Sarasota’s Harvey Milk Festival celebrates its 11th year this May 7-9 with a slate of concerts, forums and exhibits designed to engage a large and diverse audience. Oak Street Stage is honored to partner with the Harvey Milk Festival to sponsor a special Pre-Festival Concert. While the artists are still being negotiated at this printing, we hope you’ll mark the date and plan to join us for this exciting musical event.

Pianist Dave Meder is quickly becoming one of the top artists of his generation, with a reputation for an eclectic, genre-bending approach that has earned him slots in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition and the American Pianists Awards.

Maestro Hector Olivera has become one of the most sought-after concert artists of our time. Appearing in prestigious venues like Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, and Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, he has also played the opening of the Olympic Games and the Newport Music Festival.

Taking up where Celtic Christmas leaves off, Treasures is a joyful interactive experience with choir, orchestra, soloists, dance, visual arts and readers theater. The concert features classics by Vivaldi and Beethoven, the rousing American Rhapsody by Randall Stroope, and stirring settings of carols from the Celtic lands and the Americas. More than just another holiday concert, the evening will lead us to explore what we treasure most at Christmas.

Infusing funk, jazz and samba with blues, soul and rock, Ari & the Alibis have become one of the top acts on the Tampa Bay music scene, as evidenced by their 2015 nomination for best local band in Tampa Bay and Ari for Best Jazz Vocalist. They were also in the running for Grammy nominations in two categories: Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance. Their highly anticipated sophomore album, Home, was released in June 2018, and this all-original full length album captures both the versatility and the virtuosity of the group. The title track has already received an award for Best Original Song in the Bradenton Times and the band was also nominated for Best Regional Band in the Tampa Bay Creative Loafing Readers Poll.