For June, a musical quartet of concerts around Central Florida
Here’s a look at four big music events in Central Florida this June: A celebration of Black Music Month, a commemoration of Central Florida Sounds of Freedom’s 15th anniversary, the return of a Fringe Festival hit and the season finale from the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra.
United Groove
Winter Park Playhouse once again teams with Barbara Chandler Productions to continue its Sounds of the World series - this time to celebrate Black Music Month.
The band United Groove will present an evening of funk, blues and soul, beginning at 7 p.m. June 11. And here’s a great deal: It’s free.
Founded in 2023 by Ed “Smooth Fingaz” Wilson and Ashton “Tuba” Cain, United Groove specializes in R&B, soul, reggae, smooth jazz, Motown and funk. Other musicians include Jay Umlauf on guitar, James Johnson on saxophone and Alvin “T.E.C.” Colbert on drums.
The Playhouse’s Sounds of the World Series is part of its community-outreach programming and designed to celebrate different cultures, heritages and music styles.
The free concert will be in the Edyth Bush Theatre of the Winter Park Library, 1052 W. Morse Blvd. in Winter Park. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis and can accommodate 90 guests; doors open at 6 p.m.
‘Resilience’
The Central Florida Sounds of Freedom Band and Color Guard celebrates 15 years of music, visibility and community with “Resilience,” its anniversary concert. The show will be at 3 p.m. June 7 in the Pugh Theater at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, 445 S. Magnolia Ave. in Orlando.
The concert serves as the finale of the group’s season, which focused on themes of hope, struggle, and the concert’s titular resilience as it relates to the LGBTQ+ community.
Musical selections include "Stonewall" by Randall Standridge, performed with guest Ashley Thunder, which honors the legacy of the 1969 Stonewall Riots, considered the start of the gay-rights movement, and the courageous participants’ continuing impact.
Also included is the premiere of "Well With My Soul" by Benjamin Mairs. The work was commissioned specifically for the Central Florida Sounds of Freedom and explores themes of healing, reflection and renewal that echo both the spirit of this performance and the organization's 15-year journey.
Other works, including “Mambo” from “West Side Story,” span classical, contemporary and musical-theater genres.
As part of the anniversary celebration, original artistic director Lee Sellers and former artistic director Chris Green each will conduct. The organization is currently led by Lindsey Williams.
Tickets are $25-$35, with more information available at cfsof.com/tickets.
‘A Cabaret of Legends’
If you are missing the Orlando Fringe Festival, or missed out on the Fringe altogether, here’s the return of show that made quite a splash at the ’25 fest - earning a spot that year on the Sentinel’s list of top productions.
“A Cabaret of Legends” finds Tymisha Harris celebrating “the voices that changed music forever,” as the show bills it - with a selection of songs from Ella Fitzgerald, Bille Holiday, Tina Turner, Beyoncé and more.
The cabaret-style show also involves storytelling, and as I wrote in my 2025 review: “Every note - both musical and emotional - is pitch perfect.”
Tabernacle Choir organist’s Orlando concert rescheduled for fall
Orlando Shakes regulars will remember Harris from her award-winning turn in the theater’s 2023 production of “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill” and previous cabarets. At this year’s festival in May, Harris was given the Critics’ Choice Award for outstanding performance in a musical.
The 90-minute “Cabaret of Legends” will be at 8 p.m. June 13 and 3 p.m. June 14 in the Margeson Theater of the Lowndes Shakespeare Center, 812 E. Rollins St. in Orlando. Tickets are $45 at OrlandoShakes.org.
‘Scheherazade’
The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra wraps up its season with the magic of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherazade,” famously inspired by the Arabian and South Asian stories of “One Thousand and One Nights.”
Guest conductor Earl Lee will lead the orchestra in a program that also includes the world premiere of Jessica Meyer's “Turbulent Flames,” as well as Manuel de Falla's “Nights in the Gardens of Spain” Pianist Alessio Bax will be the featured soloist on the latter piece.
The concert will have two performances, at 7:30 p.m. June 6 and 2:30 p.m. June 7, both in Steinmetz Hall at the Dr. Phillips Center in downtown Orlando. Tickets start at $23.60 at drphillipscenter.org.
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This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 5:05 AM.