- January 7, 2026
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Reception for Petticoat Painters exhibition
4 p.m. at Sarasota City Hall, 1575 Second St.
Free
Visit SarasotaFL.gov.
The city of Sarasota is refreshing its “Now You See Us, Petticoat Painters 1953-2025” exhibit that began in March 2025 and is inviting the public to come meet seven of the newest members of the Sarasota female artists group that dates back to the 1950s and see a performance by Sarasota Contemporary Dance.
Jazz Thursday at SAM
5:30 p.m. at Sarasota Art Museum, 1001 S. Tamiami Trail
$30
Visit SarasotaArtMuseum.org.
Sarasota pianist Robert Nissim's new project mixes elements of bebop, hard-bop and modal jazz. Joining Nissim in his Post-bop Quintet are such local musicians as Carl Fischer on trumpet, Colin Leonard on saxophones, Cameron Kayne on bass and Paul Gavin on drums. Come greet the new year with a fresh sound and extended hours in the galleries, Bistro and shop.
‘Job’
7:30 p.m. at Urbanite Theatre, 1487 Second St.
$5-$44
Visit UrbaniteTheatre.com.
Newcomers to Florida sometimes think that theater consists of repertory and crowd-pleasing favorites. There’s plenty of that around these parts, but not at Urbanite Theatre, where artistic director and co-founder Summer Dawn Wallace delivers plays that pack a punch in her downtown black box theater. Making its regional premiere is Max Wolf Friedlich’s taut tech thriller, “Job.” Be afraid, be very afraid of what can happen when one of your social media posts goes viral. Runs through Feb. 15.
‘Primary Trust’
7:30 p.m. at FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail
$31-$77
Visit AsoloRep.org.
Asolo Repertory Theatre presents “Primary Trust,” winner of the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Eboni Booth’s play follows a middle-aged man whose quotidian routines are disrupted when he loses his job. The upheaval forces him to explore the possibility of intimacy that he’s previously shunned. Runs through Feb. 11.
‘Three Pianos’
7:30 p.m. at FST’s Gompertz Theatre, 1265 First St.
$18-$42
Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
FST’s winter cabaret show “Three Pianos” is an ode to superstars of the keyboard such as Ray Charles, Elton John and Alicia Keys. These mavericks didn’t tinkle the ivories; they tore up the rulebook. Runs through April 5.
Under the Big Top
7:30 p.m. at Holley Hall, 709 S. Tamiami Trail
$48-$64
Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org.
With its casual Discoveries series, Sarasota Orchestra offers programs that start at 5:30 on Wednesdays and Fridays and don’t have an intermission except on Saturday. With “Under the Big Top,” guest conductor Evan Roider pays tribute to Sarasota’s circus roots with a program that includes feats of musical derring-do from composers such as Copland, Sondheim, Rimsky-Korsakov and more. Runs through Jan. 11.
Winter Art Exhibition
10 a.m. at Art Center Sarasota, 707 N. Tamiami Trail
Free
Visit ArtSarasota.org.
Art Center Sarasota is marking its 100 anniversary and the landscaping around its buildings in The Bay are finished, so there's much to celebrate at this gallery and education center where admission is free and the artworks are for sale. The latest exhibition has four shows: Delsy Rubio, The Collective Lens, Russ Noto and the Juried Show: Paradise, adjudicated by Robyn Hall. Runs through Jan. 10.
Jazz at Two: Eddie Tobin
2 p.m. at Unitarian Universalists of Sarasota, 3975 Fruitville Road
$15-$20
Visit JazzClubSarasota.org.
The new year has barely started but the first week can be hectic after a holiday break. Take time to unwind with some Friday afternoon jazz. This week’s performer at Jazz at 2, sponsored by Jazz Club of Sarasota, is none other than Eddie Tobin, a master of the keyboards who’s been hanging his hat at Euphemia Haye’s Haye Loft again on Longboat Key.
Cabaret with Valerie diLorenzo
4 p.m. at Sarasota Art Museum, 1001 S. Tamiami Trail
$25
Visit OLLIRinglingCollege.org.
You don’t have to be a student at Ringling College’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute to attend this rousing session of Broadway favorites with Valerie diLorenzo, a native New Yorker who has been an award-winning singer and actress for more than 25 years. Go ahead, let Valerie give you the old razzle dazzle. A cash bar will be on the premises if you want to raise a toast to the new year.
Perlman Music Program Celebration Concert
5 p.m. at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave.
$20-$60
Visit PerlmanMusicProgramSuncoast.org.
After moving from the USF Sarasota Manatee Campus to downtown Sarasota locations, the Perlman Music Program Suncoast caps its 2025-26 winter residency with its annual Celebration Concert. It’s not every day that you get to see virtuoso violinist Itzhak Perlman conduct. PMP’s winter residency wraps Jan. 10.
Movie in the Park: 'How to Train Your Dragon'
6-9 p.m. at Waterside Park. 7301 Island Cove Terrace
Free
Visit LakewoodRanch.com.
"How to Train Your Dragon" is the featured attraction at the monthly, outdoor movie series. Showtime is at sunset. The event is sponsored by Grace Community Church, which will provide one free half Philly sandwich or chicken nuggets with a bag of chips from Nas Philly Steaks to the first 100 attendees. Feel free to bring a blanket or lawn chairs. Concessions available from We B’ Poppin Popcorn and Kettle Corn and Inflatables for the kids will be available at 6 p.m.
Renée Fleming
7 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail
$96-$141
Visit VanWezel.org.
If we were playing “Jeopardy!” your clue would be “The first classical artist to sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl.” The answer: Who is Renée Fleming? Best known as a world-famous opera singer, Fleming has performed for royalty and is the winner of five Grammy awards. But she’s also a citizen of the world, with eco-conscious recording projects like “Voice of Nature: The Anthropocene” and her book, "Music and Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness.”
Ten-Minute Play Festival
7:30 p.m. at FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail
$30
Visit TheatreOdyssey.org.
After a motherlode of holiday fare on Sarasota stages, the new year brings a welcome palate cleanser in the form of Theatre Odyssey’s Ten-Minute Play Festival. As attention spans grow shorter, the idea of a ten-minute play is looking more “right-sized” all the time. Each of the original productions from Florida playwrights its fully staged with the help of local directors and actors, many of whom are familiar figures from their appearances on stages in Sarasota, Bradenton and Venice. Runs through Jan. 11.
TV Classics!
7:30 p.m. at Venice Performing Arts Center, 1 Indian Ave. Building 5, Venice
$45-$75
Visit TheVeniceSymphony.org.
Don’t touch that dial! The Venice Symphony, led by maestro Troy Quinn, performs hits from favorite TV shows, including Mervin Griffin’s “Jeopardy Theme” and Danny Elfman’s Main Title from “The Simpsons.” If your pulse quickens when you hear the opening notes of “Hawaii Five-O,” this is the classical concert for you. Runs through Jan. 10.
‘Notes from the Dashboard’
7:30 p.m. at Tree Fort Productions, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail
$40
Visit TreeFortProductionsProjects.com.
With “Notes From the Dashboard,” Tree Fort Productions Projects founder Katherine Michelle Tanner explores a cross-generational friendship between an older man and a younger woman who are in different stages of recovery. Runs through Jan. 25.
Schmaltz & Pepper
8 p.m. at Fogartyville, 525 Kumquat Court
$30
Visit WSLR.org.
How about a little Yiddish music to start off the new year? The boundary-crossing ensemble Schmaltz & Pepper will challenge any stereotypes you have about the genre. The group includes Eric Abromovitz, principal clarinetist of the Toronto Symphony, Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist and arranger Drew Jurecka, Payadora ensemble leader Rebekah Wolkstein, Juno-nominated bassist Michael Herring and Juno award-winning pianist Jeremy Ledbetter.
'Mutts Gone Nuts Unleashed'
1 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail
$26-$56
Visit VanWezel.org.
Feeling the need to break free from the chain? The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall has got you covered with "Mutts Gone Nuts Unleashed. Think of a cross between the Radio City Rockettes and the Westminster Dog Show. This star-studded canine variety show features dogs with pedigrees that include the Guinness World Book of Records and “America’s Got Talent” as well as a bevy of rescue dogs.
Windjammers
1:30 p.m.at Sailor Circus Arena, 2075 Bahia Vista St.
Free
Visit CircusArts.org.
What’s a Windjammer, you might ask? If you’re not a circus person, you might not know that Windjammers Unlimited is the formal name of the Circus Music Historical Society. The Windjammers are holding their annual convention in Venice and will be performing a free concert in Sarasota under the auspices of the Circus Arts Conservatory.
Yiddish Cowboys
3-4:30 p.m. at The Education Center, 567 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key
Members $40; nonmembers $45
Visit TBIEducationCenter.org.
The Yiddish Cowboys kick off this season's Sunday performing arts program. Michael Drapkin, Judi Glover, Joe Porter and Nick Bruno will offer an evening of klezmer music.
New Year, New Tunes
3 p.m. at Northminster Presbyterian Church, 3131 61st St.
$5
Visit SuncoastConcertBand.org.
Kick off 2026 with an afternoon of music by the Suncoast Concert Band. This program will include a mixture of traditional and popular tunes, ranging from “Beautiful Blue Danube” to “Y.M.C.A” that's sure to lift your spirits. Led by Robert Stoll since 2005, the band attracts a faithful following so it’s advisable to reserve a ticket in advance. Please call 941-907-4123 and be sure to dial the right number.
All You Need Is Love
3 p.m. at Riverview Performing Arts Center, 1 Ram Way
$35 and up
Visit ThePopsOrchestra.org.
What if Sergeant Pepper got lost in Sarasota? Find out what would happen when the Grammy-nominated Beatles tribute band Liverpool Legends joins forces with The Pops Orchestra of Bradenton and Sarasota, under the direction of Robyn Bell. Runs through Jan. 12.
Monday Night Jazz: Paul Gavin Quartet
7:30 p.m. at FST’s Court Cabaret, 1265 First St.
$34-$39
Visit JazzClubSarasota.org.
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: What good is sitting alone in your room when you can come to Monday Night Jazz at the Cabaret, hosted by the Jazz Club of Sarasota. This week’s performer is Paul Gavin, a Tampa-based drummer, teacher, composer and arranger who brings his eponymous quartet to Florida Studio Theatre’s Court Cabaret. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for dinner and beverage service.
Explore Bob Dylan ties with Author Sam Sussman
7:30 p.m. at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key
$20
Visit LongboatKeyTemple.org/Sussman.
Sam Sussman, author of "Boy from the North Country," is sharing insights into a book Oprah named among the Best Debut Novels of the Fall. He explores his identity and possible connections to Bob Dylan. Registration includes admission to the talk and a hardcover copy of the book. Sign up by Jan. 8.
The King's Brass Concert
6:30 p.m. at St. Armands Key Lutheran Church, 40 N. Adams Drive, St. Armands Key
Free
Visit SAKLC.com.
All are invited to enjoy a family-friendly concert by The King's Brass, a musical group that formed more than four decades ago in Detroit to blend contemporary and classic tunes.
Blue Man Group
7 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Traill
$76-$106
Visit VanWezel.org.
It all started back in 1987 in New York City’s Lower East Side when a group of friends put together a troupe of silent performers covered in the color — you guessed it — blue — whose members embodied certain archetypes. Today, Blue Man Group is a global phenomenon that has evolved through residencies in Las Vegas, Berlin, Shanghai and Orlando and its affiliation with Cirque du Soleil. Runs through Jan. 14.
Erinys Quartet
7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 1031 S. Euclid Ave.
$50 and up
Visit ArtistSeriesConcerts.org.
Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota presents Erinys Quartet, the Maltzahn String Quartet in Residence at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia for the past two years. The group will present a program that includes music by Schubert, Bartok, and Brahms.
The Marvelous Miraculous Circus Machine
7 p.m. at Sailor Circus Arena, 2075 Bahia Vista St.
$20-$40
Visit CircusArts.org.
There’s a lot of circus-inspired entertainment going on in town this week, but how many shows will leave you smarter than when you arrived? That’s the promise of Circus Arts Conservatory’s youth ensemble, The Marvelous Miraculous Circus Machine, a one-of-a-kind circus that incorporates the principles of science. Come see for yourself!
