Upcoming Events

Celebrate our 75th Anniversary! Our inspired 2020 Great Performers Series includes the Sarasota premiere of Riccardo Muti conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Subscribe today! 941-225-6500 | www.scasarasota.org | boxoffice@scasarasota.org BEZ...

Sarasota's premiere lecture series returns for 2020! General John F. Kelly  January 27 Rick Steves February 11 Ambassador Wendy Sherman  February 17 Sam Quinones  March 2 Lisa Genova  March 23 Annie Leibovitz

Grammy Award®-winning rock icon John Fogerty headlines the newly named Inspiration Gala to benefit the Van Wezel Foundation on Friday, February 21, 2020 at 8:30 p.m. Fogerty, who celebrates his 50th anniversary in music with a world tour in 2019, has been featured in Rolling Stone Magazine’s lists of Top 100 Greatest Guitarists and Top 100 Singers of all time. The American musician and singer-songwriter w...

Spend an evening with musical royalty. Sir William Walton’s Symphony No. 1, long viewed as one of the greatest symphonies of the modern age, is an emotionally searing, melodic commentary on love lost. Get acquainted with two emerging stars, violinist Simone Porter and cellist Joshua Roman, as they shine in one of the most rapturous concertos ever composed. Berlioz’s Rob Roy Overture, based on Sir Walter Scott&r...

Cameron Mackintosh presents the new production of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s Tony Award-winning musical phenomenon, Les Misérables, direct from its acclaimed Broadway return. Featuring the beloved songs “I Dreamed A Dream,” “On My Own,” “Stars," “Bring Him Home,” “One Day More,” and many more, this epic and uplifting story has become one of the mos...

The Russian National Ballet Theatre was founded in Moscow during the transitional period of Perestroika in the late 1980s, when many of the great dancers and choreographers of the Soviet Union's ballet institutions were exercising their new-found creative freedom by starting new, vibrant companies dedicated not only to the timeless tradition of classical Russian Ballet but to invigorate this tradition as the Russians began to accept new...

Feel the embrace of breath-taking music that transports you from your theatre seat straight to Ireland. Celebrating 15 phenomenal years of music-making this year, Celebration brings together our very favourite songs from the journey so far – songs that have created an incredible bond with audiences all over the world. To mark 15 years of harmony, history and hits, and to thank our fantastic fans, we bring you Celebration &ndas...

ABBA The Concert brings one of the greatest pop phenomena back to life in a truly authentic tribute! Don’t miss the most iconic hits from ABBA, including “Mamma Mia,” “S.O.S.,” “Money, Money, Money,” “The Winner Takes All,” “Waterloo,” “Gimme, Gimme, Gimme” and “Dancing Queen.” Sing, dance and have the time of your life as ABBA The Con...

Big vocals and iconic hits take center stage when Sarasota Orchestra's Principal Pops Conductor, Andrew Lane, presents his all-time favorites with sensational Broadway actress Maria Wirries by his side. The energetic voices of the Center Stage Singers round out the sound for a joyful concert that includes great songs and scores from The Sound of Music, Mamma Mia!, Funny Girl, Les Misérables,

Celebrate the legendary music of Ray Charles at the Van Wezel with Emmy Award® winner Clint Holmes, 10-time Grammy Award®-winning band Take 6, six-time Grammy® nominee and Downbeat vocalist of the year Nnenna Freelon and sax phenom Kirk Whalum. This 90-minute feel-good extravaganza includes dazzling soulful performances of hit songs including “Hit The Road Jack,” “What'd I Say,” &ldqu...

Global superstar Josh Groban returns to the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall on Monday, March 9, 2020 at 8 p.m. The acclaimed performer, who was unable to schedule Florida tour stops during his last sold-out Bridges tour, will be performing several intimate shows throughout the state in early 2020. Last week, the Madison Square Garden Company (MSG) announced Groban’s one-of-a-kind residency at New Yo...

THE COLOR PURPLE is the 2016 Tony Award® winner for Best Musical Revival!  Hailed as “a direct hit to the heart” (The Hollywood Reporter), this joyous American classic about a young woman’s journey to love and triumph in the American South has conquered Broadway in an all-new "ravishingly reconceived production that is a glory to behold” (The New York Times)....

A note from Paul Anka: “Back by popular demand! The Anka Sings Sinatra tour will honor a great artist who has influenced me more than anyone else throughout my career, Frank Sinatra.  It will also feature the hits that have spanned my career on this 61st anniversary year.  It will be a night filled with his songs, my songs, my way!”...

Hear Bartók’s music alongside his idol Beethoven in a virtuosic showcase led by Keith Lockhart, longtime Boston Pops conductor and Artistic Director of the Brevard Music Festival. The program features critically-acclaimed soloist Jeremy Denk,“a pianist you want to hear no matter what he performs,” according to The New York Times, in Beethoven’s famously challenging Piano Concerto No. 4. The evening op...

In post war Paris, romance is in the air and youthful optimism reigns. Gershwin’s soaring melodies are matched by gravity-defying dance as the world rediscovers the power of love in this breathtaking production. Hoping to start a new life, World War II veteran Jerry Mulligan chooses newly-liberated Paris as the place to make a name for himself as a painter. But Jerry's life becomes complicated when he meets Lise, a young Parisian ...

The runaway hit of numerous international music festivals is hitting the road for its first U.S. tour! Known across the globe as “the ultimate-feel good show,” THE CHOIR OF MAN offers up 90 minutes of indisputable joy! It’s a party. It’s a concert. It’s a pint-filled good time set in a working pub (free beer anyone?!?) that combines hair-raising harmonies, high-energy dance, and live Percussion with foot-stompi...

With the inspiration that Nat King Cole’s tv show brought to the American public including so many amazingly talented singers such as Dinah Washington, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Carmen McRae and many others, John Pizzarelli and Catherine Russell will be paying homage to Nat King Cole and these iconic singers with their new show, “Nat King Cole and Ladies of Song”.  Songs throughout ...

The iconic classic-rock favorite AMERICA has amassed numerous gold and/or platinum albums, with their first greatest hits collection, “History,” hitting four million plus in sales. The Grammy® Award winners’ widely renowned singles--including “Horse With No Name,” “Sister Golden Hair,” “I Need You,’ “Ventura Highway,” “Don’t Cross the River,” “Tin ...

 While Harry Connick, Jr. is the virtual definition of a multi-talented star, with notable triumphs as a television personality and an actor, the foundation of his art remains his music.  After 30 million albums sold worldwide and a music, film, television and Broadway career spanning three decades, Harry Connick, Jr. returns with a sensational new record, True Love: A Celebration of Cole Porter.  Join Harry for an i...

Undeniably the reigning virtuoso of the violin, Itzhak Perlman enjoys superstar status rarely afforded a classical musician. Beloved for his charm and humanity as well as his talent, he is treasured by audiences throughout the world who respond not only to his remarkable artistry, but also to his irrepressible joy for making music. Itzhak Perlman’s recordings have garnered 16 GRAMMY® Awards and regularly appear on the b...

Sixteen-time Grammy®-winner David Foster returns to Sarasota with special guest Katharine McPhee! A prolific songwriter, David played a key role in the career launches of Celine Dion, Josh Groban, Michael Bublé and more. Some of his most beloved hits include “And Love Goes On”, “Follow Me”, “Only You” and “Please Hold On”. A performer in his own rig...

Returning to the Van Wezel are Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr. – the original stars and lead singers of the legendary group, The 5th Dimension! McCoo and Davis launched hits including "Up, Up and Away," "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In," "Worst That Could Happen," "Stoned Soul Picnic," "Sweet Blindness," "Wedding Bell Blues" and "One Les...

Romeo & Juliet March 27 & 28, 2020 Choreography by Sir Frederick Ashton Music by Sergei Prokofiev Click here to BUY TICKETS With the blossoming of spring comes The Sarasota Ballet’s Company Premiere of Sir Frederick Ashton’s ballet adaptation of William Shakespeare’s immortal romanti...

Bruce Hornsby, the creatively insatiable pianist and singer-songwriter from Williamsburg, Virginia, always has succeeded on his exceptional gifts, his training and his work ethic. He has collaborated with Ricky Skaggs and the Grateful Dead. He has scored films and performed with symphony orchestras. Hornsby describes his new album Absolute Zero as “a compendium of what I like and moves me.” Prepare for ...

The Pointer Sisters return to the Van Wezel! Known for hits such as “I’m So Excited”, "He's So Shy", "Slow Hand", "Jump (for my love)", “Neutron Dance”, “Automatic” and "Fire", The Pointer Sisters are music industry legends, securing a place in pop music history as a dynamic female group. The Pointer Sisters were the first black female gro...

A worldwide sensation when she was only ten years old, Jackie Evancho has moved past the exuberant promise of a child prodigy vocalist, becoming a mature young adult with a clear direction as to where she is. Since gaining global recognition with her stunning debut on NBC’s America’s Got Talent, Jackie Evancho has released a string of platinum and gold albums. Along the way, she has also made history as...

Sometimes called the “greatest American symphony,” Aaron Copland’s expansive, tuneful, and highly original Symphony No. 3 is the centerpiece of this exploration of American influence led by conductor Teddy Abrams. Twenty-five-year-old Canadian violinist Blake Pouliot brings his artistry to the fantastically dramatic shifts and unbridled emotion of Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2, composed shortly after the composer...

For the past ten years at the Mirage Hotel, world famous singer, comedian, impressionist and ventriloquist Terry Fator has sold out night after night with a show featuring his cast of characters that includes everyone from Winston the Impersonating Turtle to Elton John, to Elvis. In addition to winning America’s Got Talent, Terry has won Las Vegas’s best show, best all-around performer, best family show...

Reza has taken the art of illusion to a new level, delivering his rock concert style magic show to audiences across the globe. Young and fresh, Reza’s new show, “Edge of Illusion,” has earned various awards including “Magician of the Year.” Don’t miss this Sarasota premiere – LIVE on the Van Wezel stage! A world-class entertainer, Reza’s unique brand of illusion has...

Celebrating his 64th year in the music industry, legendary singer Johnny Mathis is Columbia Records’ longest-signed artist. A sublime vocalist whose approach to pop music eclipses passing fads and trends, Mathis has performed songs in an incredible variety of styles and categories -- from music composed for stage and film to golden era jazz standards, contemporary pop hits and holiday music, all of which has assured h...

Chanteuse Storm Large (from the popular group Pink Martini) and NEA Jazz Master and musical icon Branford Marsalis, a saxophonist who has garnered legendary status, join forces for an electrifying Pops extravaganza that will have audiences swaying in their seats. Enjoy everlasting classics such as I’ve Got You Under My Skin, Goin’ Out of My Head, It’s Alright with Me, Summertime, My ...

For over two decades, Grammy Award®-winning master trumpeter and composer Chris Botti has amassed a spectacular variety of honors, including multiple Gold and Platinum albums, to become the nation’s largest selling instrumental artist. His mesmerizing performances with a stunning array of legends such as Sting, Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett, Yo-Yo Ma, Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon and Andrea Bocelli have cemented his...

A BRONX TALE, Broadway’s hit crowd-pleaser, takes you to the stoops of the Bronx in the 1960s, where a young man is caught between the father he loves and the mob boss he’d love to be.  Bursting with high-energy dance numbers and original doo-wop tunes from Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast) and Glenn Slater (Love Never Dies), A BRONX TALE is an unforgettable story of loyalty and family. The New York T...

Brian Culbertson is an award-winning multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer known for his distinct brand of genre-crossing contemporary jazz, R&B and funk. Mining the urban sounds of Chicago, he began his musical studies on piano and quickly picked up drums, trombone, bass and euphonium. Culbertson has 30 Billboard No. 1 singles and a deep catalogue of 18 albums, most of which have topped the Billboard contemporary jazz charts. ...

Broadway’s COME FROM AWAY is a Best Musical winner all across North America! This New York Times Critics’ Pick takes you into the heart of the remarkable true story of 7,000 stranded passengers and the small town in Newfoundland that welcomed them. Cultures clashed and nerves ran high, but uneasiness turned into trust, music soared into the night, and gratitude grew into enduring friendships. Don’t mi...

In 2000, Gary Mullen won ITV’s “Stars In Their Eyes” Live Grand Final, with the largest number of votes ever received in the shows history.  The record of 864,838 votes was more than twice that of the runner-up.  Gary began touring on his own, and in 2002, formed a band (“The Works”) to pay tribute to rock legends, Queen.  Since May 2002, “Gary Mullen and the Works” h...

The most successful reality romance series in the history of television is coming to your hometown. The Bachelor Live On Stage Official Tour guarantees all the drama, the gossip and the romance of your favorite TV show in one delightful evening for the ultimate fan party.  Previous Bachelor and Bachelorette favorites will serve as your hosts, as one eligible hometown Bachelor is introduced to local ladies from the audi...