Florida Orchestra

We had a lovely experience tonight attending the chamber orchestra series-el amor brujo. The musicians are clearly extremely talented and played beautifully. Our group especially enjoyed the oboe and found it to be the highlight! I only have one complaint: we found the narration during the second half of the performance to be quite ridiculous and distracting. The music director-Michael someone?-talked the entire time. I couldn’t help but crack up at the voices and hand gestures he was making, but I think it was supposed to be serious. It felt a bit cringey. Would’ve preferred to just listen to the music. Seemed like one of those guys who just likes to hear himself talk. Updating after we saw Sibelius Symphony No 2…. It was amazing. The guest conductor was a joy and the music was intense and captivating. We loved the piano concerto as well. Fei Fei rocks. A note for those in charge of orchestra attire though-the tails are bit ridiculous and are making your orchestra look stuffy. Free them from their white bow ties for the love of God.

I've got a degree in music composition, and have attended orchestras all over the USA to include Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. The TFO ranks among the best orchestras I have attended in the world, with an experienced and talented conductor. We are indeed lucky to have such an orchestra in this area with their tremendous combined talent. Some of the patrons, however, don't seem to appreciate that - especially during performances. A little respect goes a long way to making the performance enjoyable.

This address is the office location for TFO. They perform at many venues throughout Tampa, Clearwater, & my favorite location at the Mahaffey in St. Petersburg. Please check their website for upcoming concerts. My husband & I select our own concert series and Saturday, January 13, 2024 was the Sci-Fi performance, led by guest conductor, Lawrence Loh. His presentation of each composition was so interesting as he shared his knowledge of the composer, the movies that contained the music and sprinkled humor & surprises throughout!! Bet you never saw an orchestra directed by a Tyrannosaurus Rex! But we did, last night. Just another evening with our favorite orchestra in the architecturally and acoustically beautiful Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg, FL. Looking forward to our next concert, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.

The nosebleed chairs are highly uncomfortable and have very very limited leg space. The seats are hard. So hard. Get there early because staff will not help you to your seat when the lights go out and you are late. You have to wait for intermission. In short every seat is not a good seat as advertised.

Just returned home from hearing Brahms’ symphony number 4: what a fantastic performance! Truly a talented group of musicians and an energetic/enthusiastic conductor!