Welcome To
Sarasota Concert Band
A year round professional music ensemble bringing great music to Southwest Florida
Artistic Director
William J. Barbanera……
a native of Miami, has lived on the Suncoast since 1982 and is on the faculties of both the St. Petersburg College and State College of Florida.
He earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree and Master of Music Performance of Multiple Wind Instruments degree from Florida State University. He is on the faculty of St. Petersburg college and is an adjudicator for the Florida Bandmaster Association. He has performed with the Florida Orchestra, Florida West Coast Symphony, and given solo performances with the Sarasota Concert Band, Sarasota Pops Orchestra, and at conventions of the North American Saxophone Alliance, National Association of College Wind and Percussion instructors and the Florida Flute Association. He founded the Sarasota Saxophone Orchestra and the Sarasota Woodwind Studio. Bill was appointed Music Director and Conductor of the Sarasota Concert Band in 1997 and has led the group through many exciting performances. Some of these include “The Sarasota Story” at the Van Wezel, Memorial Day at Phillippi Estate Park, Fourth of July at Selby Gardens and concerts at the Sarasota Opera house and the Ringling Museum. in 2015 Bill expanded the Band’s education program by starting a Summer Music Camp. The following year, in 2016, he started the first ever “Gulf Coast Honor Band”, which is open, through audition, to all 7th through 12th grade band students in the 5 county area.
Band History
We know this from the plaque in St. Armand’s Circle that names our group as the first element to be established in his quest for making Sarasota a city of “Seven Virtues” with Music as the first.
In 1954, the current structure was created by Arthur Rohr, a legend within the Sarasota arts community. We began playing 10 to 12 free concerts per year, from November to May. Over the years we’ve performed in a variety of locations … often to record crowds … and have expanded our season through July!
Our popularity? Examples of audience attendance includes such concerts as the Lido Beach Casino from 1957-1960, where there was standing room only. We started performing in the Ringling Museum Courtyard from 1960-65, attracting crowds of 6,000 to 8,000. Those were free Sunday afternoon concerts.
In June, 1973, a local bank sponsored two concerts at the new Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. The success of these concerts was so great that the band regularly played, several concerts a year at the Van Wezel, through the early 2000’s. Following the retirement of Arthur Rohr, the band was conducted by Tony Swain, and then followed by William Pruyn, himself a former director of the Ringling Brother’s Circus Band. The musical directorship passed to William Barbanera in 1997 and the Sarasota Concert Band has performed every year since, to the delight and entertainment of thousands of people. Over the years, they have received numerous honors and citations from both the City of Sarasota and Sarasota County. A full scale musical production , entitled “The Sarasota Story”, was presented twice at the Van Wezel for the City of Sarasota’s Centennial celebration.
For over 40 years the Sarasota Concert Band has presented an annual Memorial Day concert at Phillippi Estate Park, and played Fourth of July concerts at various locations including the Sarasota Opera House and Selby Botanical Gardens. The band’s long term commitment to music education was increased in 2015 when a Summer Music Camp and 5 county Honor Band were started. The band looks forward to re-energizing public awareness of the American tradition of wind and brass ensemble music through the performing of both traditional marches and patriotic favorites, as well as exciting new musical works of the 21st century.
This tradition continues as we treasure the heritage and legacy of the Sarasota Concert Band.