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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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.
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
