Festival to return with globally praised performers
An opportunity to experience the highest standard of classical music is just around the corner.
The 39th annual Sanibel Music Festival will open on March 3 with the first of six concerts scheduled during March. Held on select Tuesdays and Saturdays, the performances will take place at 7:30 p.m. at the Sanibel Congregational United Church of Christ (SCUCC), with one 2 p.m. matinee also planned.
“We strive to present world-class chamber music for Sanibel residents and our visitors,” festival Board Co-President Deborah Larson, noting that the concerts often promote the careers of emerging artists.
“Our very astute music committee on our board of directors carefully vets all of our artists,” she added of the selection process. “We do not have artists two years in a row, even if they are well received.”
Running from March 3-24, this year’s festival will feature the return of three previous groups because of popular demand. They will include the Boston Trio, Calidore String Quartet and Viano Quartet.
“The Opera Theater of Connecticut is always a favorite every year,” Larson added. “They bring us selections from different Broadway shows or operas.”
The festival schedule is as follows:
– March 3: Aristo Sham at 7:30 p.m.
Aristo Sham won the gold medal and Audience Award at the 2025 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. He was featured in the documentary “The World’s Greatest Musical Prodigies” and he has performed for royalty and dignitaries, including Prince Charles, the queen of Belgium and former Chinese President Hu Jintao. Among Sham’s orchestral collaborations are those with the Minnesota Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, and Utah Symphony. Recently, he recorded and hosted the complete Brahms solo piano music on the classical radio station RTHK4 in Hong Kong.
– March 7: Calidore String Quartet at 7:30 p.m.
The Calidore String Quartet features violist Jeremy Berry, cellist Estelle Choi, and violinists Ryan Meehan and Jeffrey Myers. The group is recognized as one of the world’s foremost interpreters of a vast chamber music repertory, from the cycles of quartets by Beethoven and Mendelssohn, to the contemporary works of György Kurtág, Jörg Widmann and Caroline Shaw. For over a decade, it has enjoyed performances and residencies in the world’s major venues and festivals, released multiple critically-acclaimed recordings and won numerous awards. The New York City-based group has appeared in venues throughout North America, Europe and Asia, including the Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Wigmore Hall, Konzerthaus, Concertgebouw, and Bozar, and at major festivals, such as the BBC Proms, Verbier, Ravinia and Music@Menlo. It has given world premieres of works by Anna Clyne, Gabriela Montero, Sebastian Currier, Han Lash, Mark-Anthony Turnage and Huw Watkins, and it has collaborated with artists such as Anne-Sophie Mutter, Anthony McGill, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Marc-André Hamelin, Joshua Bell, the Emerson String Quartet, Gabriela Montero, David Finckel and Wu Han, and more.
– March 10: Viano Quartet at 7:30 p.m.
The Viano Quartet features violist Aiden Kane, violinists Lucy Wang and Hao Zhou, and cellist Tate Zawadiuk. The group is recipient of the prestigious 2025 Avery Fisher Career Grant. Since winning first prize at the 13th Banff International String Quartet Competition in 2019, it has traveled to major musical centers across the globe. The group is in-residence at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Bowers Program from 2024-27.
– March 14: Boston Trio at 7:30 p.m.
The Boston Trio features cellist Christine Lee, violinist Irina Muresanu and pianist Heng-Jin Park. Acclaimed for their superb sense of ensemble and wondrous balance, the virtuosic and profound musicians are committed to creating exceptional and daring performances of the standard and contemporary repertoire, notably premiering several works written for and dedicated to them. The group has performed at the Newport Classical Festival, Neskowin Chamber Music Series, Halcyon Music Festival, Feldman Chamber Music Society, Charleston Chamber Music Society, and Park International Center for Music. It has also performed at Tanglewood, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, the Maui Classical Music Festival, University of Winnipeg, UCLA, University of Maine, University of Maryland, Flagler Museum, Chamber Music Society of Williamsburg, Kalliroscope Gallery, Gold Coast Chamber Players, and Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with the Boston Philharmonic.
– March 21: Opera Theater of Connecticut at 2 and 7:30 p.m.
Andrew Lloyd Webber is arguably the most successful composer of modern time. He is best known for stage and film adaptations of his musicals “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Cats,” “Evita” and “The Phantom of the Opera.” Along the way, Lloyd Webber has collected a variety of honors, including knighthood, seven Tony Awards, three Grammy Awards, an Oscar, and Kennedy Center recognition. Celebrate his amazing and brilliant career with the Opera Theater of Connecticut (OTC) and a group of first-rate professional singers through an exciting selection of moving pieces from his acclaimed shows. The concert will be punctuated with appropriate, humorous and informative narrations from the stage by Artistic Director Alan Mann, a noted speaker and opera-music theater historian. Back by popular demand, the acclaimed singers of OTC will present hits from “Cats,” “Evita,” “The Phantom of the Opera,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Starlight Express,” “Sunset Boulevard” and more.
– March 24: Polonsky-Shifrin-Wiley Trio at 7:30 p.m.
Upon receiving Chamber Music America’s Richard J. Bogomolny National Service Award in 2018, an honor recognizing an individual who has provided historic service to the chamber music field, David Shifrin announced the formation of an all-star trio with pianist Anna Polonsky and cellist Peter Wiley. The Polonsky-Shifrin-Wiley Trio made its debut at Dumbarton Oaks in 2019. The group has since appeared at leading concert venues across the country.
“SCUCC is the perfect intimate venue to be up close and personal with these fine artists,” Larson said.
She extended a thank you to those involved with this year’s festival.
“We are so gratified to have community support from Sanibel and Captiva nonprofits and businesses, donors and sponsors, and in-home hosts to make our season possible,” Larson said.
Individual concert tickets are $50 for adults and free for students; discount packages are available.
The community is encouraged to reserve a seat.
“If you’re a classical music aficionado, please come,” she said. “And if you’re a novice, you will enjoy the new experience.”
For tickets, visit sanibelmusicfestival.org.
For more information, visit online or call 239-344-7025.
The Sanibel Congregational United Church of Christ is at 2050 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel.