The classical calendar winds down with festive fare including holiday pops concerts and performances of seasonal works of Bach, Handel and others, plus other highlights such as a fetching chamber series marking its latest debut. The first of five concerts in the wonderful Palladium Chamber Series is set for Wednesday, Dec. 9. Like all the…
The Florida Orchestra has released the lion’s share of its 2026-’27 season program, and its Masterworks series — always the red meat of what’s on offer — focuses heavily on American composers, honoring the nation’s 250th anniversary. Those include Bernstein’s captivating “Age of Anxiety,” led by legendary U.S. conductor Leonard Slatkin on April 2 &…
As The Florida Orchestra winds down another successful Masterworks season and our thoughts turn to outdoor diversions, I thought I’d shift the classical spotlight to some lighter fare, including a pair of free concerts set for open-air venues. The Florida Orchestra, under resident conductor Chelsea Gallo, will present its latest Raymond James Pops in the…
The arrival of fall means the onset of a whole slew of new musical seasons — though if you’re as obsessive as me you’ve been scrolling through the new concert schedules for a couple months by now. But no need to worry if you haven’t yet jumped on a season subscription. The windows for individual…
Look up raconteur in the dictionary, and you just may find a picture of Michael Francis staring at you. Francis, music director of The Florida Orchestra, is a charming Englishman whose posh accent only serves to highlight a playful public-speaking style when holding forth on an evening’s music program or other musical matters. His enthusiasm…
As Larry David might say, The Florida Orchestra is pretty, pretty, pretty good. If that sounds like damning with faint praise, let me quickly make amends: TFO – its acronymic branding — is arguably the top symphony orchestra in Florida and one of the leading regional ensembles in the Southeast. Certainly, its $14 million annual…