By Kelly Smith
If you think you sing great in the shower, just imagine how you’ll sound in the concert hall with The Florida Orchestra. In April, Music Director Michael Francis will lead TFO’s first-ever “Sing Out! Tampa Bay,” a sing-along concert that also features a community chorus performing with the orchestra.
“The beauty of a singing event is that everybody can participate,” said Maestro Francis. “It is the most natural form of musical communication.”
The debut event will be 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 26, at the Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg. Admission is pay-what-you-can.
A diverse group of about 250 singers already has signed up to perform onstage with the orchestra, but the entire audience will sing as well. The repertoire includes classical works such as Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus and Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, as well as popular pieces such as Skyfall, You Raise Me Up, Amazing Grace and much more.
Highlights of other upcoming TFO concerts:
Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto (Friday-Sunday, April 1-3): Stunning 19-year-old violinist Simone Porter makes her TFO debut with Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto. Ask about free Classical Kids tickets for ages 5-18 for this and all Tampa Bay Times Masterworks concerts.
And The Tony Goes to … (Saturday and Sunday, April 9-10 with Saturday matinee): In this Raymond James Pops concert, TFO’s very own Tony Award winner Stuart Malina teams up with Broadway singers for music from Funny Girl, The Music Man, Wicked, Les Miserables, Mamma Mia and more.
The Firebird Suite (Friday-Sunday, April 15-17): A concert with two masterpieces: Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3, “Strassburg” with TFO Concertmaster Jeffrey Multer as soloist, and Stravinsky’s powerful Firebird Suite (1919).
Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony (Friday-Sunday, April 29-May 1): Music Director Michael Francis conducts the symphony that changed all symphonies, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3, “Eroica.”
The Florida Orchestra Masterworks and Pops tickets are $15, $30 and $45 at floridaorchestra.org or 727-892-3337 and 1-800-662-7286. The orchestra regularly performs at the Straz Center in Tampa, Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg, and Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater.
