On December 15, Daniel O’Donnell, Irish singer, television presenter and philanthropist, will be taking the stage at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. O’Donnell, who hails from County Donegal, Ireland, is not only a household name in Ireland and Great Britain, he’s one of the most successful artists in the history of the United Kingdom’s music charts. O’Donnell is the only artist in the world to have a hit on the UK charts every single year since 1988–his latest album, How Lucky I Must Be, released this past October peaked at number 39 on the UK album charts.

“There’s quite a few original songs on the album from Irish writers,” says O’Donnell. “It’s just a collection of songs that I connected with when I first heard them. That’s really the criteria for me when I record something–I just have to love it and if I love it, then we record it.”

O’Donnell has been loving what he does for quite some time now, since the start of the 21st century, he has released a studio album in every single year, including 2023’s How Lucky I Must Be. “I always sang from a young age, but I never thought about having a career in it,” says O’Donnell. "However, once I started, I enjoyed it so much that I thought it would be a good way to spend your life, so I traveled with my sister Margo and her band for two years, before breaking off and making my first solo record in 1983.”

It didn’t take long for O’Donnell to explode in popularity. Soon after the release of his first solo record, he signed with his long-term manager Sean Reilly, where he began selling out concerts all across Ireland and the United Kingdom. Fast forward to today and O’Donnell is still touring and performing with the same vigor and enthusiasm he did when he began. “I just love the music and I love singing,” he says. “There’s just a lovely atmosphere when I’m on stage and I suppose that the audience seems to enjoy it just as much as I do.” 

Photo courtesy of Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall.

The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall is excited to welcome Kenny G to Sarasota on Sunday, May 5, 2024 at 7pm. Tickets on sale Friday, December 8 at 10am EST. The sound of Kenny G’s saxophone is as iconic as his curly coif; indeed, both are instantly recognizable. His latest release, New Standards, the title of his 19th studio album, fifth for Concord Records and first since 2015’s Brazilian Nights, could well be used to describe his four-decade body of work, a vision of jazz that helped launch both a musical genre and radio format.  After director Penny Lane’s critically acclaimed HBO documentary, Listening to Kenny G – which humorously reconsiders the purist critical backlash to his music – and a demand performance on Kanye West’s Grammy-winning Jesus Is King album, it’s now cool to not only be Kenny G, but admit you’re a fan of his as well. Tickets start at $40 and can be purchased at www.VanWezel.org, by calling the box office at 941-263-6799 or by visiting the box office Monday through Friday between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Groups of 10 or more should contact 941-263-6726. Pre-show dining is available through Mattison’s at the Van Wezel which is located inside the theatre. Reservations can be made on VanWezel.org or through the box office. 

Pictured: Kenny G will bring his cool jazz to Sarasota this spring. Photo by Chapman Baehler.

Due to popular demand, the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall pleased to announce a fourth performance of The Cher Show scheduled for Thursday, January 11, 2024 at 2pm. Tickets are currently on sale. Superstars come and go. Cher is forever. For six straight decades, only one unstoppable force has flat-out dominated popular culture - breaking down barriers, pushing boundaries and letting nothing and no one stand in her way. The Cher Show is the Tony Award®-winning musical of her story, and it’s packed with so much Cher that it takes three women to play her: the kid starting out, the glam pop star, and the icon. The Cher Show is 35 smash hits, six decades of stardom, two rock-star husbands, a Grammy®, an Oscar®, an Emmy®, and enough Tony Award-winning Bob Mackie gowns to cause a sequin shortage in New York City, all in one unabashedly fabulous new musical that will have audiences dancing in the aisles! The Cher Show plays the Van Wezel January 10-12, 2024. Tickets are extremely limited for the evening performances. Tickets start at $45 and can be purchased at www.VanWezel.org, by calling the box office at 941-263-6799 or by visiting the box office Monday through Friday between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Groups of 10 or more should contact 941-263-6726. 

The Grammy Award-winning HarlemQuartet has dazzled audiences from Carnegie Hall to the White House and has collaborated with world-renowned artists including Itzhak Perlman. Known for their eclectic programming, the Quartet makes their Sarasota Concert Association debut on Wednesday, January 24 at 7:30 p.m, at the Riverview Performing Arts Center. Celebrated for their “panache” by The New York Times and hailed in the Cincinnati Enquirer for “bringing a new attitude to classical music, one that is fresh, bracing and intelligent,” the Harlem Quartet will be performing Beethoven’s String Quartet Opus 18, No. 5, Fanny Mendelssohn’s String Quartet in E-flat Major, Guido López-Gavilán’s Cuarteto en Guaguanco, and Caroline Shaw’s Entr’acte. The Harlem Quartet has three distinctive characteristics: diverse programming that combines music from the standard string quartet canon with jazz, Latin, and contemporary works; a collaborative approach to performance that is continually broadening the ensemble’s repertoire and audience reach through artistic partnerships with other musicians from the classical and jazz worlds; and an ongoing commitment to residency activity and other forms of educational outreach. They will be holding a masterclass at Booker High School and Riverview High School during their stay in Sarasota. Single tickets start at $30 and can be purchased online at SCAsarasota.org, or through our box office at (941) 966-6161. Our box office is open Monday through Friday, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Three-concert mini-subscriptions and group discounts for groups of 10 or more are available by calling (941) 966-6161. 

Florida Studio Theatre is extending the run of its Winter Mainstage production, Little Shop of Horrors, for an additional week. Called “A bloody good show” by the Venice Gondolier-Sun and “Comic perfection” by The Observer, FST’s production of the popular musical comedy will now run through Sunday, January 14. Audiences are calling the hit Broadway and sci-fi musical “Fantastic,” “Very entertaining,” “Phenomenal,” and “Hilarious!” Audience member Nancy C. said, “I loved every minute of it! Fantastic voices, costumes, and sets, and Audrey II was fabulous. What great talent comes to Sarasota.” 

Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota recently received funding from six grant makers totaling $190,600 in support of its 2023-2024 concert season, educational outreach program, a rebranding project, and more. Two general support grants were awarded: The Sarasota County Tourist Development Cultural/Arts Grant provides season support in the amount of $64,872, and the Florida Department of State Division of Arts & Culture approved $61,578 in funding to support operations. Both grants recognize and fund the overall mission of Artist Series Concerts. Artist Series Concerts received a $50,000 grant from the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation to continue to expand and enhance its artist residency program, which is part of the educational outreach program. The residency program enables the performing artists to extend their stay in Sarasota to allow for additional school visits. The funds also assist in the distribution of reduced-price and complimentary tickets to students, their teachers, and parents. A $5,000 grant was awarded by The Exchange to support the “’Caesar!’ and the Markov Family” concert, which included 34 Key Chorale singers, 34 Booker High School VPA Choir students, and 15 local professional musicians. The Gulf Coast Community Foundation approved a grant in the amount of $5,000, made possible through the Venice Endowment Fund, to be used for rebranding support. A $4,150 grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County also supports the rebranding project. For more information about Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota, visit ArtistSeriesConcerts.org or call (941) 306-1202. 

For the first time in 21 years, Embracing Our Differences (EOD) will be displaying its international outdoor exhibit in St. Petersburg as part of its 2024 exhibition season. Sarah Wertheimer, EOD’s executive director, explains that, in 2003, the Florida Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg partnered with the Museum on the Seam in Jerusalem, Israel, to present “Coexistence,” an exhibit of 35 billboard-sized works of art and accompanying words of inspiration that promoted the concept of “coexistence.” In 2004, Sarasota arts advocates Dottie and Bob Garner, Helen and Roy McBean, and Graci and Dennis McGillicuddy co-chaired the first “Coexistence” exhibit in Sarasota. “The rest is history,” says Wertheimer, explaining that Embracing Our Differences was formed as its own nonprofit organization in 2004 through the efforts of Dennis McGillicuddy, Carroll Buchanan and Michael Shelton. 

Pictured: Hand_le With Care by Samantha Dennis.

SRQ Magazine is calling home builders, architects, landscape architects and interior designers to submit their projects from the past year. The winning entries are awarded Home of the Year Platinum, Gold, and Silver Awards and the winning entries are published in the March 2024 awards edition of SRQ Magazine. 

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GRACEFUL HOLIDAYS | The holiday season is upon us - time to find those swoon-worthy gifts for all the loved ones in your life. Make this year of giving the best one yet with SRQ's annual holiday gift guide, from pickleball champs to style icons, December 2023. 

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