Sarasota Opera to present special Fall Season performances
Protocols in place for the health and safety of audience, artists, and staff
October 6, 2020
Contact: Lana Mullen, Communications Coordinator
(941) 328-1322
[email protected]
Sarasota, FL—Sarasota Opera will not be silent this fall, with a series of performances now scheduled to include the first live-streamed concert from Sarasota Opera House and two live outdoor performances at the Downtown Sarasota and Historic Spanish Point locations of the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. The concerts will feature sopranos Hanna Brammer, Anna Mandina, and Caitlin Crabill, tenors Andrew Surrena and Samuel Schlievert, baritone Alexander Boyd, and bass Young Bok Kim, accompanied by Jesse Martins and George Hemcher at the piano. Tickets go on sale Monday, October 12th. In addition to these concerts, “HD at the Opera House” presentations are continuing, and the OperaMobile will roll again with free 20-minute performances throughout the greater Sarasota area in early November. Visit SarasotaOpera.org or call the Box Office at (941) 328-1300 for tickets or more information.
Live from the Sarasota Opera House
Sarasota Opera’s first live-streamed performance will take place on Friday, November 13 at 7:30 PM at the Sarasota Opera House, featuring favorite opera selections by Verdi, Rossini, Puccini, Wagner, and Mozart, accompanied by piano. A limited number of tickets will be available for an in-person, distanced audience at $25-45. Tickets for the live stream are $10. The live stream will be available for viewing for two weeks.
Sarasota Opera at the Gardens
Two outdoor concerts featuring songs celebrating nature and accompanied by piano will take place on Tuesday, November 17 at 5:30 PM at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens Downtown Sarasota and on Thursday, November 19 at 5:30 PM at Historic Spanish Point. The musical program will be identical at both garden locations. Attendance at each concert will be limited to 100 people, with tickets at $35.
HD at the Opera House
Sarasota Opera opened the 2020 season of “HD at the Opera House” with Carmen from the Zürich Opera House on Sunday, October 4th. The presentations will continue on October 18th with Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty ballet from Teatro alla Scala in Milan, and on November 1st with Puccini’s Madama Butterfly from Teatro Real in Madrid. Each presentation will begin at 1:30pm. More titles may be added to the schedule in coming weeks. Tickets to “HD at the Opera House” are $20 for single ticket buyers and $18 for current Sarasota Opera subscribers. All seating will be reserved and distanced for safety. Ticket buyers are encouraged to purchase tickets before arriving at the theater. Information and tickets can be found online at SarasotaOpera.org or by calling (941) 328-1300. Sarasota Opera subscribers who wish to receive the 10% discount of HD at the Opera House tickets must contact the Sarasota Opera box office directly.
The Sarasota OperaMobile rides again
Following an initial roll out earlier this summer, on Monday, November 9th and Tuesday November 10th, the Sarasota Opera will once again bring beautiful music to the community via the OperaMobile, with two singers and a pianist who will perform a free 20-minute concert at select locations throughout the Sarasota area. Please check SarasotaOpera.org for updates.
Special Protocols for Health & Safety
To ensure the safety of all attendees of Sarasota Opera’s Fall Season events, all seats will be reserved and distanced. Face masks will be required at all performances, and attendees will be subject to a temperature check. Print-at-home and mobile tickets are now available and ticket buyers are encouraged to purchase tickets before arriving at the theater. Tickets will be self-scanned at the theater, limiting contact with ushers and staff. Concessions will be closed, but ticket holders may bring their own water bottle. Visitors to the Opera House will note enhanced safety and cleaning measures, as well as signage for traffic flow and distancing. The air conditioning system has been optimized for better air circulation and filtration. Attendees are encouraged to read details on health and safety at https://www.sarasotaopera.org/health-and-safety.
About Sarasota Opera
Sarasota Opera is entering its 62nd Season of bringing world-class opera to Florida’s Gulf Coast. The company was launched in 1960, when a touring chamber opera company came to the historic 320-seat Asolo Theater on the grounds of Sarasota’s Ringling Museum of Art. The following year the Asolo Opera Guild was formed to present the season. By 1974 the Asolo Opera was mounting its own productions at the theater. Recognizing the need for a theater more conducive to full-scale opera, the company purchased the former A.B. Edwards Theater which in 1984 (as the Sarasota Opera House) became home to the newly renamed Sarasota Opera. The building underwent a $20 million renovation and rehabilitation in 2007 enhancing audience amenities, while updating the technical facilities, including increasing the size of the orchestra pit. The theater, which reopened in March 2008, has been called “one of America’s finest venues for opera” by Musical America.
Since 1983, the company has been under the artistic leadership of Victor DeRenzi and administrative leadership of Executive Director Richard Russell since 2012. Sarasota Opera has garnered international attention with its Masterwork Revivals Series, which presents neglected works of artistic merit, as well as the Verdi Cycle, completed in 2016, that made Sarasota Opera the only opera company in the world to present all of Verdi’s works. Recognizing the importance of training, Maestro DeRenzi founded the Apprentice and Studio Artists programs. Sarasota Opera also maintains a commitment to education through its Explorations in Opera performances for local schools and the industry-leading Sarasota Youth Opera program.
Sarasota Opera is sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Programs are supported in part by an award from the Tourist Development Tax through the Board of County Commissioners, the Tourist Development Council and the Sarasota County Arts Council. Additional funding is provided by the City of Sarasota and the County of Sarasota.
Sarasota Opera • 61 N. Pineapple Avenue • Sarasota, FL 34236 • (941) 366-8450 www.sarasotaopera.org #End