Sarasota Orchestra and Gloria Musicae give a behind-the-scenes look

All eyes are on Maestro Andrew Lane, Sarasota Orchestra’s Pops Series conductor. He raises his hands cueing Sarasota Orchestra, the three guest Broadway artists and chorus, Gloria Musicae. It’s Thursday Jan. 23, the day before Sarasota Orchestra’s first Pops Series concert “Broadway Bound.” The show is sold out both nights at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall.

There’s a drum kit, an electric guitar and an electric bass. Musicians don jeans for rehearsal, and musician jokes are cracked between playing and singing. It’s the kind of thing you don’t typically get to see.

Every musician learned the familiar show tunes before rehearsing with his or her respective groups (as any professional musician would). Though, it came a little easier for the guest vocalists who have performed some of the music hundreds of times. For instance, Susan Egan, the original Belle in Broadway’s “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast” who also starred on Broadway as Millie in “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” sang a few songs from this repertoire. It was the same for the other two guests artists, Gary Mauer and Christiane Noll.

The musicians had different scores from the vocalists, who had different scores from the vocal ensemble, who had a different score from Andrew Lane — but with a few little pencil marks, it came together nicely. The hardest part of the process was getting the show tunes out of the musicians’ heads once the concert ended.

See more photos here.

IF YOU GO 

Sarasota Orchestra Pops Series: Satchmo, Fats & The Duke
When: 8 p.m. Friday, March 28 and Saturday, March 29
Where: Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail
Cost: Tickets $32 to $69
Info: Call 953-3434 or visit sarasotaorchestra.org.

Gloria Musicae: A Night at the Opera
When: 7 p.m. Sunday, March 16
Where: First United Methodist Church, 104 S. Pineapple Ave.
Cost: Tickets $31.50
Info: Call 955-7676 or visit gloriamusicae.org.