Weekend spotlight: TFO’s summer farewell; Groban, Hudson and Gill

The individual Florida Orchestra musicians, many of them, will no doubt turn up over the summer, playing other gigs, other shows, in other configurations.

With regard to the mighty TFO, however, after Saturday they won’t all be in the same room at the same time until September, when they start rehearsals for Season #59.

That’s right, summer vacation starts now.

Saturday’s concert, 7:30 p.m. at Ruth Eckerd Hall, ends the current season. And it’s not a Masterworks concert. Nor is it a Pops concert, or a chamber music performance. And the conductor isn’t TFO’s Michael Francis or Chelsea Gallo.

The conductor is Lawrence Loh, and the program, The Music of Studio Ghibli, consists of orchestrations of music from one of Japan’s leading animation studios, composed by Joe Hisaishi.

Loh is Music Director of the Waco Symphony Orchestra, and Conductor Laureate of The Syracuse Orchestra. He has guest-conducted for TFO several times.

This is just Hisaishi’s acclaimed music, with no projected visuals.

Find tickets, and more information, at this link.

Billy Currington is at the BayCare Sound Saturday. Publicity photo.

Concert calendar

Two extremely popular vocalists of considerable emotional power, Josh Groban and Jennifer Hudson, perform separately (and presumably, together) Friday at Benchmark International Arena. Groban’s Catalyst interview was published a few days ago; check it out here). Ticket link.

Also on Friday, country music legend (and part-time member of the Eagles) Vince Gill appears at Ruth Eckerd Hall. We spoke with him, too – read that one here. And here is the ticket link.

Tonight in the Palladium Theater’s Side Door Cabaret: It’s R&B, boogie-woogie piano player Eden Brent. She is the real deal; among her many accolades, Brent was named “Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of 2010” by the Blues Foundation. Locate tickets for tonight’s 7:30 performance at this link.

Tonight’s Seminole Hard Rock Event Center show with comedian Marcello Hernandez is sold out.

Saturday brings country’s Billy Currington to the BayCare Sound. The Georgia-born singer/songwriter has had 11 No 1 singles (sales and airplay), including (in no particular order) “People Are Crazy,” “That’s How Country Boys Roll” and “We Are Tonight.” The show’s at 7, and tickets are here.

On theater stages

The Tampa International Fringe Festival continues daily, through Sunday at Kress Contemporary and  the Commodore in Ybor City. Check out all shows, showtimes and other essential stuff at this link.

Continuing tonight through Sunday at The Studio@620: The edgy and acclaimed rock musical Passing Strange, by “Stew” and Heidi Rodewald. Showtimes and tickets at this link.

Continuing through June 28 at American Stage is Katori Hall’s Pulitzer Prize-winning dark comedy The Hot Wing King. Showtimes and tickets at this link.

Continuing through June 28 at Stageworks Theatre is the evergreen musical relationship comedy I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change. Showtimes and tickets at this link.

Bash of the Titans at freeFall Theatre continues through Aug. 2; it’s an original musical by freeFall’s Eric Davis, Matthew McGee and Michael Raabe, in which the Gods of Greek Mythology plot, scheme and sing new lyrics to ‘80s pop songs. Showtimes and tickets at this link.

Coming soon

June 25 & 26 Todd Rundgren at the Capitol Theatre

June 26 Cubiche at Stageworks Theatre

June 26 Travis Tritt at Ruth Eckerd Hall

June 26 Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival at the Dali Museum

June 26 and 28 Ye (Kanye West) at Raymond James Stadium

June 27 & July 1 projectALCHEMY at the Palladium Theater

June 27 Classic Albums Live The Beatles’ “White Album” at the Capitol Theatre

June 27 The Florida Rock Symphony at Ruth Eckerd Hall

June 28 Micky Dolenz at the Capitol Theatre

Your Weekend Spotlight appears every Thursday in the Catalyst’s CREATE section. 

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