Top 10 arts events for Sarasota-Manatee: Dec. 2-8
Dancing to the beat of Ellington
Sarasota Contemporary Dance is taking on the improvisational sound of jazz for its latest production “SCD + Duke Ellington in collaboration with Shane Chalke B.E. Jazz.” Company members and some project-specific dancers will be be accompanied Chalke’s jazz group performing such Ellington standards as “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got that Swing)” “Take the A Train,” “Do Nothing Til You Hear From Me” and some original pieces. It’s all choreographed by artistic director Leymis Bolaños Wilmott. She is creating dances that allow the band and her dancers freedom to respond to the music and the audience within the framework of each song. Performances begin today and continue through Sunday in the Cook Theatre at the FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail. Tickets are $10-$45. A virtual streaming option is available Friday through Sunday for $25. For more information: sarasotacontemporarydance.org
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Broadway Boys are back
The Broadway Boys, a singing ensemble featuring veteran performers from Broadway shows, returns to the area for a concert at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Riverview Performing Arts Center, 1 Ram Way, Sarasota. The performers who have appeared in such shows as “Wicked,” “Hadestown,” “The Book of Mormon,” “Jersey Boys” and “Hamilton,” take traditional and contemporary show tunes and give them a new sound with gospel, pop, funk and jazz elements. Featured in the show are such songs as “Defying Gravity,” “Tomorrow” and “Uptown Girl.” For tickets and more information: 941-207-1038; sunevents.com
Frisson ensemble celebrates season
Frisson means “a shiver or a thrill,” but this ensemble of young musicians led by oboist Thomas Gallant intends to warm the heart in the Artist Series Concerts program. They will play such favorites as “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” “O Come All Ye Faithful,” selections from Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite,” and the group’s own arrangements of Handel’s “Messiah” and Vivaldi’s “Gloria.” 7 p.m. Sunday in the Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave., Sarasota. Tickets are $20-$55. 941-306-1202; artistseriesconcerts.org
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Sarasota Art Museum highlights artist Judith Linhares
A new exhibition has opened at the Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College, which is launching a variety of new initiatives and expanding its operating schedule. “Judith Linhares: The Artist as Curator” is now open through April 3 and attempts to break the barrier between the artist and the viewer by giving patrons a chance to explore the influences on her work. It takes you into her creative process, her studio space, dream journals and notebook pages. Beginning this month, the museum will be open seven days a week (it was previously closed on Tuesdays) and Free Day is now the second Sunday of each each month. The museum is at 1001 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. For more information: 941-309-4300; sarasotaartmuseum.org
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Chamber Orchestra performs Bach
The Chamber Orchestra of Sarasota presents two one-hour concerts back-to-back at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Church of the Redeemer, 222 S. Palm Ave., Sarasota. The orchestra, led by music director Robert Vodnoy, will perform holiday favorites and Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D Major. Soloists include concertmaster Sun-Young Gemma Shin, flutist Carmen Newell Bannon and organist/harpsichordist Sam Nelson. Tickets are $25-$30. 219-928-8671; chamberorchestrasarasota.org
Free Ringling entry for toy donations
Bring an unwrapped toy and get in free to The Ringling Museum and Ca’ d’Zan from 5 to 8 p.m. Dec. 2, 9 and 16 during the annual Ringling Holiday Splendor event. Toys will be donated to the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots collection drive. Admission for others is $15 for adults and $5 for children. Toys are available in the Ringling Museum Store. Local schools will provide entertainment on the grounds and there will be food and drinks available for purchase. All venues will be open for self-touring. 5401 Bay Shore Rd., Sarasota. For more information: ringling.org/events/holiday-splendor.
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Sarasota Orchestra lights up holidays
The Sarasota Orchestra turns on the “Holiday Lights” with this Great Escapes concert. William Waldrop, music director and conductor of the recent Broadway revival of “Cats” and conductor of several productions of “The Phantom of the Opera” leads the orchestra. The program includes such favorites as “White Christmas,” “March of the Toys” from “Babes in Toyland,” “The Christmas Song,” “Feliz Navidad,” “Winter Wonderland” and “Festive Sounds of Hanukkah.” Through Dec. 5 in Holley Hall, Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center, 707 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. Tickets are $42-$65. 941-953-3434; sarasotaorchestra.org
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Make some noise with ‘Stomp’
There’s going to be a little extra noise coming from the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall when the touring cast of the international sensation “Stomp” returns to Sarasota for a performance at 3 p.m. Sunday. The show, that got its start with some talented buskers in England, features a cast of energetic performers creating beats and movement using everything from boxes of wooden matches, to brooms, percussion instruments, poles, lighters and trash can lids. It’s a high-energy show that has enjoyed a long run off-Broadway. 777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. 941-263-6799; vanwezel.org
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A new look at Whimsy gardens
The Marietta Museum of Art & Whimsy, one of the more unusual and captivating venues in the area, has reopened its outdoor gardens. Guests will be greeted by volunteers at the gates and around the garden grounds to see new outdoor art work and recent improvements and redesigned gardens. All visitors and volunteers are asked to wear face masks on the grounds. And this Saturday, there will be a cookie exchange in the outdoor gazebo, with volunteers using safety measures to share the treats with guests. The museum is at 2121 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. For more information: whimsymuseum.org
Musicals continue on stage
Several theaters are keeping the music playing during extended runs of their shows. Asolo Repertory Theatre had a few bumps on the way to the opening of “Hair,” but the classic rock musical that changed Broadway in 1968, continues through Jan. 1. Mertz Theatre, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. Tickets start at $33. For more information: 941-351-8000; asolorep.org. At Florida Studio Theatre, “Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story,” is recalling some great songs from the early days of rock ‘n’ roll with a dynamic production featuring actors who also sing and play instruments. It runs through Jan. 2 in the Gompertz Theatre, 1265 First St., Sarasota. There are also two FST cabaret shows running, the doo-wop music of “The Wanderers,” and the country sounds of “Friends in Low Places.” 941-366-9000; floridastudiotheatre.org. And you have about two more weeks (if you can get tickets) to see “Assisted Living: The Musical (The Home… for the Holidays”), which has returned to Venice theatre. It runs through Dec. 19 with two casts alternating performances. 140 W. Tampa Ave., Venice. 941-488-1115; venicetheatre.org
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This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Top 10 arts events for Sarasota-Manatee: Dec. 2-8
