Performing Arts Preview

Orlando Philharmonic Celebrates Diverse Lineup

Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2023-2024 season, in the acoustically perfect Steinmetz Hall at Dr. Phillips Center, celebrates the lively diversity of Orlando with programming and artists who will bring it to exuberant life.

Eric Jacobsen

OPO’s Classics Series will feature internationally acclaimed pianists Emanuel Ax and Alexandra Dariescu, violinist Bella Hristova, rising star Sterling Elliott, vocalists Jamie Barton and Sarah Shafer, and the brilliant Concertmaster Rimma Bergeron-Langlois joining Music Director Eric Jacobsen and orchestra.

Six concerts this season feature women on the podium: Mei-Ann Chen, Chloé van Soeterstède, Chelsea Gallo and Georgia Mills, and exciting works by female composers Dai Wei, Katarina Leyman, and former Composer-in-Residence Anna Clyne.

You’ll enjoy a brand-new piano concerto by James Lee III, frequent collaborator with the OPO and Music Director Eric Jacobsen, in addition to the grandest masterpieces in the repertoire, like Pictures at an Exhibition, The Rite of Spring, Brahms’s Third Symphony, and Mahler’s deeply moving “Resurrection” Symphony. orlandophil.org

Central Florida Vocal Arts Opens Season With A Little Night Music

With beloved musical numbers including “A Weekend in the Country” and “Send in the Clowns,” Central Florida Vocal Arts launches its 11th season with Sondheim’s romantic comedy A Little Night Music, with performances scheduled for August 18-20 at Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.

Recently named Company, Artistic and Stage Director Eric Pinder will lead a cast of the finest local performers in this piece that asks what happens to love when it is tarnished by time and man’s foolishness? He shares his excitement: “This is one of my all-time favorite musicals. It has not been produced in Central Florida in over a decade and even then, not with a full orchestra [Space Coast Symphony Orchestra].”

This season’s offerings are presented under the banner “where the voice takes center stage.” According to CFVA Executive Director Theresa Smith-Levin this tagline is meant to shine a spotlight on what the company does best — offer compelling vocal performances that inspire audiences. centralfloridavocalarts.org Photos by Gontran Durocher

ORLANDO SHAKES’ 35TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON

Central Florida’s largest professional theater company, Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF, kicks off its 2023-2024 season in August with Million Dollar Quartet; the true story of the day Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins jammed together at Sun Record Studios in 1956.

In September, Shakespeare and comedy lovers alike will be transported to Mardi Gras in New Orleans for a fun-filled take on Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors, followed in October by Boulevard of Bold Dreams, a dynamic story about the night Hattie McDaniel made Hollywood history by becoming the first Black artist to win an Oscar. In December, Orlando Shakes’ holiday tradition A Christmas Carol returns to warm the hearts of the entire family. orlandoshakes.org

“For 34 years, Orlando Shakes has entertained Central Florida audiences with some of the best comedies, dramas and musicals ever written,” says Jim Helsinger, who will be entering his 29th season as artistic director with Orlando Shakes. “To celebrate our 35th season, what better way to do so than to produce world-class work that makes you want to laugh, makes you think, and makes you feel.”

ORLANDO BALLET’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON

Orlando Ballet’s 2023-2024 season reflects its 50-year history as well as its future as Central Florida’s premier professional dance company. Reflections is the celebratory launch of Orlando Ballet’s 50th season and offers a look back as well as ahead in terms of how the organization has evolved from its very humble start to become one of Central Florida’s leading performing arts organizations.

In December, Orlando Ballet will premiere a reimagined production of The Nutcracker. Supported by an elite dream team of designers of sets, costumes and lighting, this production will stay true to the traditional story of a young girl’s love for her favorite Christmas gift bestowed by the town’s toymaker. Artistic Director Jorden Morris pairs Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s classic musical score with entirely new choreography to create a fresh and whimsical experience, complete with giant snow globes, fancy mice, and a few highflying surprises.

Other performances scheduled for 2024 include Christopher Stowell’s The Sleeping Beauty; Director’s Choice featuring Heath Gill World Premiere: Stephanie Martinez’s “Dos Lados” and Jorden Morris’ “Deverell;” and Kenneth Tindall’s Casanova — U.S. Premiere. orlandoballet.org

Opera Orlando Is All For Art

Opera Orlando is “All for Art” this coming season, with three original and visually stunning productions on the MainStage of Steinmetz Hall at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. Subscription packages are on sale now and include a Puccini masterwork (Tosca), an opera about the remarkable life of Mexican painter Frida Kah lo (Kahlo), and a Game of Thrones-inspired Donizetti classic (Lucia di Lammermoor). Subscribers can also take advantage of a special add-on production as the Opera returns to the Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater to conclude the season with a rarely performed Philip Glass opera. operaorlando.org

“Opera, from its inception, has been a collaboration of all the arts: theater, dance, visual art, and of course, music, and this season is really designed to celebrate that,” shares Opera Orlando General Director Gabriel Preisser. “It will be a season of incredible art, singing, and grand opera fit for Steinmetz Hall!”