Led by charismatic Principal Guest Conductor Stuart Malina, The Florida Orchestra’s light symphonic Coffee concerts are popular every year. Think it could be the free coffee and doughnuts? The two series include nine concerts at the Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg on Thursdays, and five at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater on Wednesdays. Come early for the free Pre-concert Conversation at 10 a.m., featuring delightful stories from the conductor and TFO musicians. Concerts start at 11 a.m. Highlights of the 2018-19 season include:
Broadway (Nov. 1, Mahaffey): Start your day with Broadway, including selections from Fiddler on the Roof and Phantom of the Opera, along with Slaughter on 10th Avenue. Stuart Malina conducts.
Let’s Dance (Nov. 29, Mahaffey): Get your morning moving with Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty Waltz, Anderson’s Blue Tango and much more. Stuart Malina conducts.
Orchestra à la Carte (Dec. 19 at Ruth Eckerd Hall, Dec. 20 at Mahaffey): It’s your turn to choose what the orchestra performs. Will it be Barber of Seville or Orpheus in the Underworld? Swan Lake or The Nutcracker March? Audience choice. Stuart Malina conducts.
Spirit of America (Jan. 9 at Ruth Eckerd Hall, Jan. 10 at Mahaffey): A salute to American composers, featuring Bernstein’s Three Dance Episodes from On the Town, Gould’s Second American Symphonette and Joplin’s The Entertainer. Jeff Tyzik conducts.
Symphonic Shakespeare (Feb. 27 at Ruth Eckerd Hall, Feb. 28 at Mahaffey): Music inspired by The Bard, including Porter’s Brush Up Your Shakespeare and selections from Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet. Stuart Malina conducts.
The Florida Orchestra: Coffee concert season tickets are on sale now at 20% off the single ticket price. Single tickets are available Aug. 13 at the same low price as last year: $24, $29, $34, $42 at floridaorchestra.org or 727.892.3337 and 1.800.662.7286.
