Sarasota Orchestra picks up $10M gift

Longtime Sarasota Orchestra supporters Jack and Priscilla Schlegel have made a $10 million gift to the organization — coming three months after it received an anonymous $50 million gift. The funds are set to go toward the orchestra’s planned Music Center on its 32-acre site at 5701 Fruitville Road.

The Schlegels. who relocated from Washington, D.C., to Sarasota in 1998, have been active supporters of the local arts community for more than two decades, according to a statement. They are regular attendees at Sarasota Orchestra performances. 

“Over the past 25 years, we have witnessed Sarasota Orchestra transform into a fully professional orchestra that is rapidly becoming one of the best regional orchestras in the country,” the Schlegels say in the statement. “The last two Music Director appointments and the purchase of the Music Center site have inspired us to be ‘all in’ with our support. We believe these milestones will place both Sarasota and the Orchestra, with its new concert hall, on the map as a premier cultural destination.”

The Schlegels have helped sustain Sarasota Orchestra through pivotal moments, including providing support during the pandemic and to early Music Center planning phases. “For decades, Jack and Priscilla Schlegel have set an inspiring example of visionary leadership and generosity in our community, helping to power Sarasota Orchestra forward,” Sarasota Orchestra President and CEO Joseph McKenna says in the statement. “They have always understood our vision and have been dedicated to helping us achieve it. We couldn’t be more grateful for their continued support of our Orchestra.”

Expected to open in the 2029-30 season, the Sarasota Orchestra Music Center — with an estimated cost of $375 million to $425 million — is under design to include a flexible-use performance space, multiple rehearsal and practice rooms and native landscaping to ensure a resilient and park-like setting. The facilities will add capacity for Sarasota Orchestra and other regional performing arts organizations that are challenged to secure performance and rehearsal dates. 

The orchestra is collaborating with an internationally recognized team of architects, designers and engineers, including Stages Consultants (acoustics/theater planning), William Rawn Associates (architecture), HKS (architecture/engineering) and OJB Landscape Architecture, to transform the 32-acre site into an iconic cultural destination.

The 76-member Sarasota Orchestra was founded in 1949. 

The Schlegels will be recognized for their investment during Sarasota Orchestra’s "Discoveries: Vivaldi Inspired" performance at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 17 at Sarasota Opera House.