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: Mozart's Jupiter Symphony
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In this episode, we explore Mozart’s stellar Symphony No. 41, “Jupiter.” Says The Florida Orchestra Music Director Michael Francis: “In this symphony, Mozart looks at everything in life. Then he takes you to a point where he says ‘now, let’s look at the universe.’ ’’ In Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1, the soloist plays an unaccompanied cadenza for the entire third movement, while the orchestra remains silent. The concert begins with Beethoven’s Grosse Fuge, an intensely emotional work that captures Beethoven at the peak of his creative late period. The drama intensifies with the Queen of the Night’s breathtaking arias from The Magic Flute — the shimmering “Oh, don’t tremble, my dear son” and the dazzling, fearsome “Hell’s vengeance boils in my heart,” two spectacular showpieces.
Masterworks 9 of the 25/26 Season
Performances March 21 & 22, 2026