Sarasota Orchestra

Sugg and J. Lorton Francis of Bradenton, and George Gibbs, an amateur musician from Venice, to form an orchestra.

Their combined effort produced the debut concert of the Florida West Coast Symphony on 12 March 1949, conducted by Lyman Wiltse, at the Sarasota Municipal Auditorium.

His leadership allowed the orchestra to establish a core chamber and four resident chamber ensembles, expand the Youth Orchestra Program and consolidate the then Florida West Coast Symphony and the Music Festival of Florida, to create the Sarasota Music Festival.

[4] In June 2013, the orchestra named Tali as its next music director, effective August 1, 2013, with an initial contract of 3 years.

In August 2021, the orchestra announced the appointment of Tovey as its next music director, effective with the 2022-2023 season, with an initial tenure of four years.