Sarasota Orchestra — Attraction in Sarasota

Recently, I had the pleasure of attending a recital at the Sarasota Orchestra in support of a young friend. What I did not anticipate was the remarkable level of talent displayed by so many of the young performers—some of whom could easily be described as prodigies.

Yes, as with any live performance, there were occasional off notes or slightly uneven moments, but these were far outweighed by the sheer brilliance and passion of the musicians. One particularly memorable moment came from a young pianist whose feet barely touched the floor. Without any sheet music—accompanied only by a small stuffed bunny—she performed a beautiful piece entirely from memory with grace and confidence that was nothing short of inspiring.

Another highlight was a heartfelt duet between my young friend and his mother, who performed together on piano and flute. Their performance was not only musically impressive but emotionally moving as well.

The venue itself was welcoming, with comfortable seating and a perfectly balanced temperature that made the experience all the more enjoyable.

Sarasota is truly fortunate to be home to such an extraordinary group of young musicians. I wholeheartedly encourage others to attend these recitals—you may come to support a friend, but you’ll leave in awe of the future of...

This review is for Holley Hall at 709 N Tamiami Trl., for William Yang’s recital who had just won the Chopin competition in Miami last month.

The four stars is for efforts, that a small town of 57,000 residents, supports an orchestra, opera and ballet.

The venue is decent. General seating. The staff said it has 400 seats. They can’t scan our digital tickets - perhaps due to the fact this event is presented by the Polish-American Association. Two episodes stood out: an elderly lady climbed up to the stage to take self and autograph; the two chairwomen presented the pianist, flowers, lumpy red bag and inside the bag is a white t shirt, that she tried to size it up on him. Pretty funny.

Parking is easy.

The touchiness faucet in the bathroom dispenses pretty hot water.

Next month will go to Hilary Hahn’s concert in Van Wezel, which is...

The orchestra at Holley Hall was great. I took in a Holiday music concert. The conductor was fun and they took COVID precautions seriously. Everyone had to wear a mask and show proof of vaccinations with picture ID. That said, many people we’re carrying in their own cushions and I soon found out why. The chairs were horribly uncomfortable and stacked right next to each other making it uncomfortably close to your neighbors. I couldn’t help but fidget through the concert. But again the...