ST. PETERSBURG, FL – Legendary violin superstar Itzhak Perlman will perform with The Florida Orchestra for its 55th Celebration concert on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, at 8 pm at the Mahaffey Theater, conducted by TFO Music Director Michael Francis, the orchestra announced today. The benefit concert launches the 2022-23 season and supports TFO’s music and education programs.
Undeniably the reigning virtuoso of the violin, Perlman enjoys superstar status rarely afforded a classical musician. He will join the orchestra for its 55th season opener to perform some of his favorite movie music, including the Theme from Schindler’s List – which he performed in the Academy Award-winning film – along with As Time Goes By from Casablanca, the love theme from Cinema Paradiso and more.
Beloved for his charm and humanity as well as his talent, Perlman has received 16 Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Kennedy Center Honor, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and a Genesis Prize. Perlman has received multiple distinctions from U.S. presidents, including a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, in 2015. For more about Perlman, click here.
Concert tickets go on sale exclusively to Florida Orchestra subscribers and top donors on Monday, Aug. 8, 2022, at 10 am, and to the general public on Monday, Aug. 15, at 10 am. Concert tickets are $75, $125, $175 and $225. Limited individual VIP tickets will be available for $550. All tickets will be available at FloridaOrchestra.org; 727.892.3337 or 1.800.662.7286; and the TFO Ticket Center.
VIP individual and select sponsorships are limited availability, and include premium concert seating, a pre-concert reception with bar and hors d’oeuvres at the Duke Energy Center for the Arts — Mahaffey Theater overlooking the St. Petersburg waterfront. Sponsorships of featured guest artist, conductor, concertmaster and concert program music selections include other benefits. For information, please contact TFO Chief Development Officer Susana Weymouth at (727) 362-5430 or sweymouth@floridaorchestra.org
The Florida Orchestra’s 55th Celebration Featuring Itzhak Perlman is the premier fundraising event of the 2022-23 season for the state’s largest professional orchestra, and the only arts organization that bridges Tampa Bay. Non-profit TFO exists to INSPIRE – UNITE – EDUCATE as we build community through the power of music. The benefit concert supports TFO’s high standard of artistic excellence on stage as well as robust education and community programs all year long, including free TFO Strings for Kids violin classes, Youth Concerts and more. The event’s honorary co-chairs are Montserrat and Emmanuel Cerf.
The following weekend, Oct. 7-9, Maestro Francis will debut the Hough Family Foundation Masterworks series with the iconic Carmina Burana, kicking off the classical series that ranges from Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 to Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 and much more. The Raymond James Pops series includes blockbusters such as Harry Potter vs Star Wars and the Beatles’ iconic Abbey Road album. TFO will perform more than 100 concerts this season in venues throughout Tampa Bay. Single tickets go sale to the public Aug. 15; season tickets are available now. Details at FloridaOrchestra.org.
About Michael Francis
Entering his eighth season as music director of The Florida Orchestra, Michael Francis has raised artistic excellence to new heights, strengthened the audience’s connection to the music and reinvigorated TFO’s community and education programs. The internationally acclaimed conductor also is music director of the Mainly Mozart Festival in San Diego and principal conductor of Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz in Germany.
About The Florida Orchestra
The Florida Orchestra (TFO) is recognized as Tampa Bay’s leading performing arts institution, the largest professional orchestra in Florida, and one of the most vibrant and innovative orchestras in America. It celebrates its 55th season in 2022-23. Under the leadership of Music Director Michael Francis, TFO performs series of classical, popular, and morning coffee concerts in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater, as well as free Pops in the Park concerts. The orchestra is dedicated to connecting to the community both in-person and virtually, with family and youth concerts and other educational programs. For tickets and information: FloridaOrchestra.org. The Florida Orchestra is a non-profit 501(c)3 EIN: 59-1223691 CH#1830. To learn more how you can support the power of music in building community, contact: sweymouth@floridaorchestra.org To donate now: FloridaOrchestra.org/donate
Covid-19 Warning
An inherent risk of exposure to the novel coronavirus/Covid-19 exists in any public place where people are present. Covid-19 is a highly contagious disease that may result in personal injury, severe illness and death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, senior citizens and persons with underlying medical conditions are especially vulnerable. Please visit the CDC’s website for its current guidance on people at increased risk for severe illness and other people who should take extra precautions. By attending a performance of The Florida Orchestra, you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to Covid-19. Please help keep each other safe.