After 61 years as one of the more prominent summer chamber music training programs, the Sarasota Music Festival is heading into transition period with some significant changes coming.

The Sarasota Orchestra, which launched the three-week festival in 1965, announced on Aug. 25 that Jeffrey Kahane is stepping down as its music director after nine seasons, and the 2026 festival will be one-week shorter while a committee explores its future.

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