Subscriptions Masterworks

Feel the collective rush as Sarasota Orchestra launches the Masterworks season in magnificent fashion. Legendary violinist Gil Shaham brings his “deeply intense sincerity” (The New York Times) to Ludwig van Beethoven’s luminous Violin Concerto—a piece that soars with pure lyricism. Then, feel the profound emotional impact of Sergey Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5. Written as the smoke of World War II began to clear, Prokofiev penned this towering work as “a hymn to free and happy Man, to his mighty powers, his pure and noble spirit.” Opening with Lera Auerbach’s gripping musical retelling of the myth of Icarus, who flew too close to the sun, this concert reaches for the heights of human ambition.

• Saturday 7
• Sunday 7
• Create Your Own

Step into a storybook. The first half of this colorful program brings to life the adventures of literature's famous dreamer, Don Quixote. In a dazzling showcase of your Sarasota Orchestra's talent, Principal Cellist Natalie Helm portrays the idealistic, eccentric knight, while Principal Violist Stephanie Block captures the spirit of his loyal companion Sancho Panza. The journey shifts into pure enchantment with the beloved music from Act II of Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. From the delicacy of the Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy to the grand, swirling Waltz of the Flowers, this timeless score has delighted generations and fills the holiday season with wonder.

• Saturday 7
• Sunday 7
• Create Your Own

Rising star conductor Benjamin Manis makes his Sarasota Orchestra debut with a program that sparkles with color and imagination. International piano sensation Zlata Chochieva takes the stage for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23. With extraordinary musicality and captivating stage presence, she has “a rare ability to make time stand still,” according to the San Francisco Classical Voice. Be swept away by Antonín Dvořák's Seventh Symphony, a dramatic work pulsing with driving rhythms and vaulting melodies. The concert opens with Benjamin Britten's Four Sea Interludes, evoking the crashing waves, shifting skies, and rugged beauty of England's coastline.

• Saturday 7
• Sunday 7
• Create Your Own

Brace yourself for the breathtaking Carmina Burana as Sarasota Orchestra joins forces with Chicago’s acclaimed Grant Park Chorus. Famous for the thunderous opening of “O Fortuna,” Carl Orff’s choral masterpiece is one of classical music’s most epic works, appearing in films, television, and video games. Nothing compares to experiencing its electrifying choruses and enormous orchestral sound performed live. Opening the program, Witold Lutosławski’s Concerto for Orchestra showcases the brilliance and virtuosity of every section of the Orchestra, setting the stage for an extraordinary event.

• Friday 3
• Saturday 7
• Sunday 7
• Create Your Own

Cinematic drama, folklore, and history come together in a concert celebrating the many voices of American music. Sarasota Orchestra captures the pulse of Leonard Bernstein’s electrifying suite from the Academy Award-winning film On the Waterfront, a score infused with mid-century jazz influences and gritty urban energy. GRAMMY® Award-winning violinist Stella Chen performs Samuel Barber’s lyrical and virtuosic Violin Concerto, a masterpiece of arresting beauty and brilliance. The tension mounts with John Adams’ Doctor Atomic Symphony, a riveting work inspired by the dawn of the atomic age. The program begins with a movement from Carlos Simon’s Folklore Symphony, a radiant celebration of African American stories that bridges tradition and imagination.

• Friday 3
• Saturday 7
• Sunday 7
• Create Your Own

GRAMMY® Award-winning German conductor Christian Reif makes his Sarasota Orchestra debut in a program designed to light up your senses. Winner of a 2021 Avery Fisher Career Grant, cellist Sterling Elliott has quickly emerged as one of classical music’s most exciting performers. He makes his Sarasota Orchestra debut in Sir Edward Elgar’s deeply moving Cello Concerto, the composer’s final masterpiece for orchestra. The concert culminates with Johannes Brahms’ radiant Symphony No. 2, composed during one of the happiest summers of his life and filled with warmth, lyricism, and the quiet joy of communing with nature. Opening the program, Julia Adolphe’s Underneath the Sheen offers a luminous musical tribute to California’s majestic redwood forests, setting the tone for a listening experience of reflection and renewal.

• Friday 3
• Saturday 7
• Sunday 7
• Create Your Own

Our Masterworks season concludes in dazzling fashion. Don’t miss your chance to hear one of today’s greatest pianists as Musical America’s 2026 Artist of the Year, Emanuel Ax, performs Fryderyk Chopin’s lyrical Piano Concerto No. 2. The journey continues with the opening movement of Gustav Mahler’s unfinished Tenth Symphony, a sweeping musical reflection filled with longing and hope. The season reaches a dazzling finale with Maurice Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2, whose shimmering orchestral depiction of sunrise makes it one of classical music’s most spectacular showpieces.

• Masterworks
• Saturday 7
• Sunday 7
• Create Your Own