ST. PETERSBURG, FL - Reserved seat tickets go on sale to the general public at 10 am Tuesday (Nov. 19) for The Florida Orchestra’s gala benefit concert featuring legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma, conducted by Music Director Michael Francis. The 19-time Grammy Award winner will perform Dvorak’s beautiful, soul-stirring Cello Concerto in a one-night-only special event on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, at 8 pm at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater. Tickets are available exclusively to TFO subscribers and top donors now.

Tickets for A Gala Concert with Yo-Yo Ma are $75, $100, $150, $200, $250, $275, $300, $325, $350; fees apply. Tickets will be available only through The Florida Orchestra: online at FloridaOrchestra.org, by phone at 727.892.3337, or in person at TFO’s Ticket Center, 244 Second Ave. N (first floor) in downtown St. Petersburg.

The benefit concert will be conducted by Maestro Francis, who is celebrating his 10th season with TFO. The orchestra also will perform Richard Strauss’ famed tone poem Don Juan for the concert, which helps to support TFO’s high standard of artistic excellence, as well as robust education and community programs. TFO serves about 155,000 throughout Tampa Bay each year.

One of the most universally loved artists in music, the incomparable Yo-Yo Ma’s multifaceted career is testament to his belief in culture’s power to generate trust and understanding. Whether performing new or familiar works for cello, bringing communities together to explore culture’s role in society, or engaging unexpected musical forms, Yo-Yo strives to foster connections that stimulate the imagination and reinforce our humanity. For more on Yo-Yo Ma, click here.

VIP and sponsorships are limited availability on a first reserved basis, and include premium concert seating, pre-concert reception and seated dinner at Ruth Eckerd Hall Great Room. For information, contact TFO Chief Development Officer Susana Weymouth at (727) 362-5430 or [email protected].

The benefit concert is generously presented by The Cassaly Foundation.

The Florida Orchestra’s mission is to Inspire | Educate | Unite to build community through the power of music. TFO will perform more than 100 concerts this season in venues throughout Tampa Bay, including a wide range of classical, popular and family-friendly music.

About Michael Francis

The 2024-25 season celebrates 10 years of Michael Francis as The Florida Orchestra’s music director, with a contract extension through at least the 2029-30 season. With bold innovation and passionate performances, Maestro Francis has raised artistic excellence to new heights, strengthened the audience’s connection to the music and reinvigorated TFO’s community and education programs. He is generously sponsored by The Hough Family. The internationally acclaimed conductor also is music director of the Mainly Mozart Festival in San Diego and principal conductor of Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz in Germany. For more, click here