“For half a century, some of the finest young musicians in the world have gathered every summer in Sarasota,” writes Marty Clear in Sunday’s (6/8) Bradenton Herald (Florida). “They come here for the Sarasota Music Festival, an annual program of the Sarasota Orchestra [in which] student musicians study intensively with some of the best music professionals and educators in the country. For people who live in the Bradenton-Sarasota area, it’s also an opportunity to experience some of the finest up-and-coming talent in the world of classical music. The 50th anniversary edition of the festival … continues through next June 21.… These aren’t just any students, festival officials say. They’re more like pre-professional musicians. ‘It’s almost misleading to call them students,’ said RoseAnne McCabe, the administrative director of the Sarasota Music Festival. ‘We have 60 of the finest pre-professional musicians in the country.’ The average age of the students in the festival is about 23, McCabe said, and the 60 who are selected are culled from about 500 applicants. It’s not unusual for students to land high-profile positions with major orchestras soon after they’re in Sarasota for the festival. So the level of musicianship is high even at the student recitals, but the festival also includes concerts that feature faculty members.”
Posted June 10, 2014
