Youth Opera Program
Sarasota Youth Opera is a national model for opera education, and one of a few programs in the United States that presents an annual fully staged Youth Opera production with professional orchestra, sets, and costumes, where our young singers are given a chance to shine.
Our mission is to attain the highest level of artistic excellence through quality instruction from noted professionals in the opera industry and through participation in Youth Opera productions, Sarasota Opera main stage productions, concerts throughout the community, and summer programs.
We pride ourselves in encouraging personal and social growth in our members by fostering a sense of self-worth, self-esteem, leadership, accomplishment, pride, cooperation, and enriching the lives of young people of all backgrounds.
What our Program offers
Through our year-round training, singers develop their voices, musicianship, acting skills, and appreciation of opera as they build their confidence within a supportive and collaborative community.Through our year-round training, singers develop their voices, musicianship, acting skills, and appreciation of opera as they build their confidence within a supportive and collaborative community.
Youth Opera Productions
During the fall season, members perform in a full-scale Youth Opera production with professional staff to guide, mentor, and help them to excel!
This fall, the Sarasota Youth Opera will present two public performances of Rootabaga Country on November 7th and 8th, 2026.
Part of Sarasota Opera’s commitment to young people includes commissioning new operas written for children and young adults. Six new works have been presented as part of this mission: Rachel J. Peters’ Rootabaga Country (2017), Daron Hagen’s Little Nemo in Slumberland (2012), John Kennedy’s The Language of Birds (2004), Tom Suta’s Eye of Ra (1998), Polly Pen’s Her Lightness (1993), and Deadline (1989).
Our Past Fully-staged Productions:
2025 Brundibár/Raise Up Your Voice
2024 The Hobbit
2023 The Little Sweep
2022 The Secret World of Og
2019 Brundibár / Raise Up Your Voice
2018 The Little Sweep
2017 Rootabaga Country (Commission/World Premiere)
2016 The Secret World of Og (U.S. Premiere)
2015 Brundibár / Raise Up Your Voice
2014 The Hobbit
2013 The Little Sweep
2012 Little Nemo in Slumberland (Commission/World Premiere)
2010 The Black Spider
2008 The Hobbit (U.S. Premiere)
2006 The Second Hurricane
2005 The Little Sweep
2004 The Language of Birds (Commission/World Premiere)
2003 The Piper of Hamelin
2002 The Happy Prince
2002 Down in the Valley
2001 The Second Hurricane
1999 The Black Spider
1998 Eye of Ra (Commission/World Premiere)
1998 Brundibár
1997 Arabica
1996 Pinocchio
1995 African Jigsaw
1994 Ocean World
1993 Her Lightness (Commission/World Premiere)
1992 Yanomano
1991 Karlsson on the Roof (American Premiere)
1990 Cornelius Coyote (World Premiere)
1989 Deadline (Commission/World Premiere)
1988 Cinderella
1987 The Frog Prince
1986 Chanticleer
1986 Space Opera/Rooster Rag/Jack and the Beanstalk
Opera Mainstage Season
Youth Opera members have the opportunity to participate in Sarasota Opera’s mainstage professional productions in multiple ways:
-As members of the children’s chorus in operas such as Tosca, La bohème, and Turandot.
-In special solo roles written for young voices. In recent seasons Youth Opera members have performed roles alongside the professional singers in The Magic Flute and Tosca.
-Members can also be cast as non-singing extra roles, called supernumeraries. In recent years, youth supernumeraries were seen in The Merry Widow, Susannah, and La bohème.
Youth Opera Choruses
Youth Opera performs operatic and classical music selections in multiple languages throughout the community in formal concerts and community events. Singers are placed in an appropriate chorus, which provides a setting for them to participate and progress at their own level as they gain greater skills and experience.
Summer Camp
Each June, Sarasota Youth Opera offers summer camps for young people. Under the direction of Sarasota Opera’s professional artistic and production staff, campers experience the wonder of opera on the stage and behind the scenes as they study its many facets, from music and acting to opera appreciation and the many elements of an opera production. To learn more, please visit www.sarasotaopera.org/summer-camp
Then, in July, the Sarasota Opera Vocal Academy takes the stage! Designed for pre-college singers, The Vocal Academy is a six-day vocal intensive that offers specialized training in operatic performance. The curriculum focuses on refining vocal techniques, preparing collegiate audition repertoire, and exploring and discovering the rich history of the operatic art form. To learn more, please visit https://www.sarasotaopera.org/sarasota-opera-vocal-academy .
Come Sing With Us!
2026 Fall Production
Sarasota Youth Opera is excited to announce the 2026 Youth Opera Production of Rachel J. Peter’s Rootabaga Country. This fully staged production is led by the professional staff of Sarasota Opera House and performed with a live orchestra on the opera house stage! Youth Opera singers perform in lead roles and in the chorus.
Inspired by Carl Sandburg’s Rootabaga Stories, this whimsical adventure follows Gimme the Ax and his children, Please Gimme and Ax Me No Questions, as they journey through the imaginative—but not magical—landscape of Rootabaga Country to learn more about the mother they never knew. Musically crafted for young voices yet rich in character, Rootabaga Country blends playful storytelling with heartfelt themes. Along the way, the family discovers that love and belonging come in many forms, offering a gentle, resonant reflection on curiosity, courage, and the shape of family
In addition to performing in Rootabaga Country, Youth Opera members will also have the opportunity to audition to join Sarasota Orchestra as the Children’s Chorus in their production of Carmina Burana, wherethey will perform with professional singers and orchestra on the Van Wezel Stage!
2026 Fall Schedule
Enrollment is now open and extends through August 30th. New singers must participate in a program audition, which will take place by appointment in July and August.
All rehearsals and performances take place at the Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave, Sarasota, FL 34236.
Rehearsals begin the week of August 18th.
PREP CHORUS (Ages 8-10): $275 per semester
August-September – Saturdays from 10:00 - 11:00 AM.
October – Saturdays from 10:00-12:30 PM.
Late October & November- dress rehearsals and performances as scheduled. A calendar will be sent out upon program acceptance.
*Must be 8 years old by December 31, 2026.
MIXED CHORUS (Ages 11-18, based on ability): $325 per semester
August-September – Tuesdays and Thursdays 5:30-7:00 PM
October – Tuesdays and Thursdays 5:30-7:30 PM
Saturdays from 10:00-4:00 PM
Late October & November- dress rehearsals and performances as scheduled. A calendar will be sent out upon program acceptance.
**NOTE: There will be additional dates for on-stage rehearsals, dress rehearsals, and performances outside of this time.
Registration
Click here to enroll your singer!
New applicants will be contacted to schedule a placement audition.
Tuition Assistance
If you would like to request financial assistance for tuition, please fill out the questions on the last page of the registration form.
Assistance is awarded on a needs-based policy. The questions are designed to assist in understanding each family’s unique situation to ensure that financial aid is awarded to those qualified with the greatest need.
Any questions about financial assistance should go to Ms. Cameron, Youth Opera Coordinator, by emailing [email protected] or by calling (941) 328-1329.
Medical Release Forms
For your child’s safety, a parent or guardian will need to sign and have notarized our Medical Release Form prior to your singer’s first rehearsal. There will be a notary at the first few rehearsals to help complete this paperwork.
Future Dates
If you are unable to join us this fall for our production, please keep us in mind for the future:
YO Winter Semester: Chorus & Concerts- January 2027 – May 2027
YO Summer Camp: June 7-25 2027
Youth Opera Alumni
Alumni, we miss you and hope you join us to celebrate our 42nd year in 2026! We will have an alumni reception before the performance of Rootabaga Country on Sunday, November 8th. RSVP Coming Soon!
Questions?
Please contact us at [email protected] or (941) 328-1329.
Interested in supporting the Youth Opera programs? Learn more.
Youth Opera Faculty & Staff
Martha Collins
Martha Collins
Director of Education & Stage Director
[email protected]
Stage Director Martha Collins has been praised by reviewers for her 'world-class, magical staging', 'mastery of zany, comic fun' and 'her direction of insightful character portrayals' and ‘quality’ productions.
Miss Collins recently directed Attila at Sarasota Opera, where her previous productions include of Dialogues of the Carmelites, Tosca, Carmen, Madama Butterfly, Romeo and Juliette, La Traviata, Nabucco and L’Elisir d’Amore. As part of the company’s complete Verdi Cycle, Miss Collins directed productions of I Lombardi, I due Foscari, Attila, Giovanna D’Arco, Masnadieri, Jerusalem, Un Giorno di Regno, and La Battaglia di Legnano. She has also served as stage director for Sarasota Opera’s Apprentice Program since 2004.
For Sarasota Youth Opera, Miss Collins directed the world premiere of Little Nemo in Slumberland (2012) and Rootabaga Country (2017), the U.S. premieres of Burry’s The Hobbit (2008, 2014) and The Secret World of OG (2016), The Black Spider (2010), The Second Hurricane (2006) The Little Sweep (2005, 2013, 2018) for which she also wrote the new Prologue of Let’s Put on an Opera, and Brundibár (2015, 2019) for which she also wrote an original prologue in collaboration with Jesse Martins (Sarasota youth Opera music director).
At New York University, she directed The Magic Flute, Orpheus in the Underworld, L’Enfant et les Sortilèges, and productions of her new libretto translations of The Audition and The Finishing School by von Suppé. Other productions include Side by Side by Sondheim and A Talent to Amuse – an Evening of Noel Coward at New England Conservatory, Il Tabarro and Amahl and the Night Visitors with Opera North, Floyd's Susannah and L’Elisir d’Amore for Opera Mozart in New Jersey, Dido and Aeneas at Brevard, and Lucia di Lammermoor and Tosca with New Jersey Verismo Opera.
Martha has taught acting at New York University, Swarthmore College, Ryder University, Manitoba University, the Florence Voice Seminar in Italy, and she maintains a private studio for vocal and dramatic coaching in New York City. As a singer, she performed extensively throughout her native Canada both as a concert and operatic performer, and has been heard on CBC's Arts National Radio in numerous recitals and orchestral concerts. Her televised appearances include Micaela in Carmen with Vancouver Opera and the opening gala of the world Expo in Vancouver, both of which were aired internationally.
Cameron Maxwell
Cameron Maxwell
Youth Opera Coordinator
[email protected]
Born and raised in Orlando, Ms. Maxwell has a wide variety of experience with music and theatre both as a performer and stage director. She received her BA in Theater Arts from Flagler College with three minors: Arts Administration, Music, and Education. After college, she worked in the development and marketing department of St. Johns Cultural Council, a local arts agency aiding arts and cultural organizations. She was active in creating grant proposals, newsletters and managing their performance venue.
Ms. Maxwell previously discovered her passion for working with children in the arts when she co-founded a summer camp with neighborhood kids. "Being involved in the whole process of developing arts opportunities for children felt natural and like something I could do successfully and joyfully for the rest of my life. The programs and productions at Sarasota Youth Opera provide wonderful opportunities for the children to immerse themselves in the arts, and I am thrilled to be a part of it."
Jessé Martins
Jessé Martins
Music Director
[email protected]
Maestro Jessé Martins holds a Master of Arts in Collaborative Piano from Mansfield University of Pennsylvania, and a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil).
Since joining Sarasota Opera in 2011 Maestro Martins has served as Youth Opera Chorus Master for mainstage productions such as Carmen (2012, 2018), Otello, Turandot, Pagliacci and Tosca, in addition to being the understudy conductor for Il Barbiere di Siviglia (2014), Le nozze di Figaro (2015), L'italiana in Algeri (2017), and Tiefland (2018). He also served as Chorus Master Associate Conductor for Sarasota Youth Opera’s world premiere of Daron Hagen’s Little Nemo in Slumberland (2012), and conductor for Britten’s The Little Sweep (2013, 2018), Dean Burry’s The Hobbit (2014), Hans Krása’s Brundibár (2015), Burry’s The Secret World of Og (2016, U.S. Premiere), and Rachel J. Peters’ Rootabaga Country (2017, World Premiere).
During the 2018-2019 season Maestro Martins conducted Britten’s The Little Sweep and made his professional debut with the company on Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte.
Prior to his graduate studies, he was the Assistant Music Director and Program Manager for Opera Factory Theater (Auckland, New Zealand), a training center for young singers. While in New Zealand, Mr. Martins worked with soprano Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, British Maestro Sir Andrew Davis, coach Rosemary Barnes, and acted as chorus pianist for NBR New Zealand Opera’s production of Janáček’s Jenůfa. While a Graduate Assistant at Mansfield University, Mr. Martins was a coach for Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, accompanied the Concert Choir in the Eisteddfod competition in Wales (UK), and performed at the Finger Lakes Chamber Music Festival (NY).