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(Sarasota, Florida) The Sarasota Concert Association (SCA) announces a dynamic lineup for its 67th annual concert series, January through March 2012. Highlights include performances by Midori, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Pinchas Zukerman, and the Minnesota Orchestra. For the past 67 years, SCA has presented a five-concert series at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall featuring performances by internationally renowned symphony orchestras, chamber orchestras and ensembles, and distinguished soloists.

“The season will showcase three of the world’s great orchestras, as well as performances by preeminent soloists and conductors,” says John Goodman, SCA board president. “As one of the longest-lasting cultural groups in Sarasota, we’re delighted to continue offering classical music lovers the opportunity to see some of the world’s best musicians perform here in Sarasota.”

Britain’s acclaimed Royal Philharmonic Orchestra opens Sarasota Concert Association’s 2012 season on Monday, January 9, 2012, 8 p.m., with principal guest conductor Pinchas Zukerman. A world-renowned violinist, violist, and conductor, Zukerman is considered one of the greatest violinists of the 20th and 21st centuries. He has performed with the world’s most renowned orchestras over the course of his 45-year career.

The season continues with acclaimed American baritone Thomas Hampson on Monday, January 30, 2012, 8 p.m. A recitalist, opera singer and recording artist, Hampson is a star baritone of the Metropolitan Opera and other major opera houses and was a favorite soloist of Leonard Bernstein's. Hampson’s operatic repertoire spans a wide range of roles, including title roles in Mozart’s “Don Giovanni,” Rossini’s “Guillaume Tell,” Figaro in Rossini’s “Barber of Serville,” and more. In 2003, his recording of Wagner’s “Tannhäuser” received the Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording. Much of Hampson’s recent work has been devoted to the “Song of America” project, which commemorates the 250th anniversary of what is recognized as the first song written by an American,”My Days Have Been So Wondrous Free,” composed in 1759 by Francis Hopkinson, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Russian pianist Kirill Gerstein will take the stage on Thursday, February 16, 2012, 8 p.m. Born in 1979, Gerstein is among the most prolific and charismatic young performers in classical music today. His masterful technique, musical curiosity and probing interpretations have led to explorations of classical music and jazz, advanced degrees by the age of 20, a professorship in piano by the age of 27, and a full performance schedule at the world's major music centers and festivals. In 2010, Gerstein was awarded the esteemed $300,000 Gilmore Artist Award, given every four years to an outstanding pianist.

The renowned violin soloist Midori will perform with conductor Osmo Vänskä and the Minnesota Orchestra, Wednesday, March 7, 2012, 8 p.m. Since her debut at the age of 11 with the New York Philharmonic more than 25 years ago, Midori has established a record of achievement that sets her apart as a master musician, innovator, and a champion of the developmental potential of children. Now in its second century, the Minnesota Orchestra ranks among America’s top symphonic ensembles, with a distinguished history of acclaimed performances in its home state and around the world, award-winning recordings, radio broadcasts and educational outreach programs, and a visionary commitment to building the orchestral repertoire of tomorrow.  

The 2012 season concludes with the Northwest German Philharmonic, conducted by Eugene Tzigane, with cellist Amit Peled, on Sunday, March 18, 2012, with a special 4 p.m. matinee performance. The Northwest German Philharmonic has, over the course of the last 60 years, fulfilled an active role in the concert life of Germany, and as important cultural ambassadors throughout Europe and internationally.

Subscriptions for the 2012 season are $225, $195, $165, and $125. Subscribers to the five-season series can save up to 50 percent off the price of individual tickets. For subscription information, call 941-955-0040. Applications for subscriptions can also be downloaded at www.sarasotaconcertassociation.org.

SCA also presents “Munchtime Musicales,” a series of free concerts featuring performances by high-caliber, area-based artists. The series is designed to offer a wide variety of musical genres, including classical, folk, and jazz, featuring both vocal and instrumental performers. The 2011 concert season concludes with Second Winds from the Sarasota Orchestra, comprised of second chair wind players on flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and horn, April 20, 2011, noon, at the Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center, 709 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. The series is free and open to the public. For more information about Munchtime Musicales, call 941-351-7467. The 2011-2012 season will be announced soon.

About the Sarasota Concert Association
The Sarasota Concert Association (SCA) exists to foster the development of an appreciation for the musical arts by sponsoring professional presentations that are not otherwise available in the community, through a not-for-profit, organized-audience plan. SCA aims to set the fee for all performances as reasonably as possible, in order to make the concerts available to as much of the community as possible. The organization is not designed to make a profit but does intend to be self-supporting. It provides outreach to all members of the regional community by offering a series of free concerts, Munchtime Musicales, held every year. For more information about SCA, visit www.sarasotaconcertassociation.org.

Photos courtesy of the artists