Blog – Venice Community Orchestra

2024 Spring Benefit Concert

Venice, Florida, April 2024 – The VCO is putting the final touches on the program for our annual Spring benefit concert. All donations will benefit the South Sarasota County Food Bank again this year. Last year we raised and donated over $800 to SSCFP.

The concert will start at 7pm, Friday, April 19th and be held at the Centennial Park gazebo in downtown Venice.

Selections will include pieces composed by; Silvestri, Mozart, Ivanovici, Verdi, Lennon & McCartney, to name several.

We look forward to you joining us for an enjoyable evening of music, in support of the Venice community.

2024 Spring Benefit ConcertVCOsuperadmin2024-04-08T20:56:21+00:00

January 2024

Venice, FL – January 2024 – What a wonderful and busy Holiday Season it was for the Venice Community Orchestra (VCO). We thoroughly enjoyed playing seasonal favorites for the Salvation Army’s Thanksgiving luncheon, Seaside Springs residents & guests and finished with an outdoor evening performance at West Blaylock Park entertaining Venice residents and out of town guests as they strolled through the festively lighted & decorated park.

This Spring, the VCO will have the unique opportunity to hold our weekly Saturday rehearsals at the Historic Venice Train Depot in the Freight Room (events venue)! Rehearsals will begin Saturday, 1/20 and through Saturday, 4/20. As always…we welcome all violin, viola, cello and bass string players.

This Spring’s repertoire will include selections by; Brahms, Holst, Puccini, Mozart, Lennon & McCartney, Bill Withers, and Ellington, plus several more classical and contemporary composers. Our rehearsal focus will be on our annual Spring Benefit Concert in late April or early May.

January 2024VCOsuperadmin2024-01-17T20:51:50+00:00

2023 Holiday Performances

Venice, FL – FALL 2023 – The Venice Community Orchestra is pleased to share some upcoming holiday music performances to close out our Fall season.

Thursday, 11/23 – We will be continuing our 10+ year tradition of performing at the Venice Salvation Army’s Annual Thanksgiving Luncheon, beginning at 12pm.
Saturday, 12/2 – We will be performing for the residents, family & friends of Seaside Springs Community Living beginning at 6:30pm.
Saturday, 12/16 – And finally, a handful of us will be playing ‘background’ holiday music at West Blaylock Park Gazebo during the VABI Holiday Tree Celebration, entertaining the folks strolling through the park enjoying all the decorated trees and bushes. We expect to begin at ~6:30pm.

If you miss us, we will be back rehearsing in January for our Spring benefit concert. Until then…the members of the Venice Community Orchestra wish you a Joyous & Safe Holiday Season!

2023 Holiday PerformancesVCOsuperadmin2023-11-15T19:31:36+00:00

Fall 2023

Venice, FL – Thursday, September 7, 2023 – On Saturday, September 23rd, after enjoying a relaxing Summer break, the Venice Community Orchestra will begin rehearsing for our 2023/24 season. VCO’s Fall rehearsals will be held at Venice’s William H. Jervey, Jr. Library, located at 300 Nokomis Ave S, Venice FL 34285. Each rehearsal will begin at 10:00am (new starting time) and continue until 12:00pm with a break halfway through.

This season’s selection will include pieces from; Mozart, Bizet, Saint-Saens, Vivaldi, Holst, Ellington, McCartney, and more.

As always, all violin, viola, cello and bass players are welcome to join us, and our rehearsals will be focused on preparing for holiday performances and VCO’s annual Spring benefit concert.

Fall 2023VCOsuperadmin2023-09-07T21:12:04+00:00

Spring 2023 Benefit Concert

Venice, FL – Thursday, September 7, 2023 – On the evening of May 5th, the VCO held another very successful Spring benefit concert at the gazebo in downtown Venice’s Centennial Park. Over 150 attendees, donated $918 to support the South County Food Pantry, relaxed in their lawn chairs, enjoyed a cool breeze, and were treated to wonderful music in support of our community.

Musical selections included pieces by Strauss, Elgar, Handy, Boccherini, Sondheim, Rogers and Williams. The concert featured a duet by violinists George Tapia and Michaeline Spencer (who also doubles as VCO’s conductor) and a solo piece by VCO’s pianist, Mike Falivena.

What a superb way to bring VCO’s 2022/23 season to a close, bring our Venice community together to enjoy an evening of music and support a very active & worthy charity.

Spring 2023 Benefit ConcertVCOsuperadmin2023-09-07T21:10:12+00:00

Spring 2023 Updates

Venice, FL – Wednesday, March 22, 2023 – Spring Concerts…The VCO cordially invites you to join us for one of our upcoming Spring concerts;

Our first will be held at the Seaside Springs Resort Community (1251 S. Tamiami Trail, Osprey, FL), Saturday, April 29th, beginning at 6:30pm in the community’s wonderful theater.

Our second concert will be held Friday, May 5th beginning at 7:00pm at Venice’s downtown Centennial Park gazebo. This year’s concert will be benefiting the South County Food Pantry.

Both concerts will feature classical pieces by Strauss, Elgar, Boccherini, and Grieg. In addition, the programs will include several more contemporary pieces by Williams, Sondheim, Rodgers, Enya and Parton.

Please consider joining us for one of these musical evenings, where musicians from our community will enjoy playing for our community!

Spring 2023 UpdatesVCOsuperadmin2023-09-07T21:06:09+00:00

2022 Holiday Concerts

Venice, FL – FALL 2022 – As our Fall rehearsal & performance schedule comes to a close, we are preparing for two Holiday ‘concerts’. On Thanksgiving day, we will be performing at the Venice Salvation Army’s annual Thanksgiving luncheon. This has been an annual tradition for the VCO since 2014!

On Saturday evening, December 10th, we will be performing in the Seaside Springs Retirement Community (SSRC) theater. Performing for SSRC’s residents, family & friends, and staff.

Both performances will include VCO’s traditional Holiday & Hanukkah Favorites and a number of other pieces including; Three Minute Nutcracker, Yorkshire Ballad, Messiah (Hallelujah section), Still Still Still, and a special Mannheim Steamroller arrangement of O Come O Come Emmanuel.

After these performances, we will take a usual holiday break and restart rehearsals in mid-January. The Spring rehearsals will focus on pieces in preparation for our annual Spring benefit concert for a local charitable organization. Date TBD.

2022 Holiday ConcertsVCOsuperadmin2022-11-23T13:08:45+00:00

Fall 2022 Update

Venice, FL – FALL 2022 – VCO’s 2022/2023 season begins with our first rehearsal on Saturday, 9/24 at Seaside Springs Resort Community theater. In addition to VCO’s usual Holiday performances at Thanksgiving & in December, our Spring benefit concert performance will include; I Dream the Dream (from Les Miserables), Only Time (by Enya), Barcolle (by Offenbach), Theme from the Games of Thrones, Send in the Clowns (from A Little Night Music), Nimrod (by Elgar), Blue Danube Waltz (by Strauss), and several more.

This Fall’s rehearsals & performances will be led by our Concert Mistress, Michaeline (Mikey) Spencer. The Venice Community Orchestra is open to all orchestral string instruments (violin, viola, cello & bass) and is always welcome to new members interested in learning, playing and performing music for the benefit of our community.

Fall 2022 UpdateVCOsuperadmin2022-09-14T21:41:03+00:00

More Spring 2022 Updates

Venice, FL – SPRING 2022 – This year’s Spring benefit concert, in support of the South County Food Pantry (SCFP), took place Friday evening April 29th, at Venice’s downtown Centennial Park gazebo. It turned out to be a wonderful outdoor event attended by many supporters of SCFP and the Venice Community Orchestra.

That support, in the form of financial donations, was overwhelming. A check for $853 was presented to Linda Fraser, SCFP Donations Coordinator, on Wednesday, May 4th. Linda expressed SCFP’s appreciation…”SCFP regularly receives food donations and the orchestra’s monetary donation allows SCFP to purchase specific nutritionally beneficial foods that they don’t normally receive.”

As we head into the Summer ‘break’, we look back on the opportunity to play music together, for the benefit of our community, with great appreciation and full hearts.

Look for updates regarding our Fall plans, during the Summer months.

More Spring 2022 UpdatesVCOsuperadmin2022-05-16T18:52:31+00:00

Spring 2022 Updates

Venice, FL – Monday, January 24, 2022 – What a Wonderful Holiday performance season! VCO played at the St. Mark’s Episcopal Community dinner, both Sr. Friendship Centers in Sarasota & Venice, and finished by entertaining Venice residents and visiting families as they enjoyed the festively lite memorial trees & bushes at West Blaylock Park on Venice island.

Spring rehearsal began Saturday, 1/15 and will continue every Saturday in preparation for VCO’s Spring Benefit Concert scheduled for Friday evening, April 29th at Centennial Park Gazebo, downtown Venice.

Our Spring repertoire includes pieces by; Bezit, Mendelssohn, Stravinsky, John Williams, AND The Beatles & Rolling Stones!

Spring 2022 UpdatesVCOsuperadmin2022-01-24T19:09:57+00:00