The Florida Orchestra (TFO) is celebrating 10 years of Music Director Michael Francis. The 2024-25 season is packed with famous masterpieces and new discoveries. This season reflects the rich cultural landscape of Tampa Bay.
The season opens in October with the Hough Family Foundation Masterworks. Maestro Francis will highlight Tampa Bay’s Latin roots. The program includes a finish with Ravel’s Bolero. The Masterworks series will feature great Romantic concertos like Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with Olga Kern, Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, and Grieg’s Piano Concerto. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 and Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 are also part of the lineup.
For the first time, TFO’s Raymond James Pops series will include country music. It opens with “Country Hits: Songs from Nashville,” featuring songs by Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks. The special Pops concert “Pretty Woman to Hunger Games” will have famous film composer James Newton Howard conducting some of his best scores. The Morning Matinees series is back with a new lead conductor, TFO Resident Conductor Chelsea Gallo. Each morning concert will showcase a solo performance by one of TFO’s musicians.
Season tickets are now available at FloridaOrchestra.org.
Michael Francis said, “The new season is filled with incredible variety. We’re proud to work with soloists from the world’s great concert halls, as we continue to create…experiences with familiar favorites while introducing new discoveries…Each concert should feel unique and meaningful to your life and your community.”
A highlight of the Masterworks series will be Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 and Richard Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra (Theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey). This is the first time TFO will perform the Mahler arrangement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. Francis will also conduct Copland’s Symphony No. 3, which was part of his first opening night with TFO in 2015.
The Masterworks series will also feature “mystery pieces.” These 14 short works, chosen by Francis, will connect to the program in surprising ways and won’t be listed ahead of time.
Francis added, “It’s amazing to me that we’ve reached my tenth season with The Florida Orchestra…Making music with these musicians has been a true privilege.”
President & CEO Ignacio Barrón Viela said, “This season makes a statement about the impact Michael Francis and TFO have made over the past decade…Our audiences have come to expect not only a great performance, but a special experience that stays with them long after they leave the concert hall…The Tampa Bay community is such a rich melting pot of cultures, and we are performing a wide variety of music that is accessible to all.”
For tickets and more information, visit FloridaOrchestra.org.
About The Florida Orchestra
The Florida Orchestra (TFO) is recognized as Tampa Bay’s leading performing arts institution, the largest professional orchestra in Florida, and one of the most vibrant and innovative orchestras in America. It celebrates its 57th season in 2024-25. Under the leadership of Music Director Michael Francis, TFO performs series of classical, popular, and morning coffee concerts in Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater, as well as free Pops in the Park concerts. The orchestra is dedicated to connecting to the community both in-person and virtually, with family and youth concerts and other educational programs. For tickets and information: FloridaOrchestra.org.