Get ready to experience the "Great White Way" on a grand, symphonic scale: On January 30 and 31, Sarasota Orchestra presents its first Pops concert of the season: On Broadway: Defying Gravity, a celebration of the most iconic music in theater history. While you might know these shows by heart, the music holds hidden layers—"secrets" that a live orchestra can reveal like no other! 

Led by conductor Evan Roider, who stood at the podium for over 1,000 performances of Wicked on the show’s national tour, this concert features three powerhouse vocalists: Kelli Rabke, Scott Coulter, and Jessica Hendy. Together with Sarasota Orchestra, they’ll bring the house down at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall with all-time favorite hits from productions such as The Lion King, The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Les Misérables, and many more! Here are fun facts that will make you hear these classics in a whole new light.

Can You Spot the Rainbow?

Have you ever picked up on a familiar ring in Wicked? Composer Stephen Schwartz hid a melodic “Easter egg" throughout the musical that first appears in Elphaba’s song, “The Wizard and I.” As she sings the words, “Unlimited, my future is unlimited…” her first seven notes match the melody of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. Elphaba’s “Unlimited” theme reappears later in numbers like “For Good” and “Defying Gravity,” and hearing it fully realized by Sarasota Orchestra makes Elphaba’s empowerment feel even more soaring.

Operatic Roots

The most famous song from Cats, "Memory," wasn’t initially written for the show. Andrew Lloyd Webber composed the melody for an abandoned project about the life of opera composer Giacomo Puccini. Drawing directly on the Italian master’s style, Lloyd Webber created a show-stopper with vocal stakes high enough to test the mettle of a true diva. In a concert hall, the symphonic strings capture that operatic grandeur in a way no theater pit can match.

Creating a Savannah Soundscape

Hans Zimmer told Vanity Fair that he thought The Lion King was just “a film about fuzzy animals” and only agreed to compose the score so he’d finally have a chance to take his six-year-old daughter to one of his premieres. Once he realized the story’s deep emotional weight, he felt inspired to lend the music the gravitas of a requiem while infusing it with echoes out of Africa. Hearing the "Circle of Life" live, with thunderous percussion and a sweeping, cinematic sound, is a visceral experience that will leave listeners feeling nothing short of lion-hearted. 

The Phantom's Ghostly Atmosphere

To create the gothic edge of The Phantom of the Opera, the original production employed 24 speakers throughout the theater to envelop the audience in sound. In a symphonic setting, live orchestra further amplifies the "Music of the Night" and its lush, haunting textures to create that same gripping sense of mystery and passion.

A 1960s Wall of Sound

Jersey Boys captures the squeaky-clean harmonies and finger-snapping charm of The Four Seasons. Songs like "Can’t Take My Eyes Off You" were designed with brass hits and a rhythmic groove that make them a natural fit for orchestra. Sarasota Orchestra’s brass section adds a "big band" punch to classic pop that will have you humming all the way home.

Sarasota Orchestra presents Pops: On Broadway: Defying Gravity

• When: January 30 (7:30 pm), January 31 (2:30 pm and 7:30 pm)   
• Where: Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall 
• Tickets: Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org 

Programs and featured artists are subject to change.