Sarasota Orchestra has come roaring out of the gate this year with nearly every conceivable kind of classical music concert in just 6 weeks. We've given a great set of children's concerts featuring an incognito Michael Andrew. We've then switched to light classics, a set of Pagliacci with the Sarasota Opera, and a fantastic opening masterworks weekend with Anu Tali and Alexander Toradze.
Here's what the critics had to say about this wonderful all-Russian program:
Richard Storm, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Coming up quickly, we're going to perform an incredible semi-staged production of "Songs of Wars I Have Seen." I'm not sure if tickets are still available, but if you're in town, click the link to see what's available. It will be worth it...
Later, I'll be happily (very happily) reuniting with Anu Tali and the other wonderful musicians of the Nordic Symphony Orchestra in Estonia as we give a series of concerts in Tartu and Tallinn. Details about that right here. Last summer, our concerts were streamed live internationally, so please check us out if you're interested. I'll post a link here if I can.
KAETA will be hosting its first private fundraiser next month, and I'm incredibly proud of our team's hard work. Since we're all volunteers, the funds we raise will go entirely to some very cool new programs (things like matching up students from Girls Inc. with seniors at the Sarasota Bay Club for collaborative reading and art projects). We're trying to raise a lot of money so that none of the kids or elders we serve have to pay anything to participate. We've been working to identify donors who care especially much about intergenerational work and the arts. If you're feeling like you'd like to check out KAETA -or know someone who would, please visit us at our website.
Finally, I'd like to give a big shout-out to Nick Fitzsimmons and all of his colleagues at Rogue Audio in Brodheadsville, PA. I had a chance to experience both their craftsmanship and their customer service, and I can honestly say that their reputation for extreme excellence is deserved. In fact, despite the constellation of amazing press they've received, they might still be a little under-rated. I like it when good people do good things.
I'm feeling especially thankful for family, for doctors like the one who helped my mother in law and the ones who travel to places like Liberia, for artists who stand up for principles, for everyone who's been helping Jay Hunsberger survive the loss of Jon, for people celebrating this kind of climate news while others tear it up, for Cabrillo, for schoolteachers, for the Kansas City Royals, and for the artistry of Richard Blais. Happy Holidays!