Catch free summer concert nights on St. Armands Key

By Dana Kampa
| 5:00 a.m. August 16, 2025

The Klassika Ensemble is scheduled to perform at 7 p.m. on Aug. 19 at St. Armands Key Lutheran Church as part of the free Midsummer Concert Series. Members include Chris Romeo, Stephanie McCranie, Jolanda Nel and Derek Roura.

Longboat Key
Neighbors

Endeavoring to bring more activity to businesses on the circle and provide enlightening entertainment for year-round residents, St. Armands Key Lutheran Church is bringing back its free midsummer concert series.

Minister of Music and Director of Operations Michael Bodnyk said feedback on the first two parts of the four-concert series has been outstanding.

He said church members were inspired to launch the series last summer.

"The idea behind it was that so many of Sarasota's performing arts organizations go on a brief hiatus over the summer, but we have more and more people here visiting or as full-time residents," he said. "We thought we'd give some programs a try and see if we can bring some people out."

Jessé Martins, a classic conductor, pianist and voice coach, introduces his counterpart for the evening, clarinetist Yurii Padkovskyi.

While jazz was the flavor of last year's shows, this year's series focuses on classical music with a twist.

The first two shows in the series featured The Classern String Quartet playing songs by The Beatles and brothers Yurii and Andrii Padkovskyi. Yurii plays the clarinet while Andrii plays the violin, and they both moved to Florida from Lviv, Ukraine, to pursue their passion.

"They're already playing around the world and with several ensembles in Sarasota," Bodnyk said.

In light of the community's ongoing effort to rebuild from last year's hurricanes, especially on St. Armands Circle, Bodnyk said the church is glad to play a part in boosting activity for neighboring businesses.

"This year, after all the hurricane damage, the hope is that we can encourage people to come visit the Circle and patronize the shops and restaurants before and after the concert," he added. "Hopefully, we can help the Circle rebuild a bit."

Upcoming shows

Performing at 7 p.m. Aug. 19 is the Klassika ensemble.

The group of classically trained musicians and singers explore the pop music genre with their talents.

Their repertoire includes "You Raise Me Up," "My Heart Will Go On" and more.

Then at 7 p.m. Aug. 27, the Sarasota Piano Trio rounds out the concert series with their "(Un)Known" performance.

Pianist Jesse Martins, violinist Milene Moreira and cellist Nadine Trudel make up the trio of classically trained musicians. All three were colleagues at the Sarasota Opera, performing for the youth arm of the institution.

For the St. Armands performance, they plan to feature works by Franz Schubert, Edvard Grieg, Paul Juon and Walter Rabl.

Bodnyk said they bring some woefully underappreciated pieces of classic music to the stage with an unforgettable flair.

Admission is free, and seating is open. Visit SAKLC.com for more.

Correction: This article has been updated to correct the date of Klassika ensemble.

author

Dana Kampa

Dana Kampa is the Longboat Key neighbors reporter for the Observer. She first ventured into journalism in her home state of Wisconsin, going on to report community stories everywhere from the snowy mountains of Washington State to the sunny shores of the Caribbean. She has been a writer and photographer for more than a decade, covering what matters most to readers.