- April 17, 2024
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‘An American in Paris’
7:30 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 7777 N. Tamiami Trail
$77-$107
Visit VanWezel.org.
Sacre bleu! "An American in Paris" brings you along on a ride to post-war France, where you'll hear classic Gershwin tunes and watch as the world re-discovers the majesty of dance and the power of love. The play won four Tony Awards in 2015 during its run on Broadway, and it was inspired by the Academy Award-winning film released in 1951.
Masterworks 4: Beethoven and Tchaikovsky
8 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 7777 N. Tamiami Trail
$35-$98
Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org.
Guest conductor Yaniv Dinur will lead the Sarasota Orchestra through a number of challenging Masterworks. First comes Gabriella Smith's "Field Guide," which samples sounds and rhythms from the natural world. Then comes Grammy Award-winning violinist Augustin Hadelich, who will play through Beethoven's complicated Violin Concerto. The program will wrap up with a performance of Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4, which was completed in 1878. The Masterworks event will also have a Saturday showing at 8 p.m. and a Sunday matinee finale scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
Music on Main
6-9 p.m. on Lakewood Main Street
Free
Visit LakewoodRanch.com.
Get your Lakewood Ranch groove on. The community's monthly block party will feature Goodbyeddie playing some popular hits, and the event will benefit The Players Centre for Performing Arts. The Lakewood Ranch Main Street will be lined with food vendors and beer trucks, and there will be rides and activities for children.
Bobby Collins
6:30 and 8:50 p.m. at McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre, 1923 Ringling Blvd.
$31
Visit McCurdysComedy.com.
Bobby Collins has worked his way up from the most humble comedy clubs to sold out venues across the country. Collins, a former sales executive in the fashion industry, has parlayed his sharp insights into a brand new career. Watch as Collins uses physical comedy and keen timing and observations to explore the foibles of the human condition. Collins will play two shows Friday night and two shows Saturday night for the McCurdy comedy crowd.
First Friday Sip & Shop
5-8 p.m. at Downtown Sarasota
Free
Visit DestinationDowntownSarasota.com.
Destination Downtown Sarasota presents the February edition of the First Friday Sip & Shop, which will give visitors a chance to shop and sample some refreshments. Local businesses will stay open later than usual to entertain the crowds, who will be treated to live music and live circus performers.
'A Night at the Oscars’
7:30 p.m. at Venice Performing Arts Center, 1 Indian Ave., Building 5, Venice
$31-$56
Visit TheVeniceSymphony.org.
Walk the red carpet and savor your own Oscar experience. The Venice Symphony will play alongside world famous pipe player Eric Rigler, who will reprise some of the tracks from famous movies that put him on the global map. Rigler will play signature tunes you may have heard from Oscar-nominated movies like "Braveheart" and "Titanic," and the Symphony will perform tracks from several other beloved classics.
DON'T MISS
'Duality'
Mara Torres Gonzalez invites you to gaze upon her work and take in the full measure of her achievements. "Duality" will feature large scale and mixed media works, and the exhibit will open with a 90-minute reception featuring pianist Alan Wasserman.
Gonzalez opened her gallery in the Rosemary District in 2020, and her mission is not just to display her own art but also that of several regional artists from the Sarasota community and beyond.
The "Duality" exhibit will run through March 25.
When: 5:30-7 p.m., Feb. 4
Where: MARA Studio Gallery, 1421 Fifth St., Suite A
Tickets: Free
Info: MARAStudioGallery.com
Longboat Key Festival of the Arts
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Longboat Key Town Center Green, 600 Bay Isles Road
Free
Visit: ArtFestival.com.
The busiest place on Longboat Key will play host to an outdoor art festival this weekend. Come walk around the newly developed town center green and pick up some art for your home or office. The festival will also run on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
‘Love Is In The Air’
7 p.m. at SCF’s Neel Performing Arts Center, 5840 26th St. W., Bradenton
Free
Visit ManateeConcertBand.org.
February is kicking off and Valentine's Day isn't too far away. Come join the Manatee Concert Band for a free show as it features some of the greatest love songs ever composed. Zarita Mattox will lend her lovely voice to the band's swinging tunes.
Rene Izquierdo, classical guitarist, Cuba
7:30 p.m. at Riverview Performing Arts Center, 1 Ram Way
$35-$39
Visit: GuitarSarasota.org.
The second act of Guitar Sarasota's International Artists Series in 2022 brings Cuban guitarist Rene Izquierdo to town. Izquierdo, a graduate of the Yale University School of Music, is a professor of classical guitar at Wisconsin State University, and he's won a number of international guitar competitions.
Giving Hunger the Blues
Noon at Nathan Benderson Park, 5851 Nathan Benderson Circle
$15-$100
Visit JazzClubSarasota.org.
It's a charity event and also a rocking good time. The Jazz Club of Sarasota is hosting its annual Giving Hunger the Blues event, bringing a number of talented performers to Nathan Benderson Park. Headliners Selwyn Birchwood and Albert Castiglia will take the stage, and so will Ariella, Big Night Out, Bird Tribe, Fogt's All Stars, the Jeremy Carter Quartet, Frankie Pineiro and the Cole Hazlitt Quintet. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Mayor's Feed the Hungry program, which has collected and distributed over 600 tons of food and over $4 million in food gift cards since its origin in 1987.
‘One for the Ladies’
3 p.m. at Northminster Presbyterian Church, 3131 61st St.
$5
Visit: SunCoastConcertBand.org.
It's Ladies Night with the Suncoast Concert Band. Come join in as the community band serenades the better half of society with a command performance at the Northminster Presbyterian Church.
Harpsichord Dedication Concert: Mark Kroll and Carol Lieberman
5 p.m. at Church of the Redeemer, 222 S. Palm Ave.
$25
Visit RedeemerSarasota.org.
Where else can you hear the Bach Sonatas played this weekend? Mark Kroll and Carol Lieberman will pair to play the Bach Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord on Sunday as part of the Church of the Redeemer's Great Music Series.
'Proper Pronouns'
7 p.m. at Sainer Auditorium, 5313 Bayshore Road
$10
Visit WSLR.org/Fogartyville.
This is a perfect event for he, she and them. There are 30 transgender ordained ministers in the United States, and six of them are in North Carolina. "Proper Pronouns" peeks inside the lives of a few of those ministers and reports on the sometimes arduous journey they take through living their lives in public. The film screening will be paired with a question-and-answer session with a panel featuring Meg Daniels, the film's director. Proceeds from the event will benefit ALSO Youth.
Gayle Martin, piano
10:30 a.m. at Selby Library, 1331 First St.
Free, advance registration required
Visit SarasotaMusicArchive.org.
She's graced some of the biggest stages in the world. And now she's coming to Sarasota. Gayle Martin earned international prominence at the International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow, and she's performed at both Lincoln Center in Manhattan and the White House. Martin has toured extensively throughout North America, and she's played on stages in Europe and Asia. Martin will be playing selections from Beethoven and Chopin.
OUR PICK
Great Escapes 4: ‘Be Mine’
It's an early Valentine's celebration with the Sarasota Orchestra.
Bring your loved ones and settle in for some of the most familiar romantic themes in popular entertainment.
The orchestra, guest conducted by Sarah Hicks, will play selections from "Gone With the Wind," "Cinema Paradiso," "Superman" and more. Hicks, who grew up in Hawaii, leads the Minnesota Orchestra's "Live at Orchestra Hall" series and she is also a staff conductor at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.
The "Be Mine" program will also be shown on Thursday (7:30 p.m.), Friday (5:30 p.m.), Saturday (8 p.m.) and Sunday (4 p.m.)
When: 5:30 p.m., Feb. 9
Where: Holley Hall, 709 N. Tamiami Trail
Tickets: $42-$65
Info SarasotaOrchestra.org.
Dinner Series: Rick Costa Jazz Quartet
6 p.m. at Plantation Golf & Country Club, 500 Rockley Blvd., Venice
$58
Visit ArtistSeriesConcerts.org.
It's a fine dining and fine music experience headlined by percussionist Rick Costa and his expert supporting artists. Costa is supported by vocalist and keyboard player Liston Gregory III, trumpet player Camilo Molina and bassist Michael Ross. And what's on the menu? Salad, shrimp, potatoes and cheesecake.
‘The Great Leap’
8 p.m. at Asolo Repertory Theatre, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail
$26-$90
Visit AsoloRep.org.
Lauren Yee wrote this play, and Vanessa Stalling directs the tale about family and history that straddles a timeline in 1971 and another in 1989. The story is about an Asian-American basketball player who wins the opportunity to play in an exhibition game in China, and it follows past and present relationships all the way to the final buzzer. Runs through April 2.
