This time of year pianos and drums, violins and trumpets ring out across the bay. St. Petersburg is enjoying a bumper crop of mind soothing, smile-inducing music; jazz, classical, and everything in between. Let’s explore what’s coming to our local stages.
TFO my goodness!
The Florida Orchestra (TFO) is on fire right now, with numerous performances at the Mahaffey Theater this month. First up, on Feb. 8, is The Music of Bond…James Bond, featuring more than 50 years of tunes from the popular spy movies. On Feb. 22 and 23, take in Beethoven’s magnificent Violin Concerto. If you can pop out late in the morning on Feb. 27, enjoy free coffee with the 11 a.m. performance, All About Tchaikovsky. Finally, the TFO Pops brings you simply stellar music in their 8 p.m. show on Feb. 29, Out of This World. The evening will feature music from Gustav Holst’s The Planets, as well as pieces from Star Wars, E.T., Star Trek, and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Tickets for these shows begin at only $21.
Jazz it up
On the jazz front, the Mahaffey is serving up an evening of toe tapping tunes with Grammy-nominated jazz vocalists Gregory Porter & Ledisi. Tickets start at $39.50. Check out themahaffey.com for more details or to purchase tickets for any of these performances.
The Palladium Theater also will see a lovely variety of jazz and classical stylings this month. Spend Valentine’s Day evening enjoying timeless love songs from vocalist Whitney James and her band. Whitney James Jazz Valentine will be performed at 8 p.m. on Feb. 14. On Feb. 28, the Chuchito Valdes Trio brings Caribbean-influenced jazz tunes to the Palladium at 8 pm. Tickets to these performances start at $25.
Pavlo in Concert will swing the Palladium with Mediterranean music at 7 p.m. on Feb. 23. At 8 p.m. on Feb. 25, the Tampa Bay Symphony production Land and Sea welcomes music by Debussy and Zare, as well as Young Artist Competition winner Jack Heller. Tickets to see Pavlo are $40. Symphony admission is $20, free to youth and students. Visit www.mypalladium.com for information or to purchase tickets.
St. Pete Jazz Fest is back
The annual St. Pete Jazz Festival begins on Feb. 25 with awesome music, affordable tickets ($10-15), and a variety of venues. Take advantage of it! Lineup, schedule, and tickets are available at stpetejazzfest.com/tickets.
Enjoy our bounty this month, St. Pete! The weather is crisp, the sun is shining, and music is in the air. Get out there and take it all in!
