The Punta Gorda Symphony’s exciting 2022-2023 season will feature six Mainstage Concerts, three Jazz on the Lawn concerts, renowned guest artist and classical pianist Roman Rabinovich, and revered symphonic and jazz works that will be music to the ears of Southwest Floridians eager for live concert experiences inside and outside the concert hall.
Mainstage Concerts at the Charlotte Performing Arts Center will feature well-known titles by Brahms, Copland, Dvorák, Wagner, Schubert, Shostakovich, Rossini, Elgar, Rachmaninoff, and A Classical Holiday with Rimsky-Korsakov, Bach, and Tchaikovsky. The first Mainstage Concert of the season features Brahms’ Symphony No. 1, Rossini’s The Thieving Magpie, and Wood Notes by William Grant Still, known as the “Dean of Afro-American composers.” That will be held Nov. 20 at 7:30 p.m.
Bringing new sounds to our ears in future Mainstage Concerts will be the music of Florence Price, the groundbreaking composer who was the first African American woman to have a composition played by a major orchestra, and Spanish composer Manuel de Falla, renowned for his ballet music based on Spanish dance. Our season finale concert Cinematic Sounds will boast the music of great films at the Charlotte Harbor Event & Conference Center, with a festive after-party.
The Symphony’s Jazz on the Lawn series presents three Southwest Florida jazz groups, performing on the lawn at the Florida SouthWestern State College, Charlotte Campus. On Dec. 3, jazz classics from the Great American Songbook, as well as a few Brazilian Bossa Novas, will be performed by Patricia Dean, one of the few artists in jazz who plays drums and sings, accompanied by her talented group of musicians on piano, bass and guitar. The symphony present Lew Del Gatto & Friends on Feb. 18, and Randy Sandke & Friends on March 18. The Jazz on the Lawn concerts begin at 4 p.m., and chairs are provided. Wine and beer will be available for purchase, so bring a picnic and share an afternoon of great jazz with friends and family.
There’s much more to enjoy. Join us for a Composer’s Luncheon several days before each Mainstage Concert at the Isles Yacht Club, for lunch and wine at the modest price of $30. Musicians will play excerpts from and discuss the upcoming program. The Friday before each Mainstage Concert, go behind the scenes of the music you love with Maestro Raffaele Livio Ponti’s community Behind the Notes program. The Maestro’s lectures are free to all, and are held at the Punta Gorda Library from 5 – 6 p.m. Maestro Ponti also sits down at the concert venue at 6:30 p.m. before each Mainstage Concert for Musical Conversations, sharing further insights into the evening’s program.
Subscriptions to the Mainstage Concert series and the Jazz on the Lawn series are still available, with a 10% discount on ticket pricing.
Visit www.PGSymphony.org/performances for more information and to purchase tickets.
