Pianist and conductor Jeffrey Kahane is leaving his position as artistic director of the Sarasota Music Festival. He has served in that capacity for nine years.
“It’s been one of the great privileges of my career to lead the Sarasota Music Festival,” Kahane said.
Festival board Chair Tom Koski praised Kahane’s leadership in shepherding the festival through the pandemic and developing the faculty and programming “for the next iteration of our wonderful summer festival.”
The Sarasota Orchestra started the festival 61 years ago under the leadership of former music director Paul Wolfe.
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Kahane is credited with significant expansion of the festival faculty and adding internationally recognized chamber ensembles to coach, collaborate with and perform with the festival fellows from conservatories across the country.
He was also responsible for expanding the festival vision to include teaching and performance of world music, jazz and folk music. As well as hosting workshops on improvisation, yoga and mindfulness, according to a release.
Kahane is music director of the San Antonio Philharmonic in Texas and teaches advanced piano students and chamber music at University of Southern California Thornton School of Music.
The Sarasota Orchestra said it is thrilled that Kahane will be returning to perform as a guest soloist during the 2026-27 season. Orchestra president and CEO Joseph McKenna said, “We are confident that he will be returning to the festival in the future as a teacher and a performer.”
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The 2026 Sarasota Music Festival will be curated by the festival’s faculty artists.
“We have an exciting opportunity and responsibility to take the great contributions that Jeffrey and his predecessors, Paul Wolfe and Robert Levin, brought to the festival and build on them,” McKenna said.
A search committee will be formed soon to find the next Sarasota Music Festival director, according to the Sarasota Orchestra.
