• ANNOUNCING: The Hough Family Foundation Masterworks series
• WORLD PREMIERE: Violin Concerto for Concertmaster Jeffrey Multer by Michael Ippolito
• RACHMANINOFF MINI FESTIVAL: Honoring 150th anniversary of his birth
• GREAT MASTERPIECES: Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4, Wagner’s The Ring Without Words
• WIDE VARIETY: Harry Potter vs Star Wars, Abbey Road, Aretha: Queen of Soul
• Season tickets for all series on sale now at FloridaOrchestra.org
ST. PETERSBURG, FL – The Florida Orchestra will launch its 2022-23 Hough Family Foundation Masterworks series in October with the powerful drama of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, conducted by Music Director Michael Francis in venues throughout Tampa Bay, the orchestra announced today. Big moments in TFO’s 55th season include a mini festival of Rachmaninoff’s Second and Third Piano Concertos; a world-premiere Violin Concerto composed by Tampa native Michael Ippolito for TFO Concertmaster Jeffrey Multer; great classics such as Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, “Pastoral,” and Mahler’s Symphony No. 4; and a once-in-a-lifetime performance of Wagner’s The Ring Without Words. TFO’s premier Raymond James Pops series puts the full force of the orchestra behind a wide range of music, from Harry Potter vs Star Wars to Aretha: Queen of Soul and Abbey Road, featuring the Beatles’ iconic album in its entirety. Season tickets for all series are on sale now.
“We can’t think of a more stirring and sensational way to start the season than the extraordinary spectacle that is the iconic Carmina Burana,” said internationally acclaimed Music Director Michael Francis, who will enter his eighth season with TFO. “There’s nothing like the sheer joy of listening together in the concert hall, and this season we’ll bring some of the most spellbinding sonic experiences ever. We’ll give new life to beloved classics, debut inspiring new works and perform a variety of composers that reflect the different cultures and influences that make up our Tampa Bay community. At the heart of it all are the brilliant Florida Orchestra musicians, whom we will feature throughout the season, as well as world-class soloists.”
The Florida Orchestra will start off the new season with a new title sponsor, the Hough Family Foundation, for its premier classical Masterworks series. This continues the Hough family’s philanthropic legacy and solidifies a meaningful partnership that generously supports TFO’s core mission of bringing epic masterpieces that inspire – unite – and educate at the highest levels of excellence under the leadership of Maestro Francis.
The Hough Family Foundation Masterworks series opens Oct. 7-9 with Carmina Burana, which has become an inspirational soundtrack for everything from Tampa Bay Buccaneers games to TV shows and movies such as The Hunt for Red October. Concerts will feature The Master Chorale of Tampa Bay at three major concert halls: Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa, The Duke Energy Center for the Arts/Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg and Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater.
More Masterworks highlights include Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 (Jan. 28 & 29, 2023), the work that has started many a love affair with the composer; Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring (Oct. 21-23), the only orchestra work to spark a riot in its debut in 1913, paired with Tchaikovsky’s sweeping Swan Lake; Mendelssohn’s Elijah (May 5-7, 2023), a glorious oratorio that TFO last performed in 2010; and the orchestra’s first-ever performance of Wagner’s The Ring Without Words (May 20 & 21, 2023). Wagner’s Ring cycle of operas typically takes about 15 hours to perform over several days, but this version is an ingenious synthesis of all the greatest music – including Ride of the Valkyries – into an orchestral tour de force lasting just over an hour. TFO will provide the narrative onscreen so the audience can follow along with the epic saga.
One of the most anticipated moments of the season will be the world premiere of Michael Ippolito’s Violin Concerto (Dec. 2-4), written specifically for TFO Concertmaster Jeffrey Multer. The concerto continues TFO’s close collaboration with Ippolito, a much sought-after composer who was inspired by The Florida Orchestra as he grew up in Tampa. He also composed Triptych, a major work commemorating TFO’s 50th anniversary in the 2017-18 season. It debuted to rave reviews. “As TFO continues our commitment to music as a living art form, we’re excited to give life to this violin concerto, which will feel home-grown in Tampa Bay,” Maestro Francis said.
In February 2023, TFO will perform a mini Rachmaninoff festival to honor the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth and explore his life and music. On back-to-back weekends, world-renowned pianist Joyce Yang will return to TFO for Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Second and Third Piano Concertos. “There’s something about Rachmaninoff’s expressivity that taps into all of us. His piano concertos are some of the most jaw-dropping feats of human achievement, but to be truly captivated, you must see them performed LIVE,” Maestro Francis said.
Throughout the season, TFO will perform a variety of music that reflects the different cultures, backgrounds and influences that make up our community. In November, TFO celebrates the power of women with Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade and Clara Schumann’s Piano Concerto featuring Alexandra Dariescu, all led by guest conductor JoAnn Falletta, music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, a multiple Grammy winner and a pioneer for women in conducting. A wide range of composers includes Michael Abels’ Delights and Dances (Oct. 21-23), Grace Williams’ Elegy (Dec. 2-4); Jessie Montgomery’s Records from a Vanishing City (Jan. 21 & 22, 2023); and Joseph Bologne’s Symphony No. 2 (April 1 & 2, 2023).
TFO starts off 2023 with a slate of American music featuring a rare Tuba Concerto, by jazz legend Wynton Marsalis. The playful work with a “great sense of humor” features TFO’s Principal Tuba TJ Graf and is framed by George Gershwin’s An American in Paris and Duke Ellington’s Black, Brown and Beige Suite (Jan. 6-8, 2023).
TFO’s Associate Concertmaster Nancy Chang will be featured in Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3, on the same program as Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, “Pastoral” (Jan. 21 & 22, 2023). The Masterworks series will bring back some of the most sought-after soloists from around the world to Tampa Bay stages, including Stefan Jackiw for Brahms’ Violin Concerto, led by guest conductor Joshua Weilerstein (Nov. 12 & 13); TFO favorite Maximilian Hornung for Elgar’s hauntingly beautiful Cello Concerto (Jan. 28 & 29, 2023); and Dejan Lazic for Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 (May 20 & 21, 2023). For the first time, celebrated baritone Donnie Ray Albert will join TFO for the title voice in Mendelssohn’s Elijah (May 5-7, 2023).
All Hough Family Foundation Masterworks concerts include popular Pre-concert Conversations, which take a deep dive into the stories behind the music with guest artists and conductors, starting one hour before the performance. Sponsored by Smith & Associates Real Estate.
TFO’S PREMIER RAYMOND JAMES POPS SERIES showcases a variety of Broadway, movie and popular music as only a world-class orchestra can. It opens with Hollywood Sings (Oct. 14 & 15) with movie music from Frozen, The Wizard of Oz, La La Land and more, and pits the Wizarding World against The Empire in Harry Potter vs Star Wars (March 18 & 19, 2023), with music by John Williams, Patrick Doyle and more.
“Our Pops series brings fun, familiar music that’s also the heart and soul of our favorite movies and beyond. This music transports us to a special time and place in our lives like nothing else can. Listening to it LIVE with the power of The Florida Orchestra makes all the difference,” said TFO President & CEO Mark Cantrell.
In Jeans ‘n Classics Presents Abbey Road (Feb. 4), TFO will perform the famed Beatles’ album in its entirety, featuring Come Together, Here Comes the Sun and more. It will be conducted by TFO’s new Assistant Conductor Chelsea Gallo. All hail Aretha: Queen of Soul (Jan. 13 & 14, 2023) in a tribute to Aretha Franklin, featuring the powerhouse voice of Capathia Jenkins for Chain of Fools, Respect and more. In Sinatra and Beyond (April 28-30), Tony DeSare delivers a critically acclaimed tribute to Ol’ Blue Eyes with songs such as Come Fly with Me and My Way.
The series brings the Magic of Rodgers and Hammerstein (Oct. 29), with an enchanted evening of showstoppers from Oklahoma!, South Pacific and The Sound of Music. Wild West (April 15 & 16, 2023) captures the spirit of the West with trailblazing music from TV and movies, presented in partnership with The James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art. TFO’s most popular concert of the year, Holiday Pops (Dec. 9-11), continues a very merry family tradition with holiday favorites with two matinees.
THE LIGHT FAVORITES MORNING COFFEE SERIES, led by Principal Guest Conductor Stuart Malina, includes Poetry in Music (Oct. 27) with lyrical works by Debussy, William Grant Still and more; Best of Ballet (Dec. 15), which includes Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker; Arabian Fantasy (Nov. 17); Spring in Paris (April 12 & 13, 2023); and Divine Inspiration (March 15 & 16, 2023). The nine-concert series at the Mahaffey Theater and five-concert series at Ruth Eckerd Hall come with a dollop of humor and a Pre-Concert Conversation, starting one hour before the performance.
SEASON TICKETS FOR ALL SERIES ON SALE NOW. Florida Orchestra 2022-23 season packages of varying sizes are on sale now at FloridaOrchestra.org. Premium curated packages are offered for the classical Hough Family Foundation Masterworks, Raymond James Pops, and Morning Coffee series, and are the best value: Season subscribers save $5 per ticket, per concert over single-ticket prices. Subscribers receive more great benefits including priority seating, single ticket discounts, bonus concerts, and free flexible ticket exchanges. For more information, email the Ticket Center at ticketcenter@floridaorchestra.org or call 727.892.3337 or 800.662.7286. The Ticket Center is open 9 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday, and 10 am to 2 pm on Saturday (Saturday hours by phone and email only). Single tickets go on sale in August.
COMPOSE YOUR OWN SERIES. Our most flexible and affordable series. Mix and match at least four Masterworks and Pops concerts for $40 a ticket, all fees included. Seat assignments are on a first-come, first-served basis. Premium curated package benefits do not apply. Go to ComposeYourOwn.com to subscribe.
Find a listing of all concerts at FloridaOrchestra.org