered concert hall (up to 110 feet) and offers protection from coastal vulnerabilities. It also provides space for ample parking and easy access from Interstate 75.

Our Music Center will bring the community something it’s never had: a concert hall purpose-built for acoustic music. Our concert hall will be one of only four in Florida and the first on Florida’s Gulf Coast (others include the New World Center in Miami Beach, Knight Concert Hall in Miami, and Steinmetz Hall in Orlando).

Along with the 1,800-seat concert hall built specifically to showcase acoustic music, aspirational plans for the Music Center also include flexible-use performance space, multiple rehearsal and practice rooms, music storage and office space. These facilities will serve as important resources for Sarasota Orchestra and many of the nearly 30 peer organizations that also face challenges in securing performance and rehearsal dates. The Music Center will also provide expanded space and increased opportunities for the growth of our youth education programs.

Fundamentally different from a venue built to support theatrical sets and amplified productions, concert halls are built with specific intent to optimize acoustic (non-amplified) performances. In a concert hall, the audience and musicians share the same room without a separation from the stage. This is different from a multipurpose performance space, in which a proscenium arch frames the stage and the space above and around the stage is open to fly lofts and storage for theatrical set. The resulting sound reverberation in a concert hall enables memorable physical sensations, culminating in a truly immersive experience.

We have a long-term lease agreement with the City of Sarasota for our current location at the Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center and will continue operations there until a new site is completed and adequately equipped to house all our performances, rehearsals, educational programing and administration. The lease terms at our current facility will be evaluated in the future by our board of directors in consultation with the City of Sarasota.

Typically, the design phase of a music center is about two years, and construction is generally a three-year process. These are highly specialized, complex facilities where excellence in acoustics is paramount.

We are currently in the quiet phase of our fundraising efforts, during which Sarasota Orchestra leadership and board members are engaging with lead donors, who will help determine, through their venture philanthropy, the final scope of the project. Once we transition to the public phase of the campaign, the Music Center cost will be established and shared, and the greater Sarasota-Manatee community will be invited to participate in the fundraising initiative.

Our vision includes the development of a concert hall that will build on Sarasota’s reputation as a world-class arts and culture destination. Building a best-in-class concert hall takes a best-in-class team. Our goal is always to use the most knowledgeable resource in each area, as this project is so specialized in nature. We selected each of our consultants based on extensive review of past performance and references to ensure they would be ideal partners for a project of this significance and complexity. We’re proud to work with all our consultants on the Music Center project, including several with offices and experience in Florida, who are recognized nationally and internationally for their work.

Florida experts on the project include the following:

• Williams Parker – Sarasota

• Civic Design Strategies – Sarasota

• Bruce Rodgers – Sarasota

• Curley & Pynn Public Relations – Orlando

• HKS Orlando – Orlando

• Freedman Consulting & Development – Sarasota

• Kimley-Horn Sarasota – Sarasota

• Stan Rutstein, Re/Max Alliance Group – Sarasota

• Venue Consulting – St. Petersburg

During September and October 2022, we surveyed Sarasota and Manatee County residents to collect feedback about our organization, the planned Music Center and how we might use our new space to better serve the community.

Most residents surveyed believe our Music Center will become an important community asset and plan to attend events there in the future:

• 85% support the Music Center project.
• 78% believe the Music Center will serve as an important cultural resource for the community.
• 85% recognize the impact an acoustic concert hall will have on the quality of audience experiences.
• 89% said they would be likely to attend future events at the new music center.

Additionally, a series of nearly 30 interviews conducted in spring 2022 with local performing arts and music organizations confirmed that we are not the only organization significantly impacted by limited rehearsal and performance space. Community arts leaders surveyed agreed the region’s arts and cultural infrastructure is operating at maximum capacity, challenging their ability to maintain and grow entertainment and educational programming. These community partners provided significant input informing the planning for the music center.

If you would like to share feedback about the Music Center, please reach us at [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you.

Any time! Gifts to support the Music Center, no matter how big or small, will help us realize our vision and bring this transformational community asset to life.  

For more information, please contact Tracy Harbilas, senior director of development services, at 941-487-2740 or [email protected].