By Giancarlo Guerrero
Music Director, Sarasota Orchestra

As I was planning the concerts for my first season as Sarasota Orchestra’s music director, I was absolutely certain that our audiences should experience Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. It wasn’t a decision made lightly. In the world of classical music, this piece is one of the most formidable mountains to climb. It requires a level of individual virtuosity and collective strength that only a world-class ensemble can achieve.

Having spent time with the phenomenal musicians of Sarasota Orchestra, I realized they are among the finest artists I have ever had the privilege of leading. I wanted to showcase their brilliance with the most important piece of music of the 20th century. For some of our players, this will be their first time performing it live—and believe me, as a musician, playing The Rite is a dream you carry from the moment you first pick up your instrument.

To understand why this concert is a "must-see," you have to look back to the night of May 29, 1913. Imagine a sophisticated Paris audience, accustomed to the elegant tutus and graceful steps of Tchaikovsky ballets. Suddenly, their early-20th-century ears experienced raw, physical, untamed rhythms and melodies that were groundbreaking and… well, at the time, quite unsettling.

The premiere didn't just cause a stir. People were hissing, shouting, and eventually coming to blows in the aisles.  Stravinsky himself was conducting the whole disaster, and the next morning, the newspapers claimed he had to run for his life! And guess what? Suddenly, The Rite of Spring was the hottest ticket in town. 

Stravinsky changed the world that night. From the haunting, high bassoon solo in the opening to the heart-pounding dance that leaves listeners breathless at the end, he redefined what an orchestra could do. 

While Stravinsky is this concert’s "headliner," bold voices resonate across this entire program. We are opening with Joan Tower’s 1920/2019. Joan is essentially the dean of American women composers, and I’ve had the joy of championing her work for years. 1920/2019 was commissioned to mark the centennial of the 19th Amendment, but Joan added "2019" to the title to acknowledge the #MeToo movement. It is a powerful, relevant work that starts a conversation about the history of women’s rights—a story that remains as vital today as it ever was.

I am equally thrilled to welcome violinist Benjamin Beilman back to Sarasota. Ben is not just one of the most imaginative and technically gifted soloists on the global stage today; he is a dear friend. The last time we worked together was at the Sydney Opera House in Australia, where he absolutely brought the house down. Seeing him return to Sarasota is special, as I suspect his parents will be in the audience; his local ties lend extra warmth to an otherwise electric program. And watching Ben play is an experience of pure creativity; he has a way of infusing every note with imagination.

There is simply nothing like experiencing the sound of a symphony orchestra, live and in person—The Rite of Spring is one of those pieces that proves this beyond the shadow of a doubt. I think you’ll be moved to jump out of your seat by the end—not so much like the 1913 Paris crowd did, but with amazement at what your Sarasota Orchestra can do.

Sarasota Orchestra presents Masterworks: Rite of Spring

• When: February 27-March 1, 2026
• Where: Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall 
• Tickets: Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org 

Programs and featured artists are subject to change. 

Giancarlo Guerrero is a six-time GRAMMY® Award-winning conductor who serves as Sarasota Orchestra’s music director, the Orchestra’s seventh artistic leader since its founding in 1949. He is also the artistic director and principal conductor of the Grant Park Music Festival in Chicago and led the Nashville Symphony for 16 seasons. Guerrero has performed with the New York Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Boston Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, and other internationally acclaimed orchestras. He recently added the Super Bowl LX Halftime Show to his list of appearances on world-renowned stages.