News

Livestream: ARD International Competition – Oboe Finalists

Michael Francis will conduct the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra as part of the ARD International Music Competition. The oboe finalists’ performances will be livestreamed on Sunday, 10th September 2017 at 4pm Central European Summer Time.

Livestream: ARD International Competition – Guitar Finalists

Michael Francis will conduct the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra as part of the ARD International Music Competition. The guitar finalists’ performances will be livestreamed on Saturday, 9th September 2017 at 4pm Central European Summer Time.

Livestream: ARD International Competition – Piano Finalists

Michael Francis will conduct the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra as part of the ARD International Music Competition. The piano finalists’ performances will be livestreamed on Friday, 8th September 2017 at 6pm Central European Summer Time.

Livestream: ARD International Competition – Violin Finalists

Michael Francis will conduct the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra as part of the ARD International Music Competition. The violin finalists’ performances will be livestreamed on Wednesday, 6th September 2017 at 6pm Central European Summer Time.

Florida Orchestra lands rock star Sting for its 50th anniversary gala

Andrew Meacham, Tampa Bay Times, 3rd August 2017

The Florida Orchestra has landed a real rock star.

The orchestra will celebrate its 50th anniversary fundraising gala with a performance from Sting, one of popular music’s biggest icons, the orchestra announced Thursday.

Orchestra leaders were elated to have finalized the booking with the 16-time Grammy winner, who will […]

Dream team of conductors leads new-look Cincinnati May Festival

Thom Mariner, Movers & Makers Cincinnati, 25th May 2017

Friday, May 26
Elgar: “The Dream of Gerontius”

Michael Francis
The conductor: British-born Michael Francis is currently music director of the Florida Orchestra and San Diego’s Mainly Mozart Festival.
After several years as a tenured double-bass player in the London Symphony Orchestra, he came to prominence as a conductor in […]

Florida Orchestra composes a 50th anniversary season of celebration

Andrew Meacham, Tampa Bay Times, 15th March 2017

The Florida Orchestra has been planning its 50th anniversary season all year and the party is on.

The theme is celebration.

Highlights include a jubilant opening concert, the Carmina Burana (Oct. 6), with the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay; Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet paired with West Side Story, as […]

Master Class: What does an orchestra conductor do?

Andrew Meacham, Tampa Bay Times, 8th March 2017

The young man lifted his hands, one of which held a baton, and brought them down.

A grand piano took off like a racehorse hit with a whip, the pianist slamming chords in Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, better known as the Pathétique. It and Jeancarlo Gonzalez, a graduate […]

The Florida Orchestra reaches out

Editorial Staff, Tampa Bay Times, 6th January 2017

Thanks to a state grant, the Florida Orchestra is embarking on new outreach efforts that will extend its reach across the state and bring its music to underserved audiences. Florida’s largest professional orchestra is a longtime cultural asset in Tampa Bay. By embracing a mission of service […]

‘Fantastic’ Florida Orchestra opens residency in Daytona

Suzanne Hirt, Daytona Beach News-Journal, 5th January 2017

The Florida Orchestra is on a mission to make symphony concerts accessible to everyone, not just people of means.

The reason is simple: “When people come who haven’t been before, they leave transformed,” said Michael Francis, the state orchestra’s music director.

But discounted ticket prices don’t coincide with a […]