Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota Presents World Premiere of Composition by Roger Zare in April
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In the Artist Series Concerts (ASC) of Sarasota’s offices, on the desk of executive director Keren Shani-Lifrak, sits a photo of ASC’s beloved founder Lee Dougherty Ross. In the photo, Ross is handing a scholarship check to a young Sarasota musician named Roger Zare — the very first winner of the Suncoast Music Scholarship Competition 30 years ago.
Zare went on to study music at the highest level, compose works performed around the world, and even grace the stage of Carnegie Hall. Pulitzer Prize–winning composer Christopher Rouse wrote, “Roger Zare writes for orchestra like a real natural. It’s a medium that seems to be in his blood.”
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In 2025, Zare contacted Artist Series Concerts to say he would like to pay it forward. Zare will premiere his latest piece, Gamma for string quartet, right here in Sarasota — performed by DragonBoot Quartet, a young, all-female group who are current students in the Honors Chamber Music Program at the Juilliard School, on April 12, 4:00 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church. It’s a full-circle moment, from scholarship student to celebrated composer, from gift received to gift given.
Between now and Zare’s world premiere, ASC has other exciting events happening on stages around Sarasota County:
The Golden Age of Broadway and Operetta, February 24, 5:00 p.m. at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, celebrates the 30th anniversary of Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota, with founders Lee Dougherty Ross and her husband Jerry serving as honorary chairs. The celebration begins with a concert in the garden of popular operetta selections performed by singers Michaela Ristaino, Adelaide Boedecker, Amy Connours, Justin Gomlak, and Jesse Martin, with Dr. Joseph Holt at the piano. The evening includes cocktails during and following the performance, dinner in the ballroom, a live auction, a wall of wine, and more music by Suncoast Music Scholarship Competition winners Colin Leonard and Matrick Thorpe.
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ArcoStrum presents a Lunch and Listen concert on March 5, 11:00 a.m. at Sarasota Yacht Club. Strauss Shi and Tengyue Zhang redefine the violin-guitar art form, performing innovative chamber music that blends original transcriptions of classical repertoire, progressive rock, and traditional Chinese instrumental music featuring the erhu and dizi.
On March 15, 6:00 pm at The Bay Sarasota, ASC invites concertgoers of all ages to Beethoven, Beats and Beyond, a free, family-friendly concert featuring the Upward Notes classical string ensemble and DJ Karim Manning, an award-winning educator and beatboxer. Bring blankets or chairs and the whole family to this outdoor concert along the shore of Sarasota Bay.
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The multi-instrumental quartet Invoke performs a dinner concert on March 17, 5:30 p.m. at Plantation Golf & Country Club in Venice. Invoke weaves together classical, bluegrass, Appalachian fiddle tunes, jazz, and minimalism into a contemporary repertoire featuring original works composed by and for the group.
The Lasting Impressions concert — April 6, 4:00 p.m. at the Fischer/Weisenborne Residence — showcases violinist Michael Turkell, cellist Victor Minke Huls, and pianist Maria Parrini. The delicate beauty of impressionist music forms the heart of this captivating program that includes violin and piano sonatas by Enescu and Fauré, and Ravel’s duo for violin and cello.
As ASC celebrates their 30th anniversary season, they welcome the community’s help to continue their legacy of inspiration and impact. A donation to Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota not only nurtures the arts but shapes futures.
To learn more about Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota, visit ArtistSeriesConcerts.org or call (941) 306-1202.