Upcoming Events

Program: JIMMY LÓPEZ BELLIDO Fiesta! BILLY CHILDS Concerto for Saxophone R. STRAUSS Suite from Der Rosenkavalier RAVEL La Valse Fiesta! by Jimmy López Bellido is an exuberant mix of European traditions with Afro-Peruvian and popular music vibes. Steven Banks performs Billy Childs’ Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra, taking the listener through a Black American experience from Africa through enslavement to empo...

For nearly six decades, the three-time Grammy® Award-winning Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has entertained audiences with their top-shelf musicianship, groundbreaking trilogy of Will The Circle Be Unbroken albums and timeless hits such as "Mr. Bojangles," "Long Hard Road (The Sharecropper's Dream)," "Modern Day Romance," "Workin' Man (Nowhere To Go)," and "Fishin' in the Dark." Now, wi...

STAYIN’ ALIVE offers to their audiences the songs and sights of a full Bee Gees playlist, singing blockbusters such as “Night Fever,” “Jive Talkin’,” “How Deep Is Your Love,” “You Should Be Dancing,” “Nights on Broadway,” and “Stayin’ Alive.” In addition, they perform softer poetic ballads such as “I Started a Joke,” “Massachusetts,&rdqu...

Get ready to groove at the Disco with The Bump, YMCA, Funky Chicken Dance! After launching a dance class series for seniors and persons with disabilities in the fall, we are happy to announce our winter/spring series designed just for seniors! We are calling it “Golden Groovers” and it is designed to engage and challenge our adult learners. Taught by dynamic Van Wezel teaching artists Deb Lombard and Eric van Baars, participant...

Join cellist Yo-Yo Ma for an evening of music and words. In this one-night-only performance, Yo-Yo Ma performs a special selection of his favorite pieces and shares stories about a life dedicated to music....

Three leading ladies from the Broadway stage, including Glinda and Elphaba from Wicked and Mary Poppins herself, light up the stage in an evening of popular Broadway hits. Performed at Carnegie Hall, the show features soaring vocals and beautiful music from Wicked, Phantom of the Opera, Evita, Funny Girl, Gypsy, A Chorus Line, and many others. For Tickets and Details visit Sarasota Orchestra Website >...

Neil Berg’s 115 Years of Broadway is back for its annual celebration of Broadway’s greatest songs from its finest shows! This dazzling show features some of Broadway’s finest stars performing songs from the best and most beloved Broadway musicals....

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Members and GRAMMY® Lifetime Achievement winners, The Temptations and The Four Tops, coming for a night of classic Motown hits, harmonies, flashy wardrobes, and original choreography! Celebrating 60 years, The Temptations have prospered, propelling popular music with a multitude of award-winning and chart-topping songs and albums, and sold-out performances throughout the world. The Four Tops have been thrilling a...

Twyla Tharp celebrates her 60th anniversary with a coast-to-coast tour featuring her Olivier-nominated “Diabelli,” set to Beethoven’s masterpiece Diabelli Variations, and a new dance titled “SLACKTIDE” to a reimagining of Philip Glass’s iconic Aguas da Amazonia, arranged by Third Coast Percussion. Showcasing Tharp’s uncanny and witty use of music to create work of startling originality and beauty, the ...

Gladys Knight, a seven-time GRAMMY Award winner, has been an iconic figure in music for over 60 years, achieving #1 hits in Pop, Gospel, R&B, and Adult Contemporary while excelling in film, TV, and live performance. With over 38 albums, including solo works like “At Last” (2001), she continues to captivate audiences. Her career highlights include acting roles in “Almost Christmas” and FOX's “Star,&rdqu...

Get ready to groove to the Macarena, The Cabbage Patch and the Running Man, Electric Slide, Boot Scoot Boogie! After launching a dance class series for seniors and persons with disabilities in the fall, we are happy to announce our winter/spring series designed just for seniors! We are calling it “Golden Groovers” and it is designed to engage and challenge our adult learners. Taught by dynamic Van Wezel teaching artists Deb Lom...

RAIN: A Tribute to the Beatles is an electrifying concert experience celebrating the timeless music of the legendary fab four. With note-for-note precision, this mind-blowing performance transports you back to the iconic eras of Sgt. Pepper and Magical Mystery Tour, along with all your favorite hits. From energetic classics to reflective favorites, the band delivers an unforgettable performance that appeals to fans old and new. With vibrant co...

Program: VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Overture to The Wasps DVORÁK Romance RAVEL Tzigane HOLST The Planets One of the most influential works on and off the concert stage, Holst’s The Planets is captivating from start to finish. Violinist Grace Park brings her “fresh, different and exhilarating” (San Francisco Chronicle) talents to Dvorák’s lilting Romance and Ravel’s entrancing Tzigane. Vaughan Willi...

Dr. Moiya McTier is an astrophysicist, folklorist, and science communicator based in New York City, but her origins are a bit more modest… and surprising. Moiya grew up in a log cabin in rural Pennsylvania without running water or TV, which meant she had plenty of time to focus on her studies. Hard work and a lot of luck took Moiya to Harvard, where she was the first person in the school’s long history to double major in both ...

Two-time Grammy-winning comedian Lewis Black's trademark comedic style exposes life's absurdities, garnering laughs globally. His latest stand-up special, "Tragically, I Need You," explores pandemic coping and societal frustrations. On his podcast, Rant Cast, he delivers audience-written rants. A fixture on Comedy Central's THE DAILY SHOW, his stand-up specials air on major networks. Notable film roles include Pixar's...

Matteo Bocelli, a rising star in classical crossover music, has captivated global audiences with his powerful performances and chart-topping releases. His career began with a 2018 duet with his father, Andrea Bocelli, on "Fall On Me," which has since amassed over 400 million streams. Matteo has sold out prestigious venues worldwide on his "Night With Matteo" tour, performing at iconic locations like the Sydney Opera House a...

ZZ TOP, "That Little Ol' Band from Texas," has been rocking for over 50 years with their iconic beards, hotrod cars, and spinning guitars. Formed in 1969, they hit it big with songs like "La Grange" and made waves with 1983's *Eliminator*, a Diamond-certified album. After bassist Dusty Hill passed in 2021, Elwood Francis joined the band, keeping their “Tone, Taste, and Tenacity” alive. Inducted into the ...

Jay Leno and Arsenio Hall are iconic figures in entertainment, known for their significant contributions to late-night television. Jay Leno, acclaimed for hosting "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" for two decades, maintained top ratings and is now the host of "Jay Leno’s Garage" on CNBC, exploring cars and their stories. A versatile performer, Leno also does stand-up comedy, voice-over work, writes automotive columns, ...

Get The Led Out (GTLO), a Philadelphia-based group comprising six seasoned musicians, skillfully recreates Led Zeppelin's music from bombastic epics to folky mysticism on the concert stage. With a focus on authenticity, they bring Zeppelin's recorded essence to life, employing multi-instrumentalists to replicate studio overdubs and deliver the songs with unprecedented depth and glory. Eschewing gimmicks, GTLO offers a high-energy exper...

Itzhak Perlman enjoys superstar status rarely afforded a classical musician. Beloved for his talent, charm, and humanitarian efforts, he is treasured by audiences throughout the world. With an irrepressible joy for making music, the violin virtuoso is one of the most in-demand artists in music. Classical music’s most prominent ambassador, Perlman has been granted a Kennedy Center Honor, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and Presidential ...

SARASOTA PREMIERE! Pop the champagne, Moulin Rouge! The Musical is the winner of 10 Tony Awards® — including Best Musical! Enter a world of splendor and romance, of eye-popping excess, of glitz, grandeur, and glory! A world where Bohemians and aristocrats rub elbows and revel in electrifying enchantment. Welcome to Moulin Rouge! The Musical! Baz Luhrmann’s revolutionary film comes to life onstage, remixed in a new mu...

Taught by nine-time Broadway veteran and Director of Education Justin Gomlak. $30 per class or 4 for $100. If you have any questions, please contact Justin Gomlak with questions about these classes geared toward adults, teens and children at (941) 263-6754. To make your reservation today, please click here. About Justin JUSTIN GOMLAK is a veteran of nine Broadway shows, originating companies, understudying major roles, and se...

SARASOTA PREMIERE! Pop the champagne, Moulin Rouge! The Musical is the winner of 10 Tony Awards® — including Best Musical! Enter a world of splendor and romance, of eye-popping excess, of glitz, grandeur, and glory! A world where Bohemians and aristocrats rub elbows and revel in electrifying enchantment. Welcome to Moulin Rouge! The Musical! Baz Luhrmann’s revolutionary film comes to life onstage, remixed in a new mu...

Direct from Washington, D.C., Music Director Gianandrea Noseda leads the National Symphony Orchestra in Beethoven’s powerful Symphony No. 5. Three-time Grammy Award-winning violinist Hilary Hahn joins the Orchestra in Erich Korngold’s beautifully romantic and virtuosic Violin Concerto, a fusion of Viennese romance and old Hollywood. “She started out as a prodigy of rare clarity and virtuosity, and has developed into a dar...

The Sarasota Ballet will perform Sir Frederick Ashton's Romeo and Juliet for Program Six, accompanied by the Sarasota Orchestra, at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall from March 28 to 29, 2025. Program Six sees the long-awaited Company premiere of Sir Frederick Ashton’s full-length story ballet Romeo and Juliet, bringing the grandeur and passion of Shakespeare’s beloved tragedy to the Sarasota stage. Choreographed in 1955 t...

R. McMaster was the 25th Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. He served as a commissioned officer in the United States Army for thirty-four years before retiring as a Lieutenant General in June 2018. H.R. is the Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Distinguished University Fellow at Arizona State University, and lecturer at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University. H.R. was co...

The Simon & Garfunkel Story is the immersive concert-style theater show that chronicles the amazing journey shared by the folk-rock duo, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, using huge projection photos and original film footage. It tells the story from their humble beginnings as Tom & Jerry to their success as one of the best-selling music groups of the ‘60’s and their dramatic split in 1970. It culminates with the famous “...

Saxophonist Branford Marsalis is a band leader, composer, featured classical soloist, and an award-winning artist with three GRAMMY Awards, Tony and Emmy Award nominations, and a citation as a NEA Jazz Master. After more than three decades of existence, with minimal personnel changes, the Branford Marsalis Quartet is revered for its uncompromising interpretation of a kaleidoscopic range of both original compositions and jazz and popular classi...

Program: PETER BOYER Horizons (new commission) BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 3 BRAHMS Symphony No. 4 Jon Kimura Parker, a veteran of the international concert stage, brings his infectious enthusiasm to Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto, which travels from turbulence to serenity to exuberance. Brahms’ astonishing Fourth Symphony is a perennial audience favorite. The program opens with a personal touch in the premiere of Hori...

STILL THE WORLD’S MOST POPULAR MUSICAL! Cameron Mackintosh presents the acclaimed production of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s Tony Award-winning musical phenomenon, Les Misérables. This brilliant staging has taken the world by storm and has been hailed as “Les Mis for the 21st Century” (Huffington Post), “a reborn dream of a production” (Daily Telegraph) and “one of th...

Taught by nine-time Broadway veteran and Director of Education Justin Gomlak. $30 per class or 4 for $100. If you have any questions, please contact Justin Gomlak with questions about these classes geared toward adults, teens and children at (941) 263-6754. To make your reservation today, please click here. About Justin JUSTIN GOMLAK is a veteran of nine Broadway shows, originating companies, understudying major roles, and se...

STILL THE WORLD’S MOST POPULAR MUSICAL! Cameron Mackintosh presents the acclaimed production of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s Tony Award-winning musical phenomenon, Les Misérables. This brilliant staging has taken the world by storm and has been hailed as “Les Mis for the 21st Century” (Huffington Post), “a reborn dream of a production” (Daily Telegraph) and “one of th...

Former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases World-Renowned Infectious Disease Specialist; Trusted Advisor to 7 U.S. Presidents Dr. Anthony Fauci is perhaps the most recognized and influential figure in public health and policy in modern time. With a career bookended by the HIV/AIDs and COVID-19 pandemics, Dr. Fauci’s impact spanned 7 presidents, covered 50 years of public service, and to...

This is Elton! Crash land into your seat with THE ROCKET MAN SHOW, starring Scotsman Rus Anderson – Elton John’s official 70’s body double as featured in the ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ world tour. Chosen by the man himself, Rus’ performance pilots a night of greatest hits, gorgeous costumes and fierce piano playing. Currently featured on E!’s ‘Clash of the Cover Bands’, Rus’ portray...

Due to the impact of Hurricane Milton, The Commodores has rescheduled this performance for Thursday, April 17, 2025 (next year) at 8:00pm. Your tickets as will automatically transfer to the new date and remain valid for entry. One of the greatest Motown and R&B / funk artists of all time, The Commodores have influenced artists both young and old, and in all genres with their classic songs. With a brand that is bigger than ever, The C...

At age 91, John Williams won his 26th GRAMMY. From Harry Potter to Indiana Jones, Williams is one of America’s most iconic composers of film scores that are on track to become timeless. Stuart Chafetz leads the Orchestra in this special tribute featuring music from Star Wars, E.T., Schindler’s List, Superman, Close Encounters, Jaws, Hook, The Cowboys, and more! For Tickets and Details visit Sarasota Orchestra Website >...

SARASOTA PREMIERE! He earned his stripes on Broadway . . . now the ghost-with-the-most is coming to Sarasota! It’s showtime! Based on Tim Burton’s dearly beloved film, this hilarious musical tells the story of Lydia Deetz, a strange and unusual teenager whose whole life changes when she meets a recently deceased couple and a demon with a thing for stripes. With an irreverent book, an astonishing set, and a score that&rsqu...

Taught by nine-time Broadway veteran and Director of Education Justin Gomlak. $30 per class or 4 for $100. If you have any questions, please contact Justin Gomlak with questions about these classes geared toward adults, teens and children at (941) 263-6754. To make your reservation today, please click here. About Justin JUSTIN GOMLAK is a veteran of nine Broadway shows, originating companies, understudying major roles, and se...

SARASOTA PREMIERE! He earned his stripes on Broadway . . . now the ghost-with-the-most is coming to Sarasota! It’s showtime! Based on Tim Burton’s dearly beloved film, this hilarious musical tells the story of Lydia Deetz, a strange and unusual teenager whose whole life changes when she meets a recently deceased couple and a demon with a thing for stripes. With an irreverent book, an astonishing set, and a score that&rsqu...

Founded in 1995 by Vicky Zetterberg-Norbäck and ABBA's Rutger Gunnarsson, ARRIVAL from Sweden is renowned globally for their authentic ABBA tribute show, "The Music of ABBA." This 10-12 piece band has sold out arenas worldwide, performed with over 120 symphonies, and appeared on numerous TV and radio shows. Their meticulous renditions of ABBA's iconic hits, including "Dancing Queen" and "Mamma Mia," a...

Due to the devastation created by Hurricanes Helene and Milton to the Sarasota community and the surrounding areas, including damage sustained by The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall the John Crist concert scheduled for December 5, 2024 is being moved to Thursday, May 1, 2025.  Your tickets remain valid and have automatically transferred to the new date.  Deadline for refunds for this show is Friday, December 13, 2024. ...

MANSION OF DREAMS is the crowning achievement of the multi-award-winning Master Illusionist Rick Thomas. Stunning magic, extreme comedy, exquisite dancers and an inspiring story are woven into one of the most amazing production ever to be seen on stage and television today! High honors include the coveted “Magician of the Year” by the Academy of Magical Arts and Magic’s highest recognition "Illusionist of the World&q...

Relive the magic and mystique of Fleetwood Mac with Fleetwood Mach Tribute Show at Van Wezel Performing Arts Center Saturday, May 3rd! This sound alike, look alike tribute recreates all the greatest Fleetwood Mac hits including 'Dreams', 'You Make Lovin' Fun', "Gypsy', 'Don't Stop', 'Gold Dust Woman', 'The Chain', 'Rhiannon', as well as the Stevie Nicks solo (and duet) songs incl...

Graham Russell & Russell Hitchcock met in 1975 during rehearsals for "Jesus Christ Superstar" in Sydney. They became instant friends and recorded a single in an afternoon, and it shot to #1 on the national charts. Air Supply was born! Seven top-five singles later, Air Supply at that time had equaled The Beatles' run of consecutive top five singles. The albums “Lost in Love,” “The One That You Love,...

Joe Gatto, best known from Impractical Jokers and The Misery Index, has toured extensively with his solo comedy show, Joe Gatto’s Night of Comedy, selling out theaters across the U.S., Canada, and Australia. A longtime advocate for anti-bullying and animal rescue, he founded the non-profit Gatto Pups and Friends in 2022, focusing on senior and unwanted dogs. He also co-hosts the podcast Two Cool Moms, giving humorous advice to fans. As a...

Leanne Morgan rose to fame with her Netflix special "I'm Every Woman," delivering relatable humor and Southern charm. With a 25-year career, she has sold over 100,000 tickets in just six months on her "Just Getting Started" tour, performing at renowned venues like the Chicago Theatre and Nashville's Ryman Auditorium. Named one of Variety's Top 10 Comics to Watch for 2023, Morgan will star in the Amazon Prime...

Interested in the world of backstage and technical theatre? In partnership with the stagehands union local #412, kids will work with skilled union technicians in hands-on activities and experience the excitement and possibility of life behind the scenes in the theatre. With unprecedented access to the hidden corners of the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall that audiences never see, campers will learn from the people who truly know the business of...

Interested in the world of backstage and technical theatre? In partnership with the stagehands union local #412, kids will work with skilled union technicians in hands-on activities and experience the excitement and possibility of life behind the scenes in the theatre. With unprecedented access to the hidden corners of the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall that audiences never see, campers will learn from the people who truly know the business of...

Due to the impact of Hurricane Milton, Cirque Musica Holiday Wonderland has rescheduled this performance for Sunday, December 21, 2025 (next year) at 6:00pm. Your tickets as will automatically transfer to the new date and remain valid for entry. Experience the magic of Cirque Musica Holiday Wonderland this season! Enjoy a journey of music, marvels, and festive spirit with breathtaking acrobatics and aerial feats. Delight in the fusi...

*Due to the impact of Hurricane Milton, TINA-The Tina Turner Musical has rescheduled this performance for February 20-22, 2026. Your tickets as will automatically transfer to the new date and remain valid for entry.* An uplifting comeback story like no other, TINA – The Tina Turner Musical is the inspiring journey of a woman who broke barriers and became the Queen of Rock n’ Roll.  Set to the pulse-pounding soundtrack of...