New Beginnings

Guest conductor Michelle Merrill takes the podium to lead The Florida Orchestra through a morning matinee program at the Mahaffey Theater. Focused on themes of renewal, the concert centers on orchestral works by Mendelssohn, Grieg, and Aaron Copland. Cellist David Bender joins the ensemble as the featured soloist, interpreting melodic lines that contrast with the bold, distinctly American rhythms of Copland and the lush romanticism of the European composers on the bill.