Category: Community Programs

The Hermitage Artist Retreat today announced new programs in February of 2026. Newly announced events include Tony Award nominee Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer and the most recent winner of the Hermitage Prize in Composition at the Aspen Music Festival, Harriet Steinke, sharing a sneak peek into their works-in-process at Nathan Benderson Park on Thursday, February 5^th; a return to the Hermitage Great Lawn with world-renowned flutist Claire Chase and celebrated author Kirstin Valdez Quade for an unforgettable evening of flute music and literature on Friday, February 13^th; and the latest installment of Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens with comedian, musician, and writer Morgan Bassichis and Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Doug Wright sharing work and speaking about the unique art of solo performance in theater on Thursday, February 19^th at Historic Spanish Point. 

On Thursday, February 5^th at 5pm, the Hermitage will present the latest installment of Hermitage Sunsets @ Benderson Park, “Chamber Flights & Broadway Nights.” Returning Hermitage Fellow Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer, a Tony Award-nominated Broadway performer known for her star turns as ‘Lady of the Lake’ in the Broadway revival of Spamalot and Delia in Beetlejuice, is also a brilliant storyteller and back at the Hermitage as a writer. She will offer Hermitage audiences a first look at her latest theatrical writing and stories in development. The evening will also feature original music from Harriet Steinke, winner of the 2025 Hermitage Prize in Composition at the prestigious Aspen Music Festival. Steinke will share her original compositions, performed by a classical ensemble outdoors by Nathan Benderson Park Lake.

On Friday, February 13^th at 5pm, audiences will have an opportunity to return to the Hermitage’s historic beachfront campus for “A Decade of Density / A Lifetime of Story – An Evening of Flute and Literature.” Returning Hermitage Fellow and world-renowned flutist Clarie Chase has delighted Sarasota audiences time and time again with her incredible talent. Chase and widely celebrated author Kirstin Valdez Quade will bring audiences back to the iconic Hermitage grounds for the first Manasota Key program in the new year. An internationally acclaimed composer and performer, Chase has been described by The New York Times as “the most important flutist of our time.” She is a pioneer in the world of contemporary music with projects such as “Density 2036,” a 24-year commissioning project that aims to reimagine the literature of the modern flute. A MacArthur Fellow and the first ever flutist to receive the Avery Fisher Award from Lincoln Center, Chase has also served on the Hermitage’s Curatorial Council. Returning Hermitage Fellow Kirstin Valdez Quade, winner of the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize and praised as “masterful” by USA Today, has been widely celebrated for her writing. With a Guggenheim Fellowship and a “5 Under 35” award from the National Book Foundation under her belt, Valdez Quade’s work “marks a new and exciting chapter in Latinx literature — one that will redefine the term for readers, scholars, and writers.” (The Georgia Review)

On Thursday, February 19^th at 5:30pm, the Hermitage will present the latest installment of Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens: “The Highs and Lows of Going Solo.” Hermitage Fellow Morgan Bassichis is a comedian, musician, and writer who has been called “fiercely hilarious” (The New Yorker)and “a tall child or, well… a big bird” (The Nation). Their show Can I Be Frank? is a solo piece about the late performer Frank Maya that recently completed an acclaimed Off-Broadway run. Returning Hermitage Fellow Doug Wright knows something about solo shows as well, having won a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award for his iconic Broadway play I Am My Own Wife, based on the story of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf. Bassichis and Wright will be in conversation about the challenges and opportunities of the form and will treat Hermitage audiences to excerpts of their work in the beautiful sunken gardens at Selby Gardens’ Historic Spanish Point as the sun sets into the bay.

These Hermitage programs are free and open to the public (with a $5/person registration fee), offering Gulf Coast audiences a rare chance to engage and interact with some of the world’s leading talent. Running time for most Hermitage programs is 60-70 minutes with no intermission. Due to capacity limitations, registration is required at HermitageArtistRetreat.org.

The Hermitage Artist Retreat announces a new December program. This newly announced event, “The Fantasy of Reality,” is scheduled for Thursday, December 18^th at 6pm, at Bookstore1 in downtown Sarasota. “The Fantasy of Reality” features award-winning Hermitage Fellow Joseph Earl Thomas, who straddles form, from memoir and nonfiction to fiction and poetry. Thomas is celebrated for his distinctive style that often pushes expectations, and his work often plays with the boundaries between fantasy and reality. His memoir Sink was hailed as “extraordinary” by The New York Times. Past Hermitage Fellow and National Book Award winner Justin Torres said Thomas’ novel God Bless You, Otis Spunkmeyer “reads like direct communication from the soul.” Thomas’ Hermitage Residency is generously sponsored by Georgia Court. 

Joseph Earl Thomas is the author of several published books, including Sink, a memoir, longlisted for the PEN/Jean Stein Book Award and shortlisted for the Patrick Saroyan International Writing Prize; the novel God Bless You, Otis Spunkmeyer, longlisted for the Carnegie Medal for Literary Excellence, finalist for the LA Times Art Seidenbaum Award, and winner of the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize; and the forthcoming story collection Leviathan Beach. Thomas’ prose and poetry have been published or are forthcoming in The Kenyon Review, The Paris Review, The Verge, Harper’s, Virginia Quarterly Review, Vanity Fair, The Yale Review, TheMassachusetts Review, and Dilettante Army. A graduate of Notre Dame’s MFA program in prose, he earned his PhD in English from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the writing faculty at Sarah Lawrence College as well as low residency MFA programs at Holy Family and Randolph Colleges, Thomas teaches courses in Black Studies, Poetics, Video Games, Queer Theory and more at the Brooklyn Institute for Social Research.

All Hermitage programs are free and open to the public (with a $5/person registration fee), offering Gulf Coast audiences a rare chance to engage and interact with some of the world’s leading talent. Due to capacity limitations, registration is required at HermitageArtistRetreat.org. 

The Hermitage Artist Retreat announces the newest program in its “Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens” series, an ongoing partnership with Marie Selby Botanical Gardens that was established six years ago. This new program, “An Evening of Scenes & Songs,” is scheduled for Thursday, November 20^th at 5:30pm, at Historic Spanish Point in Osprey. “An Evening of Scenes & Songs” features two stand-out theater dynamos – Migdalia Cruz, honored as a “legacy” by the DGF Legacy Playwrights Initiative, and Lauren Marcus, hailed as a “rock star” by BroadwayWorld. Join us as these artists share excerpts from their original work in this memorable sunset program.

This newly announced event features original work from the latest Hermitage-Roundabout Fellow, Migdalia Cruz. Tony Award-winning Roundabout Theatre Company is the nation’s largest not-for-profit theater with a celebrated history of producing iconic works for nearly 60 years. The Hermitage-Roundabout partnership is designed to further the Hermitage’s mission to inspire and foster the most influential and culturally consequential art and artists of our time. This collaboration provides an opportunity for some of the theater world’s most exciting new voices to explore their work at the Hermitage before a potential production at one of the country’s most prestigious theatrical institutions.

In addition to being a Hermitage-Roundabout Fellow and a DGF Legacy Playwright, Migdalia Cruz is a Bronx-born writer, lyricist, translator, and librettist with over 60 works performed in 150 venues in 12 countries. Her awards include the NEA, McKnight, NYSCA, TCG/Pew, and the 2013 Helen Merrill Distinguished Playwright. Cruz’s voice was nurtured by her mentor María Irene Fornés at INTAR and her eight-year residency at Latino Chicago Theater Company. She co-chairs the DGF Playwriting Fellows, mentors the Latinx Playwrights’ Circle, and has taught at Princeton, NYU, IU and as founding member of the Fornés Institute’s Playwriting Workshop. Migdalia is an alumna of New Dramatists, a member of the Tent Theater for “Vintage” playwrights, and she is recognized in Analola Santana’s book as one of the Fifty Key Figures in Latinx and Latin American Theater.

Hermitage Fellow Lauren Marcus is a multihyphenate actor-singer-writer whose work has been seen on stage, screen, and across acclaimed music venues throughout New York City. She is known for her Broadway run in the original cast of Be More Chill and recently brought the house down every night in the Off-Broadway premiere of The Jonathan Larson Project. Lauren is currently co-writing the book for a new musical adaptation of the 1985 film Girls Just Want to Have Fun (based on the 1985 Sarah Jessica Parker film) for Lively McCabe Entertainment. She is a recipient of the Penn State New Musical Theatre Initiative Commission, a two-time finalist for the Jonathan Larson Grant, and developed her original television pilot at New York Stage & Film. Lauren’s original musical, Lauren and The Case of The Missing Hair(book/music/lyrics), is a Relentless Award semifinalist and has received readings from Two River Theater and NYC’s legendary Power Station. As a singer-songwriter, Lauren released her debut EP, Never Really Done With You, in 2016. She recently held two sold-out residencies at Rockwood Music Hall, and is currently finishing her first full-length album. Lauren is an alumnus of the Johnny Mercer Foundation Songwriters Project. She holds a Bachelor of Music from New York University and a Master of Arts from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

All Hermitage programs are free and open to the public (with a $5/person registration fee), offering Gulf Coast audiences a rare chance to engage and interact with some of the world’s leading talent. Due to capacity limitations, registration is required at HermitageArtistRetreat.org. 

The Hermitage Artist Retreat’s popular series, “Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens,” continues into its sixth year as part of the Hermitage’s upcoming 2025-2026 season. The outdoor series — a celebrated collaboration between the Hermitage Artist Retreat and Marie Selby Botanical Gardens — features performances and explorations of works-in-progress by Hermitage artists-in-residence and alumni. “Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens” events are currently scheduled to take place at Selby Gardens’ Downtown Sarasota campus and the Historic Spanish Point campus in Osprey. 

Newly announced dates for this sixth season of “Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens” include:

• Thursday, October 23, 2025, Downtown Sarasota campus
• Thursday November 20, 2025, Historic Spanish Point campus
• Thursday January 29, 2026, Downtown Sarasota campus
• Thursday February 19, 2026, Historic Spanish Point campus
• Thursday, March 5, 2026, Downtown Sarasota campus
• Thursday, May 7, 2026, Downtown Sarasota campus

Start times vary with sunset and will be announced when each event opens for registration. Admission for these events has no ticket cost, though availability is subject to capacity limitations at each venue; advance registration is required ($5/person) at HermitageArtistRetreat.org.   

Each program will feature a celebrated Hermitage artist (or artists) to be announced. Last year’s “Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens” spotlighted the works and talents of 2023 Hermitage Greenfield Prize finalist Britton Smith, internationally celebrated flutist Claire Chase, world-renowned pianist and composer Vijay Iyer, Tony Award-nominated Broadway performer Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer, West End composer and lyricist Mark Sonnenblick, acclaimed singer-songwriter Julian Hornik, and 2025 Hermitage Greenfield Prize Winner and sound artist Rucyl Mills. 

Previous seasons of “Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens” have included Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Michael R. Jackson; celebrated mime and storyteller Bill Bowers; internationally renowned composer and singer Kavita Shah; award-winning Chicago playwright Terry Guest; Kleban Prize winner César Alvarez, world-renowned violinist and Beyoncé collaborator Lady Jess; Hermitage Curatorial Council member Nataki Garrett; acclaimed classical harpist Ashley Jackson; interdisciplinary performance artist Ni’Ja Whitson; opera singer and Sarasota native Thea Lobo; composer Sofía Rocha, winner of the Hermitage Prize in Composition at the Aspen Music Festival; Tony Award-winning Broadway producer Tom Kirdahy; Hermitage Major Theater Award Winner Shariffa Ali; celebrated cellist Karen Patterson; award-winning flutist Emi Ferguson with classical composer Jim Stephenson; and more.

“This sixth season of ‘Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens’ promises to be another memorable one,” says Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg. “Last year’s programming was instrumental in lifting our community’s spirits after the impacts of an unprecedented hurricane season. The forthcoming lineup will once again introduce audiences to some of the most dynamic artists and performers of our generation – six magical evenings set against the backdrop of these beautiful bayfront sanctuaries. This popular series has been a joyous collaboration with our friends at Selby Gardens, and we look forward welcoming new and returning audiences to experience a ‘sneak peek’ into the creative process of our leading artists, writers, and performers. 

“We are so excited to celebrate six years of this wonderful collaboration with the Hermitage Artist Retreat,” says Selby Gardens President & CEO Jennifer Rominiecki. “Welcoming world-class Hermitage artists to our expanded bayfront sanctuary at our Downtown Sarasota and vibrant Historic Spanish Point campuses is something we look forward to each year. Treating Gulf Coast patrons to these special programs has been such a joy, and we are thrilled that that the ‘Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens’ series continues to flourish.” 

These outdoor events are one part of many ongoing programs and collaborations planned throughout the season, spanning Sarasota County, Charlotte County, Manatee County, Lee County, and the surrounding region. The programs feature industry-leading playwrights, visual artists, musicians, poets, choreographers, and more — all free to the members of our community with a $5/person registration fee. 

The Hermitage Artist Retreat is pleased to announce the fourth season of the Sarasota Cross Arts Collaborative, made possible once more with generous support from the Koski Family Foundation. This initiative is designed to give frequent performers and company members from leading Sarasota arts organizations a chance to expand their artistic practice from ‘performer’ to ‘creator.’

As with previous years, the Hermitage is awarding Cross Arts Collaborative residencies to artists from two selected partner institutions. This program is designed to inspire and encourage generative work created by some of the best and brightest in our vibrant performing arts community. Artists are invited by their respective organizations to submit proposals for consideration; finalists are then submitted to the Hermitage for consideration, and recipients are selected in consultation with current or past members of the Hermitage Curatorial Council. This year’s Cross Arts proposal review was led by world renowned flutist, Hermitage alumna, and former Curatorial Council member Claire Chase. Hermitage audiences had the opportunity to hear Chase perform in December at a Hermitage program held at Historic Spanish Point.

In the fourth season of the Hermitage’s Cross Arts Collaborative, this distinguished honor has been awarded to Shawn Allison, a musician, composer, and frequent performer with ensembleNewSRQ; and Tom Lubben, a performer, musician, and member of The Lubben Brothers, a folk trio developing music with Key Chorale. Recipients of the Cross Arts Collaborative Fellowship will receive two weeks of uninterrupted time at the Hermitage Artist Retreat on Manasota Key to develop a new generative project, and excerpts from their original work will then be shared with the Sarasota community in a free public program this December. This year’s program will be presented by the Hermitage at Nathan Benderson Park, in collaboration with ensembleNewSRQ and Key Chorale. The program highlighting the work of Shawn Allison and Tom Lubben will be held on Wednesday, December 3^rd at 5pm, following their summer residencies at the Hermitage. Registration for this program will open at a later date.

The inaugural season of the Hermitage Cross Arts Collaborative in 2022 awarded this opportunity to Derric Gobourne, Jr. of Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe and Tsebiyah Mishael Derry through Florida Studio Theatre. In the second year of this initiative, the Hermitage hosted Lizzie Hagstedt, a musician, soundscape designer, and frequent collaborator with Asolo Repertory Theatre, and Jessica Obiedzinski, a dancer and longstanding company member of Sarasota Contemporary Dance. The 2024 Hermitage Cross Arts Collaborative Fellows were Raleigh Mosely II, a frequent performer with Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, and Anthony Barrese, a conductor, composer, and frequent guest artist of Sarasota Opera.

While the Hermitage’s nationally renowned residency program brings leading artists from across the country and around the world to create work on its beachfront Manasota Key campus, the Hermitage also seeks to enrich the incredible and growing arts scene in Sarasota, as showcased by performing arts institutions such as ensembleNewSRQ and Key Chorale. 

“This program is designed to offer a one-of-a-kind opportunity to some of the leading artists in Sarasota, creating space for a talented artist or performer to focus on being a generative artist,” said Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg. “We know there are musicians, actors, dancers, and performing artists working amidst our circle of frequent collaborators who have passion projects waiting in the wings. This could be an actor writing a play between production contracts, a musician composing a symphony after rehearsals, a dancer yearning to expand into choreography, or someone looking to work across an entirely new genre. This residency is designed for an artist who is hungry to expand their creative practice and explore a new hat within the arts and entertainment space.” Sandberg added that the Cross Arts Collaborative initiative would not be possible without the generous support of the Koski Family Foundation, longtime supporters and champions of the Hermitage.

“We are delighted that composer Shawn Allison has been selected as the recipient of the Cross Arts Collaborative residency,” said Samantha Bennett and George Nickson, Co-Artistic Directors of ensembleNewSRQ. “This partnership with the Hermitage offers a rare and meaningful opportunity to support boundary-pushing artistic voices like Shawn’s. His creative, multidisciplinary approach to composition and his desire to blend sound and storytelling through literary influence make him an ideal fit for this Hermitage residency, and we are excited to see how his work evolves through this unique collaborative platform.” 

Shawn Allison’s compositions have been described as “playful and inventive” (Chicago Sun-Times), “vividly imagistic” (Lucid Culture), “smartly crafted,” “lyrical, otherworldly,” and “intriguing” (Chicago Classical Review). Shawn seeks to connect listeners to shared emotional spaces via evocative images and symbols with mythical significance. He and his wife, pianist Abbey Allison, serve together as music co-directors at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Greater Naples, and he is currently a visiting professor at Florida Gulf Coast University. 

“Key Chorale is thrilled to be partnering with the Hermitage through their Cross Arts Collaborative initiative,” said Joseph Caulkins, Artistic Director of Key Chorale. “This residency experience gives artists the space and time to create meaningful art. Having worked with performer and arranger Tom Lubben over the years, I know the music he creates with his time at the Hermitage will be well received. His project expands on our American Roots series in ways that will educate as well as entertain, exploring the origins of folk music in America and tracing their roots from the 40s into the early 70s. I am certain this residency will bring about great art from this exceptional artist. We are honored to be part of this initiative and looking forward to the fruits to come!”

Tom Lubben, along with his two triplet brothers, is a founding member of The Lubben Brothers, musicians pioneering original music rich in lyrical sensitivity, vocal harmonies, and the timeless, multicultural American folk tradition. For the past several years, Tom Lubben has collaborated with Joseph Caulkins and Key Chorale to create a musical program, American Storytellers, that resurrects iconic moments in American popular music and celebrates their timelessness and relevancy. The focus of this project reaches the deepest roots of what made The Lubben Brothers who they are, and has become one of the most rewarding projects Tom has adopted. Lubben has also written book, lyrics, and music for several musicals, and he has created many arrangements for he and his brothers to perform. With deep roots both in the Celtic and classical worlds, The Lubben Brothers tour nationally and have a growing catalogue of music streaming on every digital platform. 

The Hermitage’s December 3^rd Cross Arts Collaborative program will open for registration in September. All Hermitage programs are free and open to the public (with a $5/person registration fee), offering Gulf Coast audiences a rare chance to engage and interact with some of the world’s leading talent. Due to capacity limitations, registration is required at HermitageArtistRetreat.org.