Artist Series Concerts expands variety for 2022-23 season
In his first year as director of artist programs for Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota, Daniel Jordan knew he had a learning curve and a need to ensure that a well-run organization kept on going.
“How do I take the good things that the organization has done for 25 years and put my stamp on it?” Jordan said in a Zoom interview from Santa Fe, where he performs in the orchestra for the Santa Fe Opera each summer.
He came with a different background than his predecessors, founder Lee Daugherty Ross and Joseph Holt, both pianists.
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“I come from strings and chamber music and orchestra and more of an instrumental background,” said Jordan, who also serves as concertmaster of the Sarasota Orchestra. “For me, it was trying to blend in. I didn’t need to throw everything out and start over.”
What he developed was 25 concert programs, divided into five distinct series, that he hopes “will provide a lot of variety.” The organization has dubbed the new season “Ever Onward.” It runs Oct. 2-May 14.
“The mission of the Artist Series is rising stars, promoting the next generation of talent. I believe in that, but I still don’t want it to be a season that only incorporates 18-24-year-olds. We want it to be something for everything, but still with a focus,” he said. “It’s like finding a great recipe and putting it all together.”
The organization also will perform in eight different venues during the season.
Virtuoso Violin Series
The Virtuoso Violin Series will open Oct. 2 at the Sarasota Opera House with the Magnificent Markovs – featuring Alexander, Albert and Marina Markov – who are billed as the “first family of the violin.” It will feature Alexander Markov performing his original composition “Caesar” on his gold electric violin. The musicians will be joined by Key Chorale and the Booker High School VPA Chori.
The series also includes a joint performance between violinists Blake Pouliot and Simone Porter on Dec. 6 in “Double Feature,” joined by pianist Hsin-I Huang.
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Jordan said he is excited about the possibilities of the May 9 “Vivaldi and Mendelssohn” program that will feature four young concertmasters from the Kansas City Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Orlando Philharmonic and the Naples Philharmonic. Each violinist will play one part of Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” and they will join together for Mendelssohn’s “String Octet.”
“I’m excited to have all these amazing artists who are leaders in their communities come together for a collaborative evening.”
Tuesdays at the Historic Asolo
He describes Tuesdays at the Historic Asolo as “Our most adventurous series, with some genre crossover,” including the popular ensemble Sybarite5, returning to Sarasota for the first time in three years. “They’ve been breaking boundaries wherever they’ve gone but playing an accessible kind of music and they don’t want to be categorized,” Jordan said.
Another program in the series features The 442s, representing three members of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and two St. Louis jazz musicians. The group’s name is a reference to the modern standard for acoustic tuning of an orchestra.
Lunch and Listen
For those who want some food and drink with their music, the Artist Series offers “Lunch and Listen,” which moves this year to the Sarasota Yacht Club (while the Bird Key Yacht Club undergoes renovations). It opens Oct. 27 with Young Concert Artists International winner Anthony Trionfo on flute, joined by another prize-winning young musician, pianist Albert Cano Smit. Other programs include accordionist Hanzhi Wang, the Vision Duo (a combination of violin and marimba) and Canadian cellist Cameron Crozeman.
Lighter Fare and salons
The guitarist JIJI will perform April 20 as part of the Lighter Fare series, which also includes Sarasota Orchestra principal bass John Miller joined by bass player Michael Ross exploring some jazz, and singer and actress Maria Wirries returning home for an On Broadway concert with her long-time voice coach and accompanist Alan Corey. That program on Feb. 23 will be at Selby Gardens outdoors.
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And the Artist Series will once again return for several programs at the Fischer-Weisenborne for an assortment of salon-style concerts. One will feature tenor John Kaneklides accompanied by Joseph Holt, Sarasota clarinetist Daniel Solowey will be joined by pianist Milana Strezeva and Santa Fe Opera’s concertmaster Steven Moeckel will join with pianist Joanna Goldstein.
The Artist Series also is joining the Sarasota Ballet for two programs during the season. The performances from Oct. 21-23 will pair chamber music with three world premiers. And then in the spring, musicians will join dancers from the Sarasota Ballet Studio Company.
Subscriptions and single tickets are available at 941-306-1202; artistseriesconcerts.org
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This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Artist Series Concerts Sarasota expands its variety for 2022-23 season
