Terry Blain, Star Tribune, 11th May 2018
“If unfamiliarity was a problem for the Minnesota Orchestra musicians at the beginning of this week’s rehearsals, it had evaporated by the time of Thursday’s performance. Led with great clarity by young English conductor Michael Francis, the players gave a coruscating account of Vaughan Williams’ symphony.
The Sixth opens […]
Rob Hubbard, Pioneer Press, 10th May 2018
“Making his Minnesota Orchestra debut on the podium was English conductor Michael Francis, and it felt as if the orchestra’s musicians trusted his interpretations wholeheartedly. You may attribute that to his understanding of the place of the Britten and Vaughan Williams pieces in his country’s cultural history, for […]
Andrew Meacham, Tampa Bay Times, 23rd February 2018
The composer sat in semi-darkness, his hand drifting like a slow pendulum at his side. On the Mahaffey Theater stage, the violins led a creaking and mysterious journey through a cypress swamp, the inspiration for the first movement.
The conductor stopped.
“Can we try something?” Florida Orchestra music director […]
Andrew Meacham, Tampa Bay Times, 8th February 2018
Themes are useful sometimes. Right now, the Florida Orchestra is still enjoying the heart of its 50th anniversary season, which has been big and loud and celebratory.
At other times, maybe it’s best to just put a fine program together and let the public decide what to call […]
David J Brown, LA Opus, 18th January 2018
“…how well did Mr. Francis convey his obvious commitment and interpretative insights to an orchestra that had never played the work before? To my ears, the result showed the Pacific Symphony to be more responsive and skillful in their realizing of such an unfamiliar and complex masterpiece […]
Gabriella Angotti-Jones and Chris Urso, Tampa Bay Times, 10th December 2017
Sting was the guest and performer of honor for the Florida Orchestra’s fundraising gala Saturday in St. Pete. Sting performed some of his notable songs; Englishman in New York, Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic and Roxanne.
Andrew Meacham, Tampa Bay Times, 10th December 2017
“The gala, the orchestra’s only major fund-raising event of the year, raised a record $1.5 million, money that will be used for securing soloists and expanding community work in such areas as schools and hospitals.”
Stefan Amzoll, Neues Deutschland, 15th November 2017
“Some, though not all, of Haydn’s twelve London symphonies showcase how much Mozart learned from his example. The spirit of the Classical period lives in them and broadens our perspective. The aforementioned No. 104 begins with an Adagio framed by chords, a surprise in its time since it […]
Andrew Meacham, Tampa Bay Times, 28th October 2017
“All of those threads come together, however, in the fourth movement, a furious gathering of dozens of themes growing in real time to a smashing conclusion. [Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 2] challenges both musicians and the audience to stay abreast of a multitude of its joyously twisting shapes. […]
Michele Miller, Tampa Bay Times, 23rd October 2017
The excitement was palpable as students hopped off their school buses and streamed into the Center for the Arts at River Ridge.
“We’re packed, sold out,” said the center’s director, Rick D’Onofrio, sporting a wide grin as he guided the chattering students into their seats while members of […]
