South Florida Symphony to Stage 24th Concert Season in Key West

KEY WEST, Florida Keys — Classical music aficionados can celebrate the South Florida Symphony’s 24th season by joining the landmark orchestra in Key West for three Masterworks Series concerts — a return to live performances following the 2020-21 season of all-virtual concerts because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Guided by award-winning conductor and Key West native Sebrina María Alfonso, the renowned symphony is the only professional orchestra in South Florida that performs in Key West and Florida's Miami-Dade and Broward counties. 

Its 24th Masterworks season in Key West launches Saturday, Nov. 20, with a concert featuring Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky’s vibrant "Pictures at an Exhibition,” Hector Berlioz’s “The Roman Carnival Overture” and “The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires” by Argentinian “nuevo tango” pioneer Astor Piazzolla. 

The latter, presented to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Piazzolla’s birth, is a collection of individual tangos that come together into a uniquely engaging whole. The symphony is to be joined by violinist Siwoo Kim — who performs around the globe as both a soloist and chamber musician — in bringing Piazzolla’s compelling composition to life.  

For all 2021-22 concerts, the symphony and its venues are implementing health protocols that reflect their commitment to audience and performer safety. Concertgoers are required to wear masks inside the venue and must present documentation of a recent negative COVID-19 test or full vaccination status. 

The second Masterworks performance in Key West is set for Saturday, Jan. 22, featuring Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74, “Pathetique”; and the world premiere of “Princess Yurievskaya” by John Gottsch.  

The Key West season is to conclude Saturday, March 26, with a musical program that includes Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Concerto for Two Pianos in E-flat Major, K. 365, featuring soloists Catherine Lan and Tao Lin. Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3 in A Minor, Opus 56, known as the “Scotch Symphony,” and Gioachino Rossini’s “The Italian Girl in Algiers Overture” round out the selections.

The three Masterworks Series concerts are to take place at 7:30 p.m. at Key West’s Tennessee Williams Theatre, 5901 College Road on the campus of The College of the Florida Keys. 

A three-concert subscription package can be purchased by clicking the Key West link at southfloridasymphony.org/2021-22-season/. Tickets for individual performances are available through southfloridasymphony.org.