The Sarasota Orchestra is making strides on its new Music Center. This week, orchestra leadership shared a first look at the initial designs for its new HQ at 5701 Fruitville Road. The multiphase design process will be led by architecture firm William Rawn Associates. 

The designs for the Music Center incorporate lots of natural light, which orchestra leadership says is a metaphor for "the musician's journey": educational spaces receive lots of eastern morning light; meanwhile, performance spaces glow in the evening, symbolizing the evolution from student to professional. Early designs also incorporate the region’s natural beauty, featuring glass facades, an open-air courtyard and strategically placed shading. Inside, visitors find the Florida Gulf Coast’s first concert hall purpose-built for acoustic music.

Next up: The project is progressing toward schematic design, during which architects will refine the early plans based on additional input from orchestra leadership and stakeholders and technical analysis, and will further define the building’s form and programmatic needs. The orchestra expects to share updated schematic designs this fall.