On February 12, 2021, Sarasota Opera opened its 2021 Winter Opera Festival with a fully-staged production of Rossini’s “The Happy Deception.” Performing to an audience of 25 percent capacity, the production marked a successful opening to their 62nd season amid the ongoing pandemic. While the company’s season was originally comprised of larger works that audiences adore, the success of SO’s {…}
Florida-based Sarasota Opera is inviting opera lovers from around the world to be part of a special 30-year tradition. On Jan. 26, 2021, the company will be doing a Zoom showcase in which all participants will join conductor Victor DeRenzi in a performance of “Va, pensiero” from “Nabucco.” The event starts at 8:30 p.m. with the performance starting at 8:50 {…}
Sarasota Opera has announced casting for its 2021 festival. “L’Inganno Felice” will feature soprano Hanna Brammer as Isabella and bass-baritone Alexander Charles Boyd as Tarabotto. Tenor Christopher Bozeka will make his company debut as Bertrando with bass Joshua DeVane as Ormondo. Joseph Beutel rounds out the cast, which will be conducted by Victor DeRenzi and directed by Martha Collins. “La {…}
Sarasota Opera in Florida has announced major changes for its 2021 Winter Opera Festival. The company revealed that it will present two live operas in February and March as well as a second two-opera season in April. “We are both optimistic and committed to adapting our art to the challenges of today’s world,” Executive Director Richard Russell stated in a {…}
It is going to be a fun opera week with a lot of unique viewing experiences for opera lovers around the world. There are modern operas. There are concerts with famed arias. There’s a mystery story. There’s a battle between two queens. There’s some Schubert songs. And a Rossini mass. And of course, there is a high-profile company premiere of {…}
Sarasota Opera has added a performance to its fall season. The organization has added an additional outing of “Live from the Sarasota Opera House” on Nov. 15, 2020 at 1:30 p.m. The concert will feature music by Verdi, Rossini, Wagner, Puccini, and Mozart with such artists as sopranos Hanna Brammer, Anna Mandina, and Caitlin Crabill, tenors Andrew Surrena and Samuel {…}
Marco Nisticò has been named Artistic Administrator for Sarasota Opera, effective Dec. 1, 2020. Nisticò will take over for Greg Trupiano who recently passed away; Trupiano worked with the company since 1987. Nisticò started off his career as a baritone and appeared with such companies as Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, the Caramoor Festival, and Chautauqua Opera Festival in {…}
Sarasota Opera has announced the special performances which make up its Fall lineup, with a series of live and streamed concerts, its “HD at the Opera House” presentations, and its touring “OperaMobile” series. The company’s season will open on Nov. 13, with its first live-streamed concert, entitled “Live from the Sarasota Opera House,” and featuring selections from Verdi, Rossini, Puccini, {…}
(Credit: Sarasota Youth Opera Facebook Page) Sarasota Opera has announced that the fall semester of its acclaimed Sarasota Youth Opera’s program will be held online this year. The enrollment for the semester will begin on August 25. No audition will be required. The technical requirements for the Sarasota Youth Opera fall semester include either a cellphone, computer, laptop, or a {…}
Due to the ongoing theater closures, Sarasota Opera has announced the cancellation of its scheduled production of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni,” as well as the Sarasota Youth Opera’s production of “The Hobbit.” The company will be exploring alternative programming for its fall season. Currently, the company is planning a live-streamed recital of resident artists on Nov. 13, 2020, with the possibility {…}
Sarasota Opera recently launched “Opera Mobile,” a unique opera experience in which the company’s artists hit the road to bring opera to the people. Among the singers involved in the test run on June 30, 2020 were baritone Alexander Boyd and soprano Hanna Brammer with Jesse Martins at the piano. The duo performed selections from “Faust,” “La Rondine,” “La Wally,” {…}
