Photo Credit: Sarasota Orchestra (John Williams, Composer)
The Sarasota Orchestra has announced it has received a $60 million donation toward the construction of its new music center. The donor wishes to remain anonymous and will not claim naming rights on the new building.
A plot of land purchased by the orchestra in 2023 on Fruitville Road just west of I-75 will be the primary use of the funds. The 31-acre site includes plans for a 1,700-seat concert hall and a 700-seat recital hall. The construction also includes rehearsal rooms, offices, and space for the organizations’ education programs.
“The new music center will elevate our already wonderful orchestra to new artistic heights, inspiring future world-class performers and musicians to visit and establish roots in Sarasota,” says the donor in a statement provided by the orchestra to the local news outlet, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
“This kind of gift doesn’t happen every day,” Joseph McKenna, the orchestra’s President & CEO told the Herald-Tribute in an interview. “It’s exciting to think of how it will change the lives of the musicians on stage and the visiting artists. Now we have our new music director Giancarlo Guerrero who has a vision and passion to lead the orchestra to the next place.”
While no details about the anonymous donor have been revealed, McKenna says the donor has been attending orchestra programs for years. That includes young orchestra performances and the summer Sarasota Music Festival. The donor made an initial $10 million commitment to help the orchestra secure the land at Fruitville Road debt-free, before throwing another $50 million into the pot.
“Gifts of this nature evolve over time,” McKenna continues. “The phrase ‘leadership gift’ is so tossed about and used, but this is phenomenal for Sarasota. To my knowledge, Sarasota has never had a gift of this magnitude. It is an investment for this community, even if it’s specifically for the orchestra. It’s a strong statement for the arts in our community.”
The anonymous gift to the Sarasota Orchestra ranks as the 6th largest among North American orchestras in the last 25 years. That data comes from a survey by the consulting firm CCS Fundraising. In 2002, the San Diego Symphony received a $120 million gift from Joan and Irwin Jacobs—leading to the creation of the Jacobs Music Center. In 2009, Louise Nippert donated $85 million to the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Finally in 2015, David Geffen donated $100 million to Lincoln Center and the NY Philharmonic.
The projected cost to build the new music center in Sarasota is between $375 million and $425 million. Initial concept designs for the new building are expected to be unveiled at the end of March.