SoundWaves with The Florida Orchestra
For more than 55 years, The Florida Orchestra has been a driving force for cultural arts in the Tampa Bay region. Every work of music, every musician, every composer has a story to tell. SoundWaves with The Florida Orchestra gives those stories a voice, so you can experience a deep, personal connection to the music during a concert or anytime. The non-profit Florida Orchestra is the largest orchestra in the state and the only arts organization that bridges Tampa Bay. TFO exists to INSPIRE – UNITE – EDUCATE as we build community through the power of music onstage and in our schools and community. With 71 full-time professional musicians and conductors, TFO performs more than 100 concerts a season, including a wide range of classical, popular, film, rock and family-friendly music. Performances are at three major performing arts venues: Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg, Straz Center in Tampa and Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater. For tickets and information: FloridaOrchestra.org
SoundWaves with The Florida Orchestra
Program Notes: Beethoven & Bernstein
Experience two monumental works that bridge centuries. Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy, a dazzling precursor to his Ode to Joy, blends virtuosic piano, orchestra and chorus in a joyful, triumphant finale that echoes through his Ninth Symphony. Written for a legendary concert and featuring Beethoven himself at the piano, this piece captures the raw energy of genius in motion. In contrast, Leonard Bernstein’s Symphony No. 3 “Kaddish” confronts God in a deeply personal and political reckoning. With searing text by Holocaust survivor Samuel Pisar, this emotional tour de force for narrator, soprano, chorus and orchestra explores faith, hope and humanity’s struggle for meaning in a fractured world.
This episode includes music excerpts to illustrate each work.
Masterworks 3 of the 25/26 Season
Performances November 7 & 8, 2025