Right in the center of downtown, high up in the air, some of Orlando’s best-known arts groups participate in monthly performances — and they are free.
The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, Orlando Ballet and Opera Orlando are among those who help bring Sunday Live! to life each month at Orlando Lutheran Towers. The Bach Festival Society is this month’s guest organization, with a choral concert Oct. 16.
I attended the September performance, feeling cocky that I would surely bring down the average age of the audience; Orlando Lutheran Towers is a senior residential community, after all. And I’m sure I did — but not by as much as I might have guessed.
In my estimation, about 20% of the audience that filled the residence’s chapel was made up of arts lovers who do not live at the Towers. The two men behind me speaking Portuguese appeared to be in their 30s. A few rows back, a mom kept her eye on two young children.
The program that September day consisted of a string quartet of Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra players, joined by Latin Grammy Award winner Nestor Torres on the flute.
The chapel has beautiful acoustics that provide a richness of tone, and its size — much smaller than a concert hall — adds to the intimacy of the experience.
You might get a special moment or two. Although three of the four string players were Philharmonic veterans — concertmaster Rimma Bergeron-Langlois, principal viola player Mauricio Céspedes Rivero and violinist Victor Ferroni — the concert marked the debut of the orchestra’s new assistant principal cellist, Isaac Moorman.
“I’m sure you’re going to do great things with the orchestra,” Torres told him.
There certainly were great things happening on the Philharmonic’s roughly 70-minute program of Mozart, tangos and other works with a Latin flair.
“Wow,” a voice behind me breathed after a particularly dramatic moment in Carlos Gardel’s “Por Una Cabeza.”
And, again, it’s all free.
The Sunday Live! Program has had a momentous year. In July, a new Steinway grand piano was dedicated during what was officially called “Something Grand: A Celebration Concert,” but according to 100-year-old fan Midge Bowman was nicknamed the “Hallelujah” concert because of the excitement over the magnificent new instrument.
The program that day included pianist Ture Lawson “breaking in” the new keys with Rachmaninoff, Schubert and Chopin.
“All three works, performed by Mr. Larson, fully exhibited the piano’s warmth, mellow sound and brilliant color,” wrote Russell P. Allen, director of development for Opera Orlando, who was in attendance. The works “proved to the audience that the piano was well chosen and a great new asset for music at Orlando Lutheran Towers.”
How much do the Towers residents support Sunday Live? They paid for that piano themselves through a capital campaign by the Sunday Live! committee, led by Myra Winkler.
The Steinway — which was front and center in August, as well, for a performance by longtime Walt Disney World “piano lady” Carol Stein — is not the only mighty instrument at the Towers. The chapel also boasts a beautiful pipe organ, which was played at July’s celebration, as well.
The free nature of the concerts can extend even to the parking: I found a free spot on the surrounding streets. There are also city garages nearby at Liberty and Church streets and Liberty and Jackson streets that charge a small fee.
The Orlando Lutheran Towers entrance is at 300 E. Church St., and I was greeted by a volunteer who made sure I knew how to get to the chapel, where the programs always take place.
If you do get momentarily disoriented, just ask someone. They’ll know right where to send you for one of Orlando’s best-kept cultural “secrets.”
Sunday Live!
Remaining free programs this season, all at 3 p.m., are as follows:
Oct. 16: Bach Festival Society Choir
Nov. 6: Orlando Ballet
Dec. 4: UCF Concert Choir
Jan. 15, 2023: Tenor vocalist Devin Eatmon
Feb. 5, 2023: Harp Society Ensemble
March 5, 2023: Opera Orlando
April 2, 2023: UCF Flying Horse Big Band
May 7, 2023: Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra
Find me on Twitter @matt_on_arts, facebook.com/matthew.j.palm or email me at mpalm@orlandosentinel.com. Want more theater and arts news and reviews? Go to orlandosentinel.com/arts. For more fun things, follow @fun.things.orlando on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
