Top Sarasota arts events this week include orchestra finale, premieres
Top Sarasota arts events this week include orchestra finale, premieres
Jimmy Geurts, Sarasota Herald-TribuneFri, May 8, 2026 at 9:11 AM UTC
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While May typically represents when things start to slow down in the Sarasota area, there'll be several notable events this week in the local arts scene, including a season-concluding concert, art exhibition and stage show debuts, and a fusion of circus and fashion.
Sarasota Orchestra will close out its 76th season with a concert at Sarasota Opera House conducted by music director Giancarlo Guerrero, while Circus Arts Conservatory will host Cirque Vogue, a fashion show featuring pieces from Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and elsewhere. Speaking of Ringling, The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art will debut a new exhibition, while Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe and Florida Studio Theatre will premiere new productions.
Here are this week's highlights. Event details are subject to change.
10 biggest May events in Sarasota area you won’t want to miss
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1. Sarasota Orchestra 'Unfinished Business'
Sarasota Orchestra, whose music director Giancarlo Guerrero is pictured here, will conclude its 76th season with "Unfinished Business" on May 16 at Sarasota Opera House.
Sarasota Orchestra will close out its 76th season — and its first with music director Giancarlo Guerrero, who was also recently seen taking part in Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show — with this Discoveries concert, which Guerrero conducts. The program will include Schubert's Symphony No. 8 ("Unfinished"); Julia Perry's Short Piece for Orchestra, the first work by a woman of color to be performed by the New York Philharmonic; and Haydn's Symphony No. 45 ("Farewell"). 7:30 p.m. May 16; Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave., Sarasota; $25 and up; 941-953-3434; sarasotaorchestra.org
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2. Circus Arts Conservatory Cirque Vogue
Circus Arts Conservatory cofounder Dolly Jacobs, pictured here at the 2025 Sarasota Holiday Parade, will present an exhibit of her performance wardrobe at Cirque Vogue on May 14.
Circus Arts Conservatory will host this circus fashion show and luncheon. CAC co-founder Dolly Jacobs will present an exhibit of her performance wardrobe, including pieces from her career with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and Circus Sarasota. Feld Entertainment, stewards of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, will also present costumes blended with fashion pieces from Sarasota fashion boutique Foxy Lady. 11 a.m. doors, 11:30 a.m. show/lunch May 14; Circus Arts Conservatory Arena, 2075 Bahia Vista St., Sarasota; $175, $250 VIP, sponsorships available; 941-355-9805; circusarts.org
3. 'The Evocative Lens' at The Ringling
The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, pictured here, will present "The Evocative Lens" from May 16 to Sept. 20.
Drawn from The Ringling’s permanent collection, this exhibition will examine the emergence and evolution of art photography. Figures featured in this exhibition will include Alfred Stieglitz, Clarence H. White, Edward Steichen, Gertrude Käsebier, Eva Watson-Schütze and Anne Brigman. May 16-Sept. 20; The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Ulla R. and Arthur F. Searing Wing, 5401 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota; included with admission ($30, $5 ages 6-17, free under age 6/members, Museum of Art free Mondays and discounted Thursdays after 5 p.m.); 941-359-5700; ringling.org
4. 'Confederates' at Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe
Moriah Cary, left, and Jazzmin Carson portray Sara and Sandra in "Confederates," running May 13-24 at Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe.
Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe will continue to showcase the work of playwright Dominique Morisseau (whose play "Paradise Blue" WBTT recently staged) with a limited run of “Confederates.” The play tells the stories of two Black women across time: Sandra, a political science professor in the present day, and Sara, an enslaved woman and Union spy during the Civil War. May 13-24; Howard J. Millman Black Box Theatre at Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, 1012 N. Orange Ave., Sarasota; $41, $16 students ages 25 and under/active military; 941-366-1505; westcoastblacktheatre.org
5. 'Leaving on a Jet Plane' at Florida Studio Theatre
"Leaving on a Jet Plane" will run May 12-July 12 at Florida Studio Theatre.
Florida Studio Theatre will host this cabaret show celebrating folk music, including acoustic favorites from Simon & Garfunkel, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Cat Stevens, The Lovin’ Spoonful and Bob Dylan. The show shares its name with the John Denver song that was a hit for Peter, Paul & Mary, with creator Aaron Gandy also creator of the "A Band Called Honalee" Peter, Paul & Mary tribute that appeared at FST in 2025. May 12-July 12; Florida Studio Theatre, Goldstein Cabaret, 1239 N. Palm Ave., Sarasota; $37-$42; 941-366-9000; floridastudiotheatre.org
Email entertainment reporter Jimmy Geurts at jimmy.geurts@heraldtribune.com.Support local journalismby subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Top Sarasota arts events this week include orchestra finale, premieres
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