The Florida Grand Opera has named Sissi Fleitas one of its newest ambassadors. In this role, Fleitas will focus on educating Spanish-speaking youth about the transformative power of opera, drawing on her deep-rooted passion for the arts and cultural preservation. Fleitas is a renowned Cuban-American actress known for her vibrant career in television, theater, and film. She made her stage {…}
Radmila Lolly has joined the board of the Florida Grand Opera. Lolly is a Russian-American artist with a varied career that has seen her make incursions into music, fashion, and literature. As a musician, she has released a series of major albums including “IV Stories at the Standard Hotel” and “Wonderland.” Some of her major hits include “U R Moving {…}
(Credit: Tania Barricklo) Florida Grand Opera has dropped the interim tag and announced the official appointment of Maria Todaro to the position of General Director. Todaro’s professional life has seen her transition from mezzo-soprano to entrepreneur when she founded a company Arteodor, France at the age of 21; she also co-founded the Hudson Valley International Festival of the Voice. From {…}
(Photo credit: Daniel Azoulay) Florida Grand Opera’s final production of Puccini’s “La Bohème” on May 4 was merely spectacular. The Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale, FL was alive with the spirit of opera. The nearly 3,000-seat theatre was packed with culture, diversity, and love for the arts. Illuminating Authenticity The curtain rose revealing the familiar scene, {…}
(Photo credit: Leonor Anthony) Hours before her final debut performance as Mimì in Florida Grand Opera’s “La Bohème,” soprano Rebecca Krynski Cox announced via Instagram that she is nine months pregnant. Cox and Florida Grand Opera’s General Director Maria Todaro spoke with OperaWire about working together through this process and on the importance of supporting women and pregnant people within {…}
The Florida Grand Opera has announced its 2024-25 season. Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” opens the season and will be directed by Jeffrey Marc Buchman. Performance Dates: Nov. 16, 17 & 19 at Miami and Dec. 5 & 7 at Fort Lauderdale Donizetti’s “The Elixir of Love” will be the second opera and will be directed by Matt Cooksey. Performance Dates: Feb. {…}
The Florida Grand Opera will celebrate its 82nd Anniversary with a black-tie Gala, titled “What Would You Do for Love.” The event will be held on March 16 at the Temple House. FGO’s newly appointed Board Chair, Tina Vidal-Duart,will announce the plans for the reimagined future of the opera company, with special performances by Radmila Lolly and Samy Hawk. Opera {…}
Florida Grand Opera has announced a Winter Concert Tour. First up is “Songfest: From the Page to the Stage.”The concert will feature FGO Studio Artists, the second concert of the SongFest series at the Riviera Presbyterian Church in Coral Gables and at the Center for Spiritual Living in Oakland Park. Drawing from the works of authors like William Shakespeare, Alexander {…}
Florida Grand Opera has announced that Tina Vidal-Duart is the company’s new Chair of the Board of Directors. She will take over for Per Olof Lööf, who has been working with her over the past year as she transitions from Chair-Elect to her new role. Lööf held the role since 2019. “As the new Chair of this esteemed opera house, {…}
The Florida Grand Opera Interim General Director Maria Todaro has announced that FGO will support Miss Florida, Juliette Valle, with special training for her Miss America Competition talent segment. Valle is an aspiring operatic soprano who will compete with “Sempre libera” from Verdi’s “La Traviata.” In a statement, Todaro said, “We are so thrilled to work with this talented young {…}
(Credit: Eric Joannes) Florida Grand Opera has announced that Maria Todaro will serve as the company’s Interim General Director throughout the 2023-24 season. Todaro commenced her professional life as a mezzo-soprano and entrepreneur. She founded the company Arteodor and took on a stage directing career where she worked with such organizations as Minnesota Opera, Atlanta Opera, and Hawai’i Opera Theater. {…}