Florida West Coast Symphony

The Florida West Coast Symphony is a renowned musical organization based in Sarasota.  The nearly-60-year-old symphony is headed by Artistic Director Leif Bjaland, who has been with the Symphony for 10 years.  Every year during its 37-week season, between September and May, the Symphony puts on over 100 chamber and orchestral performances.

The Symphony features forty salaried musicians, all with outstanding educations and experience.  The organization also contracts forty additional musicians on a per-service basis during the course of the season for specific works, and employs additional musicians when necessary to round out its brass, percussion, and/or wind sections.

Widely heralded as one of the top symphonies in the nation, the Florida West Coast Symphony continues to grow in popularity among Sarasota residents and visitors alike.  The Sarasota Herald-Tribune wrote of the organization: "The growth and maturity of the Florida West Coast Symphony seems to be unfolding right before our ears3;.Each concert is better than the previous one."

The Florida West Coast Symphony performs at a variety of venues.  The two main locations for the Symphony´s performances are Holley Hall at The Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center, located at 709 North Tamiami Trail, and the Van Wenzel Performing Arts Hall, located at 777 North Tamiami Trail.  Both facilities are at the heart of Sarasota´s cultural district and offer free parking to Symphony patrons.

Performances run the gamut from classical to contemporary.  Classical concerts feature works by the likes of Bach, Beethoven, Dukas, Franck, Handel, Liszt, Mozart, Ravel, Strauss, Tchaikovsky, and Wagner, among others.  Symphonic Pops performances have in the past been offered with themes such as "Solid Gold," "Gotta Dance," "Valentine Pops," "Moonlight Serenade," and "Patriotic Pops." 

The box office for the Florida West Coast Symphony is at the Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center, at 709 North Tamiami Trail/U.S. 41 in Sarasota.  Box office hours are weekdays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m. to noon on Saturdays, as well as one hour prior to performance time at each specific venue.  The box office can be contacted by telephone at (941) 953-3434, or toll free at (866) 508-0611.  Tickets range in price from $30.00 to $60.00 and up, depending on venue and performance.

The Florida West Coast Symphony offers numerous educational programs.  These include children´s concerts for 4th and 5th graders, community music classes for all ages, a concert club, "Summer at the Symphony"-a summer music camp, a Young Artists Competition, and five Youth Orchestra ensembles.

In addition, the Symphony is involved in the annual Sarasota Music Festival.  The 2007 festival is scheduled for June 4th through June 23rd, and will feature 40 internationally renowned guest musicians and 85 particpants who study and perform chamber music together.  The Sarasota Music Festival allows audiences the opportunity to listen Artist Showcase concerts on Thursday afternoons, chamber concerts on Friday and Saturday evenings, and various Festival Orchestra concerts.  Eight participant concerts are free for the public, and a Festival Pass may be purchased which allows members of the public to access rehearsals and master classes.

More information about the Florida West Coast Symphony, performances, and its other programs is available at http://tickets.fwcs.org, or by calling (941) 953-4252.