Association reveals new concert schedule

SANDUSKY — The Sandusky Concert Association just announced its 2025-26 concert season. And the longtime group will continue its recent trend of offering free shows. The concert group scheduled three concerts — in November, March and May — and the group is also sponsoring a guest artist in November for a Firelands Symphony Orchestra show. Here are the four scheduled shows: Frisson Frisson, billed as "the classical group that does it all," will perform at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 2 at Zion Lutheran Church, 503 Columbus Ave. in Sandusky. The concert is free. No decision has been made yet on whether to take up a freewill offering, concert association president Don Cope said. On its website, the group states it provides "engaging programs that span a variety of ensemble configurations, including winds, piano trios, piano quartets, octets and nonets. They also offer popular programs featuring music by composers such as Gershwin, Cole Porter, John Williams and Astor Piazzolla." Firelands Symphony Orchestra concert The Firelands Symphony Orchestra concert takes place at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 16 at Sawmill Creek Resort in Huron. The association is sponsoring the guest artist, pianist Maxim Lando. This is a ticketed event. Information on tickets for this concert and other shows, such as the orchestra's opening Oct. 26 show, is available at firelandssymphony.com. The concert association has a history of supporting the orchestra by covering the cost of guest artists, and it decided this year to sponsor Lando, who will be playing Rachmaninoff's second piano concerto, Cope explained. Lando, just 22, in 2015 became the first American to win first prize at the International Television Competition "The Nutcracker" for young musicians in Moscow. He has already released a recording, "Into Madness" with violinist Tassilo Probst, featuring music of Béla Bartók, George Enescu and Joseph Achron, and he's gone on tour in countries such as Spain, Germany, Russia and the United Kingdom. Heidelberg Concert Choir The Heidelberg Concert Choir takes place at 3 p.m. on Sunday March 22 at Zion Lutheran Church in Sandusky. This is another free concert, although a freewill offering will be taken up to support the choir. Heidelberg University is located in Tiffin, and the school's concert choir is very good, Cope said. "We have always been interested in vocal performance," he said. North Coast Concert Band The show featuring the North Coast Concert Band — scheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday, May 3 — will be at a to-be-announced location. This will be another free show. The huge band, about 100 musicians, has built up a nice following and typically draws 200 to 400 people at its shows, Cope said. Soon celebrating its centennial The Sandusky Concert Association dates back to 1928 and so will be celebrating its 100th anniversary in two years, Cope said. The group has some money in the bank, has an annual fundraising campaign to seek donations and also applies for grants, he said. People can learn more by visiting sanduskyconcert.com.