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program SIBELIUS Finlandia TCHAIKOVSKY Violin Concerto RAUTAVAARA Cantus Arcticus RESPIGHI The Pines of Rome World-renowned violinist Vadim Gluzman opens the Masterworks season with Tchaikovsky’s towering Violin Concerto, a magnificent combination of breathtaking melodies and stunning virtuosity. Following Sibelius’ majestic Finlandia and Rautavaara’s tribute to the birds of the Arctic, the program concludes with Respighi’s Pines of Rome . From the Villa Borghese to the Appian Way, Respighi’s brilliant work never fails to thrill as it peaks in a blaze of brassy glory.

GRAMMY Award-winning pianist Yefim Bronfman makes his Sarasota Orchestra debut as soloist in Brahms' monumental Piano Concerto No. 1. Called “a powerhouse pianist with a tone of crystalline clarity” (Los Angeles Times), Bronfman’s artistry is in high demand worldwide. The program opens with Carlos Simon’s 2020 homage to Beethoven, Fate Now Conquers, with the explosive jubilation of Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony as this concert's crown.

Honoring the 150th anniversary of Maurice Ravel’s birth, this concert showcases his wildly popular Bolero. Of a Spring Morning by Lili Boulanger sparkles with the energy of new life. Pianist Natasha Paremski brings her dazzling dynamism to Ravel’s jazz-infused Piano Concerto. Dvořák’s Symphony No. 6 was the work that brought international recognition to the great Czech master.

Launching a program centering on heroism and joy, Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture depicts the inner turmoil of a Roman warrior. Shostakovich battled his own internal demons in his emotionally charged Symphony No. 5. Trailblazing violinist Anne Akiko Meyers makes her Sarasota Orchestra debut in Arturo Márquez’s Fandango for violin and orchestra, imbued with playful dance rhythms and intoxicating melodies from Márquez's beloved Mexico.

Fiesta! by Jimmy López Bellido is an exuberant mix of European traditions with Afro-Peruvian and popular music vibes. Steven Banks performs Billy Childs’ Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra, taking the listener through a Black American experience from Africa through enslavement to empowerment. Richard Strauss' gorgeous Suite from Der Rosenkavalier is the perfect preamble to Ravel’s fantastic La Valse.

One of the most influential works on and off the concert stage, Holst’s The Planets is captivating from start to finish. Violinist Grace Park brings her “fresh, different and exhilarating” (San Francisco Chronicle) talents to Dvořák’s lilting Romance and Ravel’s entrancing Tzigane. Vaughan Williams’ delightful Overture to The Wasps opens this stellar program!

Jon Kimura Parker, a veteran of the international concert stage, brings his infectious enthusiasm to Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto, which travels from turbulence to serenity to exuberance. Brahms’ astonishing Fourth Symphony is a perennial audience favorite. The program opens with a personal touch in the premiere of Horizons, a commission from American composer Peter Boyer to honor longtime Sarasota Orchestra Artistic Administrator Pat Joslyn.