Four Highlights of the Sarasota Music Festival
From June 6-25, the jubilant return of the Sarasota Music Festival (SMF) in its full format features three weeks of chamber music concerts, masterclasses, and special events to enjoy. Here are four highlights of the 2022 Festival that music-lovers won’t want to miss:
The Calidore String Quartet will be the ensemble-in-residence during the first week of the Festival
On June 9, SMF’s opening program begins with one of Franz Schubert’s stormiest works, the String Quartet No. 12, performed by the Calidore String Quartet.
“I can’t wait to have Calidore back in Sarasota! Two members attended the Festival as fellows—and that connection is like family,” says RoseAnne McCabe, Sarasota Orchestra’s VP of Operations and Festival Administration. “Their playing at last summer’s reimagined Festival with SMF Music Director Jeffrey Kahane was electrifying, so I can’t wait to see what kind of magic happens this summer.”
Artist Showcase 1: Darkness to Light
Thursday, June 9 | 4:30 pm | Holley Hall
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Festival alumna Ya-Fei Chuang returns to SMF as a featured guest artist
On the first Festival Saturday program, acclaimed pianist Ya-Fei Chuang serves as soloist in Frédéric Chopin’s gorgeous, early-Romantic Piano Concerto in F Minor.
“Ya-Fei Chuang is an exquisite performer. A Festival alum, she is perfect to be spotlighted in the Chopin,” McCabe says. “I am looking forward to hearing her work with conductor Yaniv Dinur; both are understated yet eloquent. The evening will eliminate all the noise to bring us a sublime musical respite.”
Festival Saturday 1: Chuang Plays Chopin
Saturday, June 11 | 7:30 pm | Sarasota Opera House
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Celebrated songsmiths Caroline Shaw and Gabriel Kahane join forces in a special SMF event
In the Festival’s final week, a special event takes a detour from the typical concert format: Caroline Shaw and Gabriel Kahane, two of today’s most sought-after composers, are joined by a string quartet of Festival fellows for an evening of chamber music and song, followed by a Q&A segment.
“Gabriel Kahane and Caroline Shaw represent the living art form of classical music,” McCabe says. “Both are incredibly gifted, highly trained classical musicians who have used their talent for creative exploration and expression in today’s world. They’re the ones about whom the historians will write when we look back on the trajectory of classical music.”
Special Event: Creative Voices
Tuesday, June 21 | 7:30 pm | Holley Hall
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Faculty artist Francesca Anderegg, also an SMF alumna, will be showcased in the Festival’s final concert.
The 2022 Festival culminates with a program full of orchestral flair, including Sergei Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 performed by Francesca Anderegg.
“What a beautiful way to end SMF 2022,” says McCabe, “a Festival alumna and faculty artist playing a piece that is bittersweet and full of hope. I couldn’t be prouder to see someone come study at the Festival, flourish in their career, and then return to the Festival stage to mentor and present music of this caliber and beauty. This concert encapsulates why the Festival exists: to nurture young musicians.”
Festival Saturday 3: From America to Italy
Saturday, June 25 | 7:30 pm | Sarasota Opera House
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To learn more and purchase tickets to the Sarasota Music Festival’s concerts and special events, visit the SMF website or call the Box Office at 941-953-3434. All programs and featured artists are subject to change.