Florida Orchestra hits the half-century mark on a triumphant note

Andrew Meacham, Tampa Bay Times, 27th September 2017

The Florida Orchestra began 50 years ago with a mixture of nervousness and pride, dreams of artistic excellence and an accompanying surge for the arts on both sides of Tampa Bay.

The decades since have seen improvements as the orchestra has survived through a series of financial crises. In recent years it has emerged in the black, with several new musicians and a music director who has lifted morale. It has become a leader of performing arts in the Tampa Bay area, a crown jewel in the state. Still, the orchestra struggles with paying musicians competitively, a problem it has carried since the very start.

The anniversary season begins Oct. 6 with the cacophonous Carmina Burana, in Carol Morsani Hall at the David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts. The concert travels the Mahaffey Theater where a new $1.8 million shell to improve sound has been installed, and to Ruth Eckerd Hall. Before the season ends, we’ll see more outdoor and free concerts, more world-class musicians and a tribute to Prince. And no less an icon than Sting will take the stage at this year’s fundraising gala (Dec. 9).

“We won’t have another celebration like this for another 50 years,” said music director Michael Francis. “This is a really great chance to solidify what we’ve been doing already, but also for engaging the audience in more complete ways, more exciting ways, more diverse ways, and showing the people of Tampa Bay how invaluable a modern symphony orchestra is for the cultural life and health and well-being of the society that it’s in.”