Music

Things to Do

What to Do in Sarasota and Manatee Counties This Week

A giant parade! Elmo! Blueberries! A mangrove dance! Music, books and more! There's so much to do this weekend.

04/23/2026 By Kim Doleatto

On the Upbeat

The Jazz Club of Sarasota’s Annual Festival Shines This Month

Plus, the club's got big plans to expand and open its own venue.

03/02/2026 By Kay Kipling

Living Room Classic

A European-Style Music Salon Takes Root in South Sarasota

On the first Sunday of each month, cellist Steve Kramer opens his home for an intimate revival of the centuries-old salon tradition, blending Bach, Gershwin and neighborhood potluck.

02/24/2026 By Kim Doleatto

Me Porto Bonito

Yes, That Was Sarasota Orchestra Music Director Giancarlo Guerrero in the Super Bowl Halftime Show

Guerrero made an appearance during Bad Bunny's rousing performance.

02/08/2026 By Megan McDonald

On a High Note

La Musica Marks Its 40th Anniversary With Bigger Audiences, More Concerts and a Timely World Premiere

The venerable festival has succeeded in attracting new and wider audiences, thanks in large part to the extension of its season, presenting more frequent concerts for patrons.

12/01/2025 By Kay Kipling

Country Soul

Ghost Hounds’ Lead Singer SAVNT Brings His Sound to Sarasota

The band—which has opened for music legends, including the Rolling Stones—and its lead singer will perform a free concert at The Bay on Nov. 1.

10/28/2025 By Kim Doleatto

Preview

Perlman Music Program Suncoast Announces Winter Schedule

The program's winter residency offers free concerts and access to rehearsals, work-in-progress recitals, masterclasses and more.

10/06/2025 By Staff

Rhythms & Roots

Where to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in Sarasota and Manatee

Live music, dance, film and food mark a month of culture and community across the region. Plus, fun facts you didn't know.

09/15/2025 By Kim Doleatto

Made in Sarasota

Gary Drouin’s Retro Tube Amplifiers Have a National Market

Drouin, 72, meticulously hand-builds and repairs amplifiers from his home garage for tube amp devotees around the country.

09/04/2025 By Megan McDonald

The Sound of Music

The Hermitage's "Sunsets @ Selby Gardens" Series Returns This Fall

The outdoor performance series features works-in-progress by Hermitage artists-in-residence and alumni at Selby Gardens' two campuses.

08/07/2025 By Staff

Mic Drop

Music Director and Host Russell Gant Leaves WUSF After 42 Years Behind the Mic

The voice of classical music in Tampa Bay and Sarasota retires from the airwaves the same way he lived in them—attuned to the value of good timing.

06/25/2025 By Kim Doleatto

Happy Father's Day

This Year’s Sarasota Music Festival Delivers a Special Onstage Father-Son Collaboration

Sarasota Music Festival music director Jeffrey Kahane will play a piece written for him by his son, Gabriel.

06/06/2025 By Kay Kipling

Wild Times

How a Bizarre Promotional Gimmick Changed Local Radio

“We were such idiots. What you heard on the radio? We were that dumb.”

06/02/2025 By Cooper Levey-Baker

Bach in Action

Sarasota Concert Association Announces 2025-26 Great Performers Series

It's the organization's 81st season.

04/14/2025 By Staff

Hitting the High Notes

Sarasota Orchestra Shares Sneak Peek of New Music Center

Its new HQ will be located at 5701 Fruitville Road and designed by William Rawn Associates.

04/09/2025 By Staff

Keeping Time

Nada Surf Drummer Ira Elliot Maintains a Low Profile Despite His Rock Star Bona Fides

"There’s a thriving music scene here, which I had not expected," Elliott, who moved to Sarasota in 2012, says. "I feel quite at home.”

04/07/2025 By John Thomason

A Community in Concert

Gulf Coast Community Choir Marks 25 Years with a Fundraising Concert

The event on April 27 will benefit area nonprofits, as the choir always does.

04/01/2025 By Kay Kipling

Hitting the High Notes

Sarasota Opera Announces 2025-2026 Anniversary Season

The organization will also celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Sarasota Opera House in April 2026.

03/10/2025 By Staff

Awards

Music and Sound Artist Rucyl Mills Named 2025 Hermitage Greenfield Prize Winner

Mills' musical compositions blend noise art, bass wave, sample collage and avant-garde R&B.

02/25/2025 By Staff

Philanthropy

An Anonymous Donor Has Invested a Record-Setting $60 Million in Sarasota Orchestra's New Music Center

The donor gave $10 million to help the orchestra purchase the land for the center and another $50 million to help planning move forward.

02/11/2025 By Staff