Every holiday tradition has to start somewhere. That’s one of the rationales behind Season’s Greetings from the Garden, the Florida Symphony Youth Orchestras’ new-for-2025 “concert experience.”
It’s also an opportunity to showcase some of the top players among the FSYO’s more than 300 instrumentalists by turning them loose on the greatest hits of the holidays. And to present such a program in a way that’s tailored to today’s highly divided attention spans.
The music will fill Mead Botanical Garden for an afternoon of listening during which musicians will occupy two stages simultaneously: the Grove and the Little Amphitheater. Wristband-wearing attendees will be able to stroll from one to the other, taking in the presentations at their own pace and on their own timetable.
The repertoire will range from such classic carols as “Silent Night” to themes from great holiday movies. Featured players will be plucked from the ranks of the FSYO’s eight ensembles (three symphonic orchestras, two string orchestras, a percussion ensemble and two jazz bands).
There’ll also be a collaboration between the FSYO’s Philharmonia Orchestra and the Central Florida Youth Choir, the latter of which will perform a set of its own. Meanwhile, student representatives will be on hand to share information about the organization, and food trucks will be parked on site to satisfy snacking urges.
Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets and lawn chairs to sit on for the program, which will begin at 2 p.m. Mead Botanical Garden is located at 1300 South Denning Drive, Winter Park. For more information, call or visit the website.
