“Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens” returns for a seventh year with six programs split between the Selby Gardens Downtown Sarasota and Historic Spanish Point campuses. The season opens Friday, October 16, at the Downtown Sarasota campus, headlined by Hermitage Fellows Madeline Benson & Chris Peters, and Matīss Ċudars.
The Hermitage Artist Retreat and Marie Selby Botanical Gardens are teaming up once again for “Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens” as part of the 2026-2027 season. This outdoor series invites audiences to experience an evening of new performance, offering an inside look at works-in-progress and showcasing Hermitage artists-in-residence and alumni along the way.
Events will alternate between Selby Gardens’ Downtown Sarasota campus and the Historic Spanish Point campus in Osprey.
Here’s the new schedule for the 2026-2027 season:
– Friday, October 16, 2026, Downtown Sarasota campus
– Friday, November 20, 2026, Historic Spanish Point campus
– Thursday, February 11, 2027, Historic Spanish Point campus
– Thursday, February 25, 2027, Downtown Sarasota campus
– Thursday, March 18, 2027, Downtown Sarasota campus
– Thursday, May 6, 2027, Downtown Sarasota campus
Kicking things off, “New Music Under the Old Oak” brings together Madeline Benson & Chris Peters. The pair first worked as arrangers, orchestrators, and performers on the late Gavin Creel’s original musical “Walk on Through,” developed in part through the Hermitage. Benson and Peters’ artistic partnership has flourished. Peters produced Benson’s debut album, “Leave it All to Me,” and they’ve shared the stage at Lincoln Center.
Joining them is Latvian composer and guitarist Matīss Čudars, who won the Hermitage Prize in Composition at the Aspen Music Festival & School. Čudars brings influences from math-rock, jazz, classical, and experimental genres. Sarasota audiences might remember him from the 2025 Hermitage Artful Lobster. He’s known for dynamic compositions across orchestral, chamber, and solo works.
These artists will share both their music and creative process as the sun goes down at Selby’s downtown campus on Friday, October 16, at 5:30 p.m.
Details will become available when each event opens for registration. Although tickets are not required, the venue limits space because of its capacity, so advance registration costs $5 per person. Sign up at HermitageArtistRetreat.org.
Each event in the series will spotlight a Hermitage artist or group of artists, with announcements to come. Over the past year, “Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens” featured notable talents like violist and ETHEL founder Ralph Farris, Broadway writer and performer Lauren Marcus, playwright Migdalia Cruz, Tony Award winner Britton Smith, jazz musician Adam O’Farrill, Pulitzer and Tony-winning playwright Doug Wright, Obie Award winner Morgan Bassichis, actor and playwright Adam Chanler-Berat, composer Julian Hornik, and Juilliard-trained flutist Emi Ferguson. The new season promises more of the same creative energy and talent.
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