Sarasota Opera has been awarded a $24,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts as part of the federal agency’s “Freedom 250” initiative, celebrating America’s 250th anniversary.

The funds will be used to support the company’s 2026 Winter Opera Festival production of “Susannah” by Carlisle Floyd.

Interestingly, this year marks the 100th anniversary of Floyd’s birth, and the run will also coincide with the centennial of the historic Sarasota Opera House. Floyd composed “Susannah” while on the faculty at Florida State University, and the work premiered in Florida in 1955.

The company will present the opera in six performances running March 14 through 28, 2026 with Jessé Martins conducting and Martha Collins directing. The cast will draw from Sarasota Opera’s Principal Artists, Studio Artists, and Apprentice Artists.

“Carlisle Floyd is one of the great voices of American opera, and Susannah remains deeply relevant today,” said General Director Richard Russell, per an official press release. “The NEA’s investment ensures that audiences from our community and across the country can experience this powerful opera in a meaningful way.”

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