News

Bruckner Writ Small? Handful of Floridians Tap Into Heart Of 7th

Kurt Loft, Classical Voice North America, 19th April 2023

Mention the name Anton Bruckner and you might expect crickets from friends and two-for-one tickets at the box office. Unless you’re in the big city, Bruckner is a tough sell, as his colossal, unhurried works require stamina on both sides of the proscenium.

The Florida Orchestra will […]

Tampa native’s violin concerto will be performed for the first time ever this weekend

Maggie Duffy, Tampa Bay Times, 1st December 2022

The Florida Orchestra debuts the world premiere of Violin Concerto by Tampa native Michael Ippolito from Friday through Sunday. It was specifically written for concertmaster Jeffrey Multer and is part of the Masterworks concert series featuring Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4.

Ippolito, 37, is a graduate of Brandon High […]

The Florida Orchestra announces its 2022-23 concert season

Bill DeYoung, St. Pete Catalyst, 4th May 2022

Looking backwards has never been a priority for Michael Francis, musical director of The Florida Orchestra. The maestro is always focused on the now, the new, the next big thing.

And as TFO begins its final month of concerts before the summer break, Francis is quite naturally enthused […]

The Florida Orchestra announces its 2021-2022 season

Maggie Duffy, Tampa Bay Times, 19th May 2021

As the Florida Orchestra wraps up its revised 2020-21 season, it announces its 2021-22 season beginning in the fall. While the past season saw fewer musicians on stage, reduced audience size and shows at just one venue, the new season brings back a full symphony with full […]

Francis, Florida Orchestra set a ‘normal’ concert season, to start in September

Bill DeYoung, St Pete Cataylst, 19th May 2021

Michael Francis is on the phone, talking about The Florida Orchestra’s most recent big score: Eighty concerts since October, for 80 live audiences, in a safe and socially-distanced environment.

“Obviously, nobody wanted this terrible pandemic, but once it happened all we could do was make the best of […]

Inside the Music: Beethoven Symphony No. 7

PBS-WEDU, Aired 31st December 2020

A special broadcast recorded live at the Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg. Music Director Michael Francis will be your guide before a performance of the full symphony in honor of the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth.

The Florida Orchestra is back: Here’s the revised fall season

Maggie Duffy, Tampa Bay Times, 23rd September 2020

After a long spring and summer of empty stages and virtual performances due to the pandemic, the return of live Florida Orchestra concerts is music to audiences’ ears.

The orchestra announced its revised fall 2020-21 season on Tuesday. It opens Oct. 31 with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 at […]

43 Florida Orchestra musicians unite for virtual performance

Jay Cridlin, Tampa Bay Times, 17th April 2020

It’s been six weeks since the Florida Orchestra’s last performance, and it’ll be another few weeks, at least, before they return.

In the meantime, they just dropped a performance from their homes.

Forty-three musicians have united for a virtual performance of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4, released by the orchestra […]

The Florida Orchestra says ‘Thanks’ and more

Bill DeYoung, St. Pete Catalyst, 17th April 2020

The Florida Orchestra’s music director, Michael Francis, appeared in a wide-ranging Catalyst Sessions interview earlier this week. During a discussion of the organization’s new TFO At Home initiative, he described “a lot of content from us really trying to make sure people will feel very connected.”

TFO At […]

‘Believe in the pencil’: At the Florida Orchestra, the music’s in the margins

Jay Cridlin, Tampa Bay Times, 23rd March 2020

The violins are late.

The players can’t hear it, but Michael Francis can. He knew he would. It’s common in this section of Jean Sibelius’ Symphony No. 7, a complex whirlpool of interlocking tempos and dynamics. And if he can hear it, the audience might, too.

He waves his […]