Pictured: Classical guitarist Jason Vieaux. Photo courtesy of La Musica.

The La Musica International Chamber Music Festival returns for its 31st year presenting premier musicians from around the globe with four concerts scheduled through the month of April, including one produced in collaboration with GuitarSarasota. Classical greats from Mendelssohn to Bach to Dvorak and Paganini are all slated to get their due at the hands of La Musica’s visiting performers, and while official festival concerts all take place in the Sarasota Opera House, daily rehearsals at the Mildred Sainer Pavilion will also be open to the public.

The festival kicks off in earnest April 3 at the Sarasota Opera House, with a concert featuring works from Mendelssohn, Webern and Strauss, followed by an April 6 performance comprising selections from Bach, Mozart and Dvorak. On April 9 the series continues with works from Schubert, Mendelssohn and Smetana and the festival concludes on April 12 with a special performance made in collaboration with GuitarSarasota, bringing the Grammy Award-winning classical guitarist Jason Vieaux to the stage for his La Musica debut performing pieces from Paganini and Boccherini. “There’s always something a little different,” says La Musica President Sally Faron. “That’s one of the things that makes it so interesting for people to come back.”

Selected by La Musica Artistic Director Bruno Giuranna and Associate Artistic Director Derek Han, the music for each festival is always carefully chosen in tandem with the selection of the visiting musicians, so that every piece plays to the strengths and interests of the performers. And joining Giuranna (violist) and Han (pianist) at this year’s festival are the violinists Federico Agostini, Claudio Cruz and Cecilia Ziano; violists Daniel Avshalomov and Hsin-Yun Huang; cellists JeongHyoun and Antonio Meneses; and aforementioned guitarist Vieaux.

But although the first concert is not until April 3, La Musica fans can start watching April 1, when the visiting musicians host their first rehearsal at the Mildred Sainer Pavilion. With all rehearsals open to the public, audiences are invited to enjoy the entire process, not just the finished product. “We’re reaching out to people and inviting them to listen and play and think with us and see how we do things,” says Faron. “We have an awful lot of people who come and trace a piece from its initial playing right to the polished performance.”

The La Musica International Chamber Festival concert series begins April 3 with subsequent performances on April 6, 9 and 12. Subscriptions for all four performances are $150 or single tickets are available for $40 each. Rehearsals at the Mildred Sainer Pavilion begin April 1 and run through the festival on every day except concert days. Attendance is free of charge for concert subscription holders or, for non-subscribers, $75 for a pass to all or $15 for each rehearsal.

For full schedule, follow the link below.

Pictured: Classical guitarist Jason Vieaux. Photo courtesy of La Musica.

La Musica International Chamber Music Festival