Sarasota Concert Association presents
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
with Pinchas Zukerman
January 11 at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
The acclaimed orchestra returns to Sarasota under the baton of Pinchas Zukerman with a program that includes works by Carl Maria von Weber, Beethoven and Dvořák.
“Youth sticks with some people. Zukerman seems the forever young virtuoso: expressively resourceful, infectiously musical, technically impeccable, effortless. As usual, it was a joy to be in his musical company.”–Los Angeles Times
“Forget the circus, I want to run away with the Royal Philharmonic! Having heard this esteemed ensemble in live performance at least three times in my life, this marks the second time I’ve been sent into an ecstatic state by this orchestra. Seriously, when an orchestra as technically skilled as this plays with such unison and musical purpose it can seemingly do anything.”
—Gayle Williams, Sarasota Herald Tribune
(Sarasota, Florida) The Sarasota Concert Association (SCA) opens its 73rd season with the return of the renowned Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with Pinchas Zukerman, conductor and soloist, on Thursday, January 11, 7:30 p.m. The evening’s program will open with Carl Maria von Weber’s mystical “Overture to Der Freischütz,” followed by Beethoven’s “Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61,” and will conclude with Dvořák’s stirring “Symphony No. 7 in D Minor, Op. 70.” The concert, part of SCA’s “Great Performers Series,” is at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail, in Sarasota. Individual tickets are $30, $50, $70, $100 and $120. Subscriptions for all five Great Performers Series concerts are $130, $200, $275, $355 and $420. Mini subscriptions are also available. Tickets and information for the Great Performers Series are available by calling 941-225-6500 or online at www.scasarasota.org.
Founded in 1946 by Sir Thomas Beecham, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) has enjoyed over seven decades of success worldwide, giving first-class performances of a wide range of musical repertoire with artists of the highest caliber. The RPO has also always prided itself on its distinguished conductors, including Pinchas Zukerman, now in his ninth season as principal guest conductor. A renowned violinist, violist, conductor, and teacher, Zukerman is hailed as a phenomenon of the music world. As the San Francisco Chronicle puts it: “There’s no denying Zukerman’s legitimate claim as a triple threat. His violin playing is bright and sinuous, his viola playing is rich and soulful, and he conducts with an abundance of spirit.”
Born in Tel Aviv in 1948, Zukerman came to the United States in 1962 where he studied at The Juilliard School. He has been awarded the Medal of Arts, the Isaac Stern Award for Artistic Excellence and was appointed as the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative’s first instrumentalist mentor in the music discipline. Over the years, Zukerman has become as equally regarded a conductor as he is an instrumentalist, leading many of the world’s top ensembles in a wide variety of the orchestral repertoire’s most demanding works.
“Local critics and audiences raved about the Royal Philharmonic and Mr. Zukerman when they performed for us in 2015 and we felt it was the perfect way to launch our 73rd season,” says Joy McIntyre, SCA’s board president. “The Royal Philharmonic continues to be at the forefront of exquisite music-making. We’re delighted to welcome them back to Sarasota.”
Sarasota Concert Association’s 2018 Great Performers Series at the Van Wezel continues with the return of the Cleveland Orchestra, long considered to be one of America’s greatest orchestras, under the baton of Franz Welser-Möst (January 29, 2018); violinist Gil Shaham, hailed by the New York Times as “one of today’s preeminent violinists,” performing with pianist Akira Eguchi (February 21, 2018); the historic and illustrious Staatskapelle Weimar, conducted by Kirill Karabits, with Catherine Foster, soprano, and Vadym Kholodenko, piano (February 26, 2018); the Takács Quartet, hailed by the Chicago Classical Review as “a world-class ensemble at the height of its powers,” (March 16, 2018. Please note: This concert is at the Riverview Performing Arts Center); and the return of acclaimed pianist Emanuel Ax, renowned for his performances with major symphony orchestras throughout the world, as well as for his chamber music collaborations with Isaac Stern, Young Uck Kim and his longtime friend Yo-Yo Ma (April 3, 2018).
Five of the Great Performers Series concerts are at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 North Tamiami Trail in Sarasota. The March 16th concert is at the Riverview Performing Arts Center, 1 Ram Way in Sarasota. Subscriptions for all six concerts are $130, $200, $275, $355, and $420. Mini subscriptions are also available. For subscriptions and single tickets, call 941-225-6500 or visit www.scasarasota.org.
About the Sarasota Concert Association
The Sarasota Concert Association (SCA) is a nonprofit organization that fosters greater appreciation for world-class classical music by offering the community two engaging programs from December to April. The Great Performers Series, in its 73rd season, brings world-renowned orchestras and chamber groups to the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall and the Riverview Performing Arts Center. The Music Matinee Series features outstanding regional artists in free community concerts at Beatrice Friedman Symphony Hall and other venues. For more information about SCA, visit www.scasarasota.org.
