Concerts & Events

A rare opportunity to discover how musical phrasing and new friendships are developed. Rehearsals are held in the Peterson Great Room, second floor of the Opera Pavilion at the Sarasota Opera House. Festival rehearsal passes, which allow admission to all rehearsal sessions during the festival, are $80. Daily rehearsal passes ($20/day) are available at the rehearsal hall only during the festival.

We start and end the season celebrating the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth. His influence on future generations of composers cannot be overstated: Brahms was widely considered Beethoven’s successor, and Hans von Koessler, teacher of Dohnányi and Kodály (featured in the April 13 program), was an adherent of Brahms.

PROGRAM I

Ludwig van Beethoven, String Trio in G major Op. 9, No. 1

Ernö Dohnányi, Piano Quintet in E flat minor Op. 26, No. 2

Johannes Brahms, String Sextet No. 1 in B flat major Op. 18

Mingle with the musicians amongst airplanes and enjoy wine, light bites and a mini concert.

Sponsored by Dolphin Aviation.

Barber’s meditative Adagio in its original instrumentation for string quartet is even more moving than the popular string orchestra version, which was featured in the film “Platoon” and performed at the funerals of Princess Grace and Albert Einstein.

PROGRAM II

Samuel Barber, Adagio for Strings

Camille Saint-Saëns, Fantaisie pour Violon et Harpe Op. 124

Claude Debussy, Danses sacrée et profane

Franz Schubert, Piano Quintet in A major Op. 114, D667 (Trout)

A lively, interactive dinner event featuring La Musica artists Dmitri Atapine and Dee Moses joining with Philip Mancini and Michael’s On East’s Executive Chef Jamil Pineda to lead guests in cooking demonstrations to create the evening's meal. This event is a tremendous amount of fun and the food you and your tablemates prepare is always delicious.

Sponsored by Gloria Moss in honor of Janet Hunter.

This FREE panel discussion will be led by Harold J. Bott, Jr., who studied composition and conducting with Jacques-Louis Monod at Columbia University and The Juilliard School. Mr. Bott hosted a radio show on WKCR in New York City, featuring interviews with contemporary composers including Pulitzer Prize winners John Adams, Charles Wuorinen, and Mario Davidovsky. Mr. Bott performed regularly with numerous ensembles of New York City’s finest jazz and classical musicians. He is a pianist and plays the dobro.

Panel members are consummate chamber music performers who also perform or compose in other genres. Questions will be taken from the audience following the discussion.

• Jerry Bilik’s compositions span the world of music, from the Michigan Fight Song and Hollywood and circus productions, to chamber music premiered by La Musica and the Sarasota Orchestra.
• Zachary DePue plays, with his brothers in the The DePue Brothers Band, a unique combination of bluegrass and classical music in what they term the “grassical” style.
• Dee Moses arranges compositions for modern dance performances.
• Brandon Ridenour’s arrangements of Beatles songs are featured in our April 10 concert.

Hear some of your favorite Beatles tunes as never before in an arrangement for trumpet and strings. Included are “Eleanor Rigby,” “Yesterday,” “Blackbird,” and “Across the Universe.”

Following intermission, John Moffitt, an Emmy Award-winning television director, will talk about his experience recording The Beatles when they made their first appearance in the U.S. on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”

PROGRAM III

Wolfgang Mozart, Piano Quartet in G minor No. 1, K478

Bernhard Romberg, Trio in E minor Op. 38, No. 1 for Cello, Viola and Double Bass

Camille Saint-Saëns, Septet for Piano, Trumpet and Strings in E flat major Op. 65

John Lennon/Paul McCartney, arr. Brandon Ridenour, Four Songs for Trumpet and String Quintet

Kodály was heavily influenced by Eastern European folk music, as was Dvořák (easily heard in the third movement of the Piano Quartet). Yet you can also hear Beethoven’s influence in the structure and passion in their works performed in this program.

PROGRAM IV

Ludwig van Beethoven, Trio in C minor Op. 1, No. 3

Zoltan Kodály, Serenade Op. 12

Antonin Dvořák, Piano Quartet in E flat major Op. 87