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ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

SARASOTA ORCHESTRA TURNS

As it celebrates a big birthday, the orchestra continues to search for a new music director and plans for a state-of-the-art music center.

MONICA ROMAN GAGNIER ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

hether they are measured by the season or the year, Sarasota’s cultural institutions have been celebrating some landmark anniversaries lately. Florida Studio Theatre and Marie Selby Botanical Gardens are marking their 50th birthdays, and Florida State University/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training recently turned 65 in its Sarasota incarnation.The Sarasota Players holds the distinction of being the area’s oldest performing arts institution, having been founded in 1929. But not far behind is the Sarasota Orchestra, which turns 75 this month. Founded in 1949, the orchestra has bragging rights to being the oldest continuing orchestra in Florida.

But it’s not just longevity that makes the orchestra unique in Sarasota. It is without a doubt the single cultural group that reaches the most people in the community.

In making that sweeping statement, we’ll ignore the circus magnate John Ringling and his legacy of the Ringling Bros.

SEE ORCHESTRA, PAGE 2 75

9,000 students attend the Young Person’s Concerts each year

275 students in Sarasota Youth Orchestras

100 classical, pops and chamber music concerts annually

76 full-time musicians in the Orchestra

60 pre-professional students from all over the world attend the Sarasota Music Festival each year

Source: Sarasota Orchestra

Image courtesy of Peter Acker

Orchestra

FROM PAGE 1

This statement reflects much more than hometown boosterism. It’s the power of observation at work, at both large events and in intimate conversations. To start with, let the numbers tell the story. More than 70,000 people experience the Sarasota Orchestra’s live musical performances each year.

Lest one have any doubt about the Sarasota Orchestra’s connection to its community, just take a look at its mission statement: “to engage, educate, and enrich our community through high-quality, live musical experiences.”

Most people and institutions celebrating their 75th birthday might be tempted to stop and take a long look back at their history, but based on recent conversations with key players, the Sarasota Orchestra is firmly focused on its future.

That’s not to say the orchestra, its members and employees don’t honor and respect the history of the institution, founded as Florida West Coast Symphony by Ruth Cotton Butler along with George Gibbs, Sam Hill and Dr. W.D. Sugg, in 1948-49.

It’s just that the institution, which rebranded as the Sarasota Orchestra in 2008, has some pressing matters to deal with right now.

First and foremost, the search is on for a full-time music director following the 2022 death of Bramwell Tovey, the orchestra’s sixth music director, after a lengthy search led to his appointment the year before. While it looks for Tovey’s successor, the orchestra has relied on the talents and services of two men who both received their titles in 2022.

The first, Peter Oundjian, was appointed creative partner, while David Alan Miller was named artistic advisor. Oundjian is a Canadian violinist and conductor who is former music director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, while Miller has served as music director of the Albany Symphony since 1992.

The two have played major roles in planning programming, auditioning musicians and conducting performances since Tovey died.

The search for new music director continues but could end at any time if the right person is found, according to Joseph McKenna, president and CEO of the Sarasota Orchestra.

McKenna made statements to that effect both in an interview and in a public meeting Feb. 28 at Holley Hall to present the 2024-25 season lineup and update attendees on the orchestra’s affairs. A member of the orchestra’s executive team since 2001, McKenna provides leadership continuity that might otherwise be in short supply in the absence of a full-time music director.

It’s safe to say that some of the guest conductors who have led the orchestra and entertained Sarasota audiences may be trying out for the music director position and checking out the Sarasota music scene. Some might not be looking for a job and are only here for the weather.

In any event, Sarasota audiences have been treated to performances by such world renowned conductors as Oundjian, Miller, Rune Bergmann, Giancarlo Guerrero and others while the music director search is on.

Bergmann is music director of Canada’s Calgary Philharmonic, artistic director and chief conductor

of Poland’s Szczecin Philharmonic and chief conductor of Switzerland’s Argovia Philharmonic. Guerrero is music director of the Nashville Symphony.

At the same time that a search committee looks for a new music director, the Sarasota Orchestra is moving ahead with plans to build a new music center east of downtown. The orchestra recently closed on the $14 million purchase of a 32-acre parcel of land on Fruitville Road located off Interstate 75.

After buying the land, the first order of business was hiring Stages Consultants as acoustics and space planning partners for the new facility. “Acoustics comes first in a music center,” says McKenna. Later in the process, an architect will be named.

If you’re new to Sarasota, you might question why the orchestra, which holds the majority of its concerts in the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, needs a new music center when plans are in motion for the development of a new Sarasota Performing Arts Center downtown to replace the Van Wezel.

In June 2023, the Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation selected Renzo Piano Building Workshop as

SARASOTA ORCHESTRA TIMELINE

1948 — Ruth Cotton Butler works with George Gibbs, Sam Hill and Dr. W.D. Sugg, to fulfill her dream of creating a community orchestra in Sarasota and Manatee.

1949 — Florida West Coast Symphony holds its first public performance.

1953 — About 1,500 children attend the Children’s Concerts program to give kids their first taste of orchestral music.

1955 — The Florida West Coast Symphony Orchestra Rehearsal Hall is completed.

1959 — The Youth Orchestra Program is founded through the sponsorship of the Symphony Women’s Association.

1964 — Music Director Paul Wolfe founds the Sarasota Music Festival at New College.

1985 — Sarasota Music Festival merges with Florida West Coast Symphony.

the designer of the Performing Arts Center at The Bay out of 43 firms that initially submitted plans.

Long runs at the Van Wezel by touring Broadway productions like “The Lion King” in 2019 and the upcoming “Hamilton,” from  March 26 to April 7, have the potential to disrupt the orchestra’s season. But why can’t the Van Wezel become the orchestra’s new permanent home when the purple building is superseded by the new Renzo Piano showplace?

Once again, it comes down to acoustics, McKenna says. The Van Wezel’s aren’t sufficient for the orchestra’s needs, he says.

It’s not just the orchestra that needs a new performance space. Its Sarasota Music Festival, which performs for the public at the Sarasota Opera House, and the Sarasota Youth Orchestra, could use a state-of-theart facility as well. The Fruitville Road music center

1999 — Beatrice Friedman makes a $1 million gift to ensure the successful completion of an endowment campaign.

2001 — Joseph McKenna becomes administrative leader of the Florida West Coast Symphony. He is now president and CEO of Sarasota Orchestra.

2002 — The Florida West Coast Symphony unionizes under the American Federation of Musicians.

2005 — Virginia Toulmin gifts $10 million to significantly increase the organization’s endowment.

2008 — The Florida West Coast Symphony rebrands as Sarasota Orchestra and launches new series and concert formats.

2023 — A 32-acre parcel at 5701 Fruitville Road is purchased as the future home of Sarasota Orchestra.

Source: Sarasota Orchestra

will be closer to where population growth is occurring in both Sarasota and Manatee counties and will be easier to get to than downtown because of its I-75 exit, McKenna notes.

There are a lot of big projects on the drawing board around town looking for funding, but the Sarasota Orchestra believes the financing will come together for its new music center. It is waiting to start a full-fledged fundraising campaign for the facility until it secures a major donor, McKenna told the audience at the Feb. 28 meeting.

He likened the major endeavors underway at the orchestra to an iceberg, where a lot is going on beneath the surface.

In a roundtable discussion with a reporter that included board member Kim Wheeler, concertmaster Dan Jordan, Vice President of Artistic Operations RoseAnne McCabe and Chief Marketing Officer Gordon

Greenfield, all agreed on the need for a new music space and expressed optimism that Sarasota benefactors and audiences can support it. The cost of the center hasn’t been announced.

Despite the push to build in Sarasota, many cultural institutions across the country haven’t been hitting their attendance targets since live entertainment was disrupted in the 2020 and 2021 seasons by the pandemic.

Although its Masterworks series of important classical pieces performed well during the orchestra’s 75th anniversary season, McKenna and others note that more casual concerts like Great Escapes at Holley Hall and the outdoor Pops series at Ed Smith Stadium have proven popular with audiences in the postCOVID era.

Unlike some of Sarasota’s other performing arts groups, which cater to tourists and snowbirds as well as locals, the orchestra has put down deep roots in the community with its youth orchestra, summer camps for kids and its family concerts.

This year, for the first time, the orchestra’s family concert will feature a Spanish-language performance. Spanish speakers can see “Pedro y el Lobo” (“Peter and the Wolf”) for as little as $5 on March 24.

In a world filled with social media, YouTube, TikTok and other distractions, McKenna sounds almost messianic when he describes the role of music to help human beings deal with the stress and speed of modern life.

If there is any doubt how much the Sarasota loves its orchestra, it was laid to rest by the fact that every seat in Holley Hall was filled for the recent preview of the new season.

Another sign: strong demand for Masterworks dinners with visiting conductors at the Sarasota Yacht Club. At the risk of sounding corny, you could feel the love in the room at a recent dinner featuring Bergmann.

There’s no question that Sarasota prizes its orchestra. Time will tell if audiences and donors prize it enough to build and sustain a new 1,800-seat music center. If history is any guide, they will.

EDirected by ROB MELROSE

THIS WEEK

THURSDAY

HAMILTON VS. JEFFERSON: THE RIVALRY THAT SHAPED AMERICA

10 a.m. at The Ora, 578 McIntosh Road

$49

Visit ThoughtfulProductions.com.

Sponsored by The Observer, this lecture by Louis Masur, the Board of Governors Distinguished Professor of American Studies and History at Rutgers University, looks at competing views of government.

DUO CHINOISERIE

11 a.m. at Sarasota Yacht Club, 1100 John Ringling Blvd.

$68

Visit ArtistSeriesConcerts.org.

Artist Series Concerts presents Chinese guzheng performer Jing Xia and classical guitarist Bin Hu, a duo that has been entertaining audiences since 2016.

‘THAT WHICH COVERS US DOES NOT HIDE US’

5 p.m. at Creative Liberties, 927 N. Lime Ave.

Free Visit CreativeLiberties.net.

More than 25 artists interpret how fashion, architecture and our surroundings helps define who we are. Runs through March 30.

CIRCUS SARASOTA 2024

7 p.m. at the Big Top at Nathan Benderson Park, 5851 Nathan Benderson Circle $30-$80

Visit CircusArts.org.

Now in its 26th season, Circus Sarasota returns to Nathan Benderson Park with a brand new big top and a fresh lineup. Runs through March 10.

‘LITTLE WOMEN’

7:30 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail $45-$105

Visit VanWezel.org.

Louisa May Alcott’s classic tale of four sisters — Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy — and their beloved “Marmee” offers lessons for today’s generation. Runs through March 8.

GREAT ESCAPES 5:

LUCK OF THE IRISH

7:30 p.m. at Holley Hall, 709 N. Tamiami Trail $47 and up Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org.

It’s not too early to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, as the Sarasota Orchestra performs favorites from the Emerald Isle. Runs through March 10.

‘PARADE’

7:30 p.m. at Manatee Performing Arts Center, 502 Third Ave. W., Bradenton $30-$40

Visit ManateePerformingArtsCenter. com.

Directed by Scott Keys, the musical “Parade” is based on a real-life story of Leo Frank, a Jewish factory manager in Atlanta accused of murder in 1913. Runs through March 17.

‘MISERY’

7:30 p.m. at The Players Centre, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail, Suite 1130 $30/Students $13

Visit ThePlayers.org.

Directed by Kelly Woodland, “Misery” is based on the Stephen King novel about a romance novelist who is imprisoned in the home of his No. 1 fan. Runs through March 10.

‘THE GLASS MENAGERIE’

7:30 p.m. at Manatee Performing Arts Center, 502 Third Ave. W., Bradenton $27

Visit ManateePerformingArtsCenter. com.

Can a “gentleman caller” redeem a down-on-its-luck family’s fortunes?

The question asked by the classic Tennessee Williams play, directed by Lee Gundersheimer, still resonates today. Runs through March 10.

FRIDAY

JAZZ @ 2 — PETE BARENBREGGE

SEXTET

2 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota, 3975 Fruitville Road $15-$20

Visit JazzClubSarasota.org.

Jazz Club of Sarasota presents Pete BarenBregge and friends. BarenBregge is a saxophonist, flutist, clarinetist, music editor and jazz educator, whose focus is creating quality music.

CHANT REIMAGINED

7 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 2050 Oak St. $35 Visit MusicaSacra.org.

Follow Musica Sacra on a journey through the heart-music of many religious and cultural traditions, from ancient to modern.

‘CELEBRATING NED ROREM’

7 p.m. at St. Boniface Episcopal Church, 5615 Midnight Pass Road Free with registration Visit SoundboxVentures.org.

The centerpiece of this “Listen Hear” salon concert is “Aftermath,” a song cycle written by the late composer Ned Rorem in the wake of 9/11.

BÉLO

7:30 p.m. at Historic Asolo Theater, 5401 Bayshore Road

$30-$40 Visit TheRingling.org.

Known as Haiti’s musical ambassador to the world, BélO’s sound is a mixture of jazz, worldbeat, rock, reggae and Afro-Haitian traditional rhythms. Runs through March 9.

‘THE WOMEN OF BROADWAY’

7:30 at Tree Fort Productions, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail

$40

Visit TreeFortProductionsProjects. com.

Written and directed by Katherine Michelle Tanner, this cabaret celebrates female musical theater writers in honor of Women’s History Month. Runs through March 17.

‘UP ON THE ROOF’

8 p.m. at FST’s Keating Theatre, 1241 N. Palm Ave.

$18

Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

If you missed “Up on the Roof,” fear not: It’s back for an encore. Created by Rebecca and Richard Hopkins, the revue pays tribute to songwriting duos who made their home in New York’s Brill Building. Runs through March 24.

ZOË LEWIS

8 p.m. at Fogartyville, 525 Kumquat Court

$18-$22 Visit WSLR.org.

Dubbed the “band in a body” because she plays so many instruments, Zoë Lewis brings a program of vintage jazz, world music and storytelling to Fogartyville.

‘INTIMATE APPAREL’

8 p.m. at FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail $29-$75

Visit AsoloRep.org.

Written by Lynn Nottage, “Intimate Apparel” tells the story of an early 20th-century Black seamstress longing for love as she prizes her hard-won independence. Runs through April 18.

SATURDAY

‘LUISA MILLER’

7:30 p.m. at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave. $32-$155

Visit SarasotaOpera.org.

One of Verdi’s lesser performed operas, “Luisa Miller” returns to the Sarasota Opera for the first time in 25 years. Runs through March 24.

OUR PICK ‘LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR’

Last seen at the opera in 2012, “Lucia di Lammermoor” stars soprano Ashley Milanese, making her company debut in the title role. Christopher Oglesby plays Lucia’s star-crossed lover Edgardo and Jean Carlos Rodriguez is Enrico, Lucia’s ambitious brother. Runs through March 23.

IF YOU GO

When: Friday 7:30 p.m.

Where: at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave.

Tickets: $32-$155

Info: Visit SarasotaOpera.org.

SUNDAY

ABRAHAM LINCOLN WALKS AT

MIDNIGHT

7 p.m. at Church of the Palms, 3224 Bee Ridge Road $40; students $5

Visit ChoralArtistsSarasota.org.

“Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight” was composed by Florence Price, the first African American woman to have her music performed by a major symphony orchestra.

PAUL ANKA: SEVEN DECADES

7 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail

$85-$135

Visit VanWezel.org.

Watch Paul perform hits like “Put Your Head on My Shoulder,” “Diana,” “Puppy Love” and “Lonely Boy,” backed by an all-star band.

MONDAY

EXPLORING THE VAN WEZEL

FROM THE ART TO THE STAGE

1:30 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail $15

Visit ArtsAdvocates.org.

Find out what really happens backstage at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall with this tour.

TUESDAY

THOSE WERE THE DAYS: THE SPIRIT & FOLK SONGS OF THE ’60S

2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at Manatee Performing Arts Center, 502 Third Ave. W., Bradenton

$30-$38

Visit ManateePerformingArtsCenter. com.

This show stars William Florian, who was a member of the famous ’60s group The New Christy Minstrels.

CHAMPIONS OF MAGIC

7:30 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail

$30-$65

Visit VanWezel.org.

Turn off your computers and cellphones and spend an evening with

DON’T MISS BALLET

HISPANICO

Based in New York City, Ballet Hispanico explores the diversity of Latino culture through classical, Latin and contemporary dance styles. Runs through March 11.

IF YOU GO

When: Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Where: at FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail

Tickets: $40-$125

The Champions Of Magic, who offer illusions not to be seen anywhere else.

WEDNESDAY

FRIENDS OF THE SELBY PUBLIC LIBRARY GALA

6 p.m. at The Bandstand at Selby Library, 1331 First St. $40 Visit SelbyLibraryFriends.org.

Join Friends of the Selby Public Library for a ’50s-themed gala benefitting Selby Library programs, services and resources.

‘BETTER LATE’

7:30 p.m. at The Players, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail Suite 1130 $28-$36 Call 941-365-2494.

Sarasota Jewish Theatre presents Larry Gelbart’s “Better Late,” a romantic comedy about Nora (Nellie O’Brien) and her second husband Lee (Don Walker) who take in Nora’s first husband, Julian (Lee Gundersheimer). Runs through March 21.

“Hermitage Sunsets @ NBP: More Than Music”

Thursday, March 14 @ 6:30pm

Nathan Benderson Park (Sarasota)

Hermitage Greenfield Prize 2022 finalist Etienne Charles and Hermitage alum Kamala Sankaram make more than excellent music; they create experiences that make you feel the rhythm as quickly as they make you think. Join these two talented artists for a sharing of work and conversation as the sun sets.

Presented in partnership with Nathan Benderson Park Conservancy

“Maxman is undoubtedly among the most outstanding violinists of today" Henryk Szeryng

Mozart + Haydn

Chamber Orchestra of Sarasota Robert Vodnoy, music director

George Maxman, violin

7:30pm, First Presbyterian Church 2050 Oak St., Sarasota Tix: $39/adult, $5/student

Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 5

Haydn: Symphony No. 83

Visit our website for tix and information or call 219-928-8665

Ruby E. Crosby Alumni Music Initiative: “Piano Classics Remade”

Thursday, March 28 @ 7pm

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens (Downtown Sarasota)

In the third annual concert of the Hermitage’s Ruby E. Crosby Alumni Music Initiative, world-renowned pianist and Hermitage blends the essence of the best classical music through an undeniably gifted lens of improvisation and imaginative composition to create the future of music. Presented in partnership with Marie Selby Botanical Gardens

2024 Hermitage Greenfield Prize Celebration Events • April 13-15

FREE COMMUNITY EVENTS

A Conversation with 2024 Hermitage Greenfield Prize Winner Deepa Purohit,” a look into her theatrical works and the newly commissioned play by 2024 HGP Winner Deepa Purohit

Sat., April 13 @ 6:30pm, “Hermitage Artists & Thinkers: South Asian Artists in America,” with 2024 HGP Winner Deepa Purohit, in conversation with Hermitage Fellows Kavita Shah and Nandita Shenoy

Sun., April 14 @ 6pm, The Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner A Gala Benefit at Michael’s On East

WORLD PREMIERE EVENT

Mon., April 15 @ 7pm, “Azul Naranja Salado: Angélica Negrón’s Hermitage Greenfield Prize Premiere,” with 2022 HGP Winner Angélica Negrón (Music) for her newly commissioned composition as the sun sets on the Hermitage Beach.

Presented in partnership with enSRQ. Made possible with generous support from the Greenfield Foundation. Lead Community Sponsor: Community Foundation of Sarasota County.

Through Women’s Eyes Film Festival unspools 25th edition

The lineup includes a mix of new selections and old favorites.

What’s old is new again. For its 25th anniversary, the Through Women’s Eyes Film Festival is bringing back 10 of its greatest hits and screening 22 new films.

The festival’s opening night is Friday, March 8, at Ringling College of Art and Design’s Morganroth Auditorium. That event, which includes a reception, will honor some of the women who have kept the fest going over the years.

Through Women’s Eyes Film Festival moves to the Sarasota Art Museum for the remainder of the festival’s run through March 12.

Because many of the films in the festival are shorts, meaning less than 40 minutes long, the selections are screening in blocks that bundle several movies together. They can also be watched online.

Although the festival’s title is “Through Women’s Eyes,” the films

IF YOU GO THROUGH WOMEN’S EYES FILM FESTIVAL

When: Opening night reception

5 p.m. March 8 at Ringling College. Continues through March 12 at Sarasota Art Museum. Tickets: Opening night $25; single tickets $12; festival pass $125

Info: Visit ThroughWomensEyes.org.

are about a broad range of topics says E. Scott Osborne, president of the fest, which is dedicated to promoting gender equality through film.

“Many of our films are on very broad topics,” Osborne says. “They are not just for a female audience. We try to bring in marginalized voices.”

Some of the threads running through the programming of this year’s festival include the environment, motherhood, refugees and the disparity between health care available to Black and white women.

Three of the films in the festival are set in Afghanistan. Osborne says she has a soft spot for “When Mama’s Gone,” a Turkish film about what happens to an Afghani family when the mother dies in childbirth.

“Undivide Us” is one of the most anticipated screenings of the festival, Osborne says. “It asks whether we, as Americans, can talk to each other about current events in a civil, constructive manner,” she says. “Can we find common ground, regardless of our politics?”

Among the favorites coming back are “Piscina” (“Pool”), a Brazilian film that screened in the 2017 festival about a girl examining her grandmother’s past.

“Viola,” which tells the story of farmer’s daughter in rural Alabama who takes control of her destiny, is another golden oldie being brought back for this year’s event.

Following the interest in the Manhattan Project generated by the 2023 Hollywood blockbuster “Oppenheimer,” the women’s film festival decided to revive “Atomic Mom,” which screened in 2011.

The film explores the experiences of two different women who were involved in the nuclear bomb dropped by the U.S. on Japan during World War II — a scientist involved in the development of the weapon and a Hiroshima survivor.

Osborne said she is personally looking forward to the revival of “Book Club,” which first screened at the 2012 festival. It tells the story of eight women whose lives were entwined by a book club that was

formed 70 years earlier.

Given Sarasota’s role as a cultural center, Osborne expects two films about the arts to find favor with audiences. The first is “Colliding Forces,” about ballet moms, and the other is “Change the Tune,” a Canadian film about female jazz performers.

The programming for Through Women’s Eyes Film Festival is done by volunteer screeners, who watched more than 400 films, Osborne says.

When the festival was first started 25 years ago, film submissions came in the form of DVDs that were sent back and forth through the mail by members of the selection committee, Osborne notes. “Technology has changed so much over the years,” she says.

The advent of the streaming market means people can easily find niche content that they are interested in online, Osborne says. But people still want to come to film festivals and enjoy the communal experience of watching movies together, she says.

The role of an institution such as the women’s film festival is to curate compelling content that draws audiences, Osborne says.

Sarasota audiences have a reputation for dedication. Many attendees will come to the women’s film festival and watch movies all day, she notes.

BANYAN BALL EXTRAVAGANZA

March 2 at The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota |

Benefiting The Out-Of-Door Academy Fund

As a perfect start to a yearlong celebration of its centennial, the Out-of-Door Academy kicked off its 100th year with the Banyan Ball Extrava ganza on March 2 at The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota.

More than 450 people attended the elegant gala, during which ODA paid tribute to its past while sharing plans for its future. Those plans include the school opening its third campus in August in time for the 2024 school year.

The event began with cocktails before guests — decked out in ODA blue — entered the ballroom for dinner. After dinner, the bidding began on an assortment of live auction items before guests headed to the dance floor to the music of Music by Soiree band.

Proceeds from the evening benefits the ODA fund, which helps serve more than 830 students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade on its two campuses in Lakewood Ranch and Siesta Key.

— OBSERVER STAFF

Senior Friendship Centers couldn’t have asked for better weather for its Blooming Friendships gala Feb. 29 at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. With temperatures around 70 degrees, 150 guests honored Project Pride President Jason Champion with a cocktail reception, dinner, a performance by Sarasota Music Conservatory faculty and students, auction, paddle raise and dancing. Champion was honored for launching the first Silver Pride. Guests included advocates, SFC members, board members, volunteers and staff. Emmy nominee Hallie Peilet Young was emcee. Erin McLeod, SFC president and CEO, gave heartfelt thanks to all. Senior Friendship Centers help seniors with financial crises, emergency food, hurricane relief, and keeps people connected with volunteer

—

For

21st annual Legacy Luncheon, Junior League of Sarasota welcomed kidnapping survivor and child safety advocate Elizabeth Smart as its speaker Feb. 27 at Michael’s On East.

delivered a message of hope and resilience to the 375 guests at the event, co-chaired by Ollie Johnson and Jessica Rogers. In addition to lunch, guests enjoyed Champagne and a raffle to raise funds. JLS member and jeweler Belinda Coffrin donated a piece of jewelry to be raffled at the event. All proceeds benefit the Junior League of Sarasota Endowment Fund, which is used to give community grants each year.

Party Under the Stars

Feb. 24 at Sailor Circus Arena | Benefiting the Florida Cancer Specialists Foundation

In a different twist, The Florida Cancer Specialists Foundation took its annual fundraiser, Party Under the Stars, under the big top Feb. 24 at Sailor Circus Arena.

More than 200 guests enjoyed circusthemed food, decor and entertainment by Circus Arts Conservatory students, who welcomed guests with interactive performances throughout cocktail hour.

In addition to dinner and dancing, the event featured a chance drawing for a getaway trip to Las Vegas or Nashville, as well as silent and live auctions.

All proceeds from the event go to provide nonmedical financial assistance to cancer patients, such as rent, car payments or utility bills, so they can focus on fighting cancer.

Friday, March 8 9am - 5pm

Enjoy food, drinks, polo and live music against a backdrop of a breathtaking sunset.

Saturday, March 9 9am - 5pm 11am Orchid Talk: Re-Potting and Mounting (in tent on the back lawn)

Sunday, March 10 10am - 4pm 12pm Orchid Talk: Orchid Basics (in tent on the back lawn)