The best things to do around Sarasota for Jan. 12-18

Thursday

Jazz Thursdays
5:30 p.m. at Sarasota Art Museum, 1001 S. Tamiami Trail
$20; members free
Visit JazzClubSarasota.org.

The Sarasota Art Museum partners up with Jazz Club of Sarasota for Jazz Thursdays every second Thursday at the Marcy and Michael Klein Plaza. Pop by the galleries, bistro or shop between performances to pick up an eclectic gift for someone you love.

Great Escapes: A Little Night Music
7:30 p.m. at Holley Hall, 709 N. Tamiami Trail
$45-$108
Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org.

Come out for a concert that features a wide span of music from classical to modern. Enjoy as the Sarasota Orchestra plays songs from Sondheim, Motown and more. On the classical side, you’ll hear pieces including Bizet’s “Toreador Song” from “Carmen” and the wild “Ritual Fire Dance” from “de Falla’s El amor brujo.” From opera to the nightclub, there’s music to please everyone. Runs through Sunday, Jan. 15.

Riverdance 25th Anniversary Show
7:30 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail
$37-$87
Visit VanWezel.org.

This traditional theatrical feast of Irish music and dance touches down at the Van Wezel this week. Now in its 25th year, this beloved dance spectacle — rooted in a three-part suite of baroque-influenced traditional music — has only grown more beloved and familiar over the years. 

Friday

'Making Music Together'
7 a.m. at Venice Performing Arts Center, 1 Indian Ave., Building 5, Venice
Free
Visit ChamberOrchestraOfSarasota.com.

The Chamber Orchestra of Sarasota teams up with the Venice High School Orchestra to present this free concert. The Chamber Orchestra will play Mozart’s “Divertimento in G Major,” while the students will perform three works: William Grant Still’s “Danzas de Panama,” the theme from “Schindler’s List” and “Fanfare,” a piece written by the former assistant conductor of the Naples Philharmonic specifically for youth orchestras.

Jazz at Two — Kitt Moran Quartet
2 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota, 3975 Fruitville Road
$20; members $15
Visit JazzClubSarasota.org.

Before Kitt and Mike Moran moved to Florida, they played the top jazz clubs in New York City and New Jersey. Now, thanks to the Jazz Club of Sarasota, they are joined by their bandmates to delight audiences with music from the American songbook and jazz standards. 

Hound Happy Hour
5-8 p.m. at Hamlet’s Eatery, 821 Apricot Ave.
Free
Visit HamletsEatery.com.

Bring your four-legged friends to this gathering. Tender Heart Charities are bringing puppies that are looking for homes, and Chris Lincoln will be playing live music.

In-Studio Performance
7 p.m. at SCD Home Studio, 1400 Boulevard of the Arts, Suite 300; virtual option available
$10-$20
Visit SarasotaContemporaryDance.org.

Sarasota Contemporary Dance’s In-Studio Series offers a place for artists to workshop new pieces or add the final touches to developing works. In this performance, poet Scylla Licombe teams up with the SCD Ensemble for a live performance, which will be followed by a Q&A. Continues Saturday.

Movie at the Plaza
6 p.m. at Waterside Place, 1561 Lakefront Drive, Lakewood Ranch
Free
Visit WatersidePlace.com.

Enjoy a family movie every second Friday of the month presented by Grace Community Church. This event features "Sing 2." The first 200 attendees can enjoy a free Chick-fil-A sandwich or nuggets. Bring a blanket or lawn chairs. Concessions are available from We B’ Poppin Popcorn and Kettle Corn and Chick-fil-A. Face painting and inflatables for the kids will be available from 6-8 p.m.

Saturday

New Beginnings Artist Market
10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Creative Liberties, 901B Apricot Ave.
Free
Visit CreativeLiberties.net.

Kick off the new year with Creative Liberties’ January Art Market, which will feature local art vendors and open studios of resident artists, as well as live music, a food truck, craft beer and even a tent where kids can make a piece of art of their very own.

‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’
10 a.m. at FST’s Keating Theatre, 1241 N. Palm Ave.
$10
Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

Join Peter and Lucy as they travel to Narnia in this theatrical adaptation of the beloved tale by C.S. Lewis. They travel through the fantastical world to battle the forces of evil and discover that love is the most powerful magic of all. Kids and adults alike will enjoy this play, performed by FST Acting Apprentices. It is also part of the four-show Children’s Theatre Series available this season at FST. Runs through Feb. 25.

Jerry Saltz: 'Art is Life'
1 p.m. at Sarasota Art Museum, 1001 S. Tamiami Trail
$40; members $35
Visit SarasotaArtMuseum.org.

New York Magazine senior art critic, Jerry Saltz — winner of the 2018 Pulitzer Prize in Criticism and the 2019 National Magazine Award — lectures about the contemporary art world. An acute observer of the arts, his opinion and takeaways are pure gold and sure to delight astute Sarasota art lovers. His talk will begin at 1 p.m. and will be followed by a book signing.

Kathleen Supové: 'Next Door'
8 p.m. at Mildred Sainer Pavilion, 5313 Bay Shore Road
$15
Visit NewMusicNewCollege.org.

New Music New College welcomes back Kathleen Supové for the pianists’ solo concert “Between Starshine and Clay.” The eccentric and provocative Supové will perform works from her current project about migration and cosmic expression. This concert is free for NCF students, faculty and staff and will be live-streamed on YouTube.

Sunday

Courtesy photo

Windjammers featuring Sailor Circus Academy
1:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 15 at Circus Arts Conservatory’s Sailor Circus Arena, 2075 Bahia Vista St.
Free
Visit CircusArts.org.

This annual free show partners up Windjammers Unlimited, a band featuring wind instruments, with the students of the Sailor Circus Academy. Enjoy this collaboration as dazzling circus feats are put to the upbeat music of this ensemble.

Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons
7 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail
$97-$137
Visit VanWezel.org.

Be sure to “Walk Like a Man” as fast as you can as you come to enjoy this perennial audience favorite, Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. With their infectious canon of hits, they have sold more than 175 million albums, featuring unforgettable tunes like “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Rag Doll,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” and “Grease.” Now is the time to see these legends live while they’re still touring the U.S. and crooning over lost love and all those innocent feelings from days of yore. 

Monday

Talamantes and Willkerson, Soprano and Baritone
10:30 a.m. at Church of the Palms, 3224 Bee Ridge Road
$10
Visit SillSarasota.org.

The Sarasota Institute of Lifetime Learning welcomes soprano Danielle Talamantes and baritone Kerry Wilkerson to its Music Monday series. The two singers will perform and engage in a conversation about their musical journeys.

George Crumb Tribute: Remembering an American Icon and Those He Influenced
7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 1031 S. Euclid Ave.
$25
Visit ENSRQ.org.

EnsembleNewSRQ pays tribute to George Crumb, one of the 20th century’s most adventurous and exceptional composers. Crumb, who died in 2022, will be celebrated in this concert featuring two of his most influential works: “Black Angels” and “Madrigals.”

Wednesday

Embracing Our Differences 
At Bayfront Park, 5 Bayfront Drive
Free
Visit EmbracingOurDifferences.org.

Come out and admire this outdoor art exhibit featuring 50 billboard-sized images created by local, national and international artists. Runs through March 12.

Lecture: Opera and Dance —An Uneasy Marriage
10:30 a.m. at Selby Library, Geldbart Auditorium, 1331 First St.
Free
Call 861-1168.

Joy McIntyre, an opera singer and associate professor emerita at Boston University, will lecture on the push and pull of the art forms of opera and dance. The Sarasota Music Archive presents this free event as part of its John Goodman Memorial Lecture and Concert Series.

An Evening with Judy Collins Performing ‘Wildflowers’
7:30 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail
$27-$72
Visit VanWezel.org.

Some may call her prolific — we think that’s an understatement considering singer-songwriter Judy Collins released her 55th album this year. The Grammy Award winner will take a look back at her breakthrough 1967 album, Wildflowers in a performance sure to delight as she brings some of her biggest hits to life with a 27-piece orchestra.