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Sarasota Opera Company
The Sarasota Opera Company is one of a number of jewels in the cultural landscape of Sarasota. The Boston Globe wrote of the Company, "Over the last decade, the output has been first-rate, blending traditional with adventurous programming3;an acoustical jewel."
The Sarasota Opera Company is directed by Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Victor DeRenzi, now in his 25th season with the Company. DeRenzi has worked throughout the United States and internationally, and has gained numerous accolades. As a conductor, DeRenzi is particularly noted for his work with Verdi and Puccini operas. He has also been involved with operas by Janacek, Mozart, Smetana, Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, and Wagner.
Under DeRenzi´s direction, the Sarasota Opera Company are in the process of performing the Verdi Cycle. Begun in 1989, and scheduled for completion in Sarasota by 2013, the bicentennial of Verdi´s birth, the Verdi Cycle consists of performances of the entire canon of Verdi´s works.
The Sarasota Opera House features performances that extend far beyond just opera. Offerings include symphony concerts, classical ballet, film festivals, concerts of contemporary and popular music, and comedy shows. Numerous educational opportunities and outreach activities exist as well, including an Apprentice Artists Program and a Studio Artists Program, tours of the facilities, and pre-performance lectures. The Sarasota Youth Opera Program is designed to introduce children and teenagers to opera through an educational series and an annual production of a youth-performed professionally staged opera.
What is today the Sarasota Opera Company originally performed in the Asolo Theater on the grounds of the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. In 1979, what was previously called the Asolo Opera Guild purchased the A.B. Edwards Theater in Sarasota, becoming only the seventh opera company in the nation with its own house, and the theater was renamed the Sarasota Opera House. The beautifully restored, elegant Sarasota Opera House, which houses the original chandelier from the movie "Gone With the Wind," has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1983.
The Opera building includes an educational wing and a library complex. The Opera Complex also has a new Pavilion, which includes a multi-purpose banquet and performance facility, the Peterson Great Room for smaller performances and private parties, private meeting space, and private rehearsal rooms.
The Sarasota Opera Company complex is located at 61 North Pineapple Avenue in the heart of downtown Sarasota´s Theater District. Parking is offsite, although the Opera House does offer valet parking. The Opera House and its attendant facilities are accessible for guests with disabilities.
Prices for attendance to the full annual series range from $63.00 for regular-series performance seats in the upper balcony to $200.00 and up for opening night orchestra seats. Ticket prices for opening night with included festivities fall between $250.00 and $450.00.
More information about the Sarasota Opera Company, including a schedule of events and ticket ordering information, is available at http://www.sarasotaopera.org, or by calling (941) 366-8450.
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