Artist Series highlights emerging artists and contest winners in ‘Stars Ascending’ season
To emphasize its focus on emerging musical artists, Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota is calling its 28th season “Stars Ascending,” with three new series making their debuts along with a number of competition winners.
Dan Jordan, the director of artistic programs who is also concertmaster for the Sarasota Orchestra, said Artist Series will launch a new Sunday Best Series at First Presbyterian Church, a Piano Forte series highlighting rising pianists, and the Next Generation series at State College of Florida and featuring students and alumni from two major U.S. music conservatories. Here is a look at highlights from the different series being presented in the 2023-24 season.
Piano Forte Series
The Piano Forte series is intended to “not just have individual pianists playing by themselves but to have them collaborate with other artists,” Jordan said.
For example, Jonathan Mamora, who won first prize at the Olga Kern International Piano Competition among several other prizes, will present a solo program in the first half of his Jan. 9 concert and then join other musicians for the Trout Piano Quintet. On Oct. 10, Ilya Yakushev will perform Mussorgsky’s ‘PIctures at an Exhibition,” which was originally written for piano, as paintings are exhibited in slides. He will be joined by a string quartet that includes Jordan performing Shostakovich’s Piano Quintet.
Sunday Best Series
Jordan is planning for fun for the Sunday Best Series at First Presbyterian Church in Sarasota.
‘One of the things I’ve learned in Sarasota is that the venues, as tricky as they are, really do matter,” he said. “I think this church is so centrally located, with great parking and wonderful acoustics.”
The series includes The Queen’s Six, which works and lives at Windsor Castle. The vocal sextet performs early chants, bawdy madrigals, folk songs and upbeat jazz and pop arrangements, and will present a holiday program on Dec. 17. The series also will include a March 3 concert by harpist Hannah Cope, who recently left Sarasota Orchestra to become principal harpist for the Metropolitan Opera, and percussionist Marcelina Suchocka (principal percussionist for the Sarasota Orchestra), and the Miro Quartet performing Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 14, Op. 131 on May 5.
Next Generation Series
Another new series is Next Generations, featuring students and alumni from two prestigious U.S. music conservatories. Curtis on Tour 2023-24 String Sextet features three Curtis Institute of Music alumni with three current students performing works by Strauss, Berg and Brahms on March 12. Trio Gaia is the New England Conservatory’s graduate piano trio in residence. The group’s May 14 program features music inspired by folk tunes by Charles Ives and Antonin Dvorak, among others.
Soiree Series
The popular Soiree Series returns to the music room of the Fischer/Weisenborne home for intimate recitals and refreshments. The lineup includes cellist Amit Peled and pianist Solomon Eichner on Oct. 29 and 30; violinist Hina Khuong Huu, first prize winner of the 2023 Elmar Oliveira International Violin competition, performing with pianist Rohan De Silve March 31 and April 1, and violinist Shannon Lee and pianist Ying Li, winners of the Artist Series Concerts 2017 and 2018 international violin and piano competitions April 28 and 29.
Lunch and Listen
At the Sarasota Yacht Club, the Lunch and Listen Series feature an 11 a.m. concert followed by lunch. The program includes pianist Matthew Graybil presented by the Chopin Project on Nov. 2, clarinetist Sang Yoon Kim and oboist Christine Kim on Nov. 30; pianist and soprano Chelsea Guo on Feb. 1; Duo Chinoiserie on March 7 featuring chinese guzheng performer Jing Xia and guitarist Bin Hu, and Australian classical guitarist Rupert Boyd and his wife, American cellist Laura Metcalf.
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Lighter Fare Series
Artist Series also presents several programs at other venues. At Selby Botanical Gardens it will feature “Sunset Serenade” on Nov. 16 with bass baritone Justice Miguel Yates, sopranos Kaylan Hernandez and Grace Lauther with pianist Joseph Holt; Empire Wild (Feb. 21), a genre-breaking trio that won the 2020 Concert Artists Guild Ambassador Prize that fuses pop, folk, jazz and classical into songs and compositions
Dinner programs at the Plantation Golf and Country Club in Venice include bass-baritone Joseph Parrish with pianist Joseph Holt on Oct. 18 and the Cavatina Duo of guitarist Denis Zabagic and flutist Eugenia Moliner on Jan. 17.
‘Caesar’
Artist Series is collaborating with Key Chorale and the Booker High School VPA choir for a special performance of the rock and roll oratorio “Ceasar” Nov. 18 at Church of the Palms. The concert was originally scheduled for last year but was postponed because of Hurricane Ian. It will feature violinists Alexander Markov and his parents Albert and Marina Markov. Jordan said Alexander Markov has taken a slightly different path with his career. “He’s become interested in composition and breaking down barriers of classical music and trying to be more relatable to young people and for people who have other musical interests besides straight classical.” He will perform on his gold electric violin. In the first half, he will join his parents, along with a pianist and a string quartet.
For more information about tickets and discounts: 941-306-1202; artistseriesconcerts.org
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This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Rising stars and contest winners highlight new Artist Series season
