Victor DeRenzi News

A great Sarasota baseball tradition continues as Sarasota Opera will help open the 2013 Baltimore Oriole's Spring Training Season with the singing of the National Anthem today, February 23rd, at the opening game against the Minnesota Twins. Tenor Heath Huberg, who is currently singing the role of Nadir in Sarasota Opera's 2013 production of The Pearl Fishers, has been selected to sing.

A great Sarasota baseball tradition continues as Sarasota Opera will help open the 2013 Baltimore Oriole's Spring Training Season with the singing of the National Anthem on Saturday, February 23rd, at the opening game against the Minnesota Twins. Tenor Heath Huberg, who is currently singing the role of Nadir in Sarasota Opera's 2013 production of The Pearl Fishers, has been selected to sing.

The 2013 Sarasota Opera Winter Festival will open with the Sarasota Opera premiere of Giacomo Puccini's vocally extravagant final opera Turandot on Saturday, February 9, 2013, which features some of the composers most glorious music including the famous tenor aria "Nessun Dorma" (None shall sleep).

On Wednesday, November 7, from 5:00 - 6:00pm, Sarasota Opera will host a special 'Meet the Artists' panel discussion focusing on the creation of Sarasota Opera's upcoming world premiere of Little Nemo in Slumberland at the Sarasota Opera House. Maestro Victor DeRenzi will moderate the discussion. The panel will include the opera's composer Daron Hagen, librettist J.D. McClatchy, stage director Martha Collins and scenic designer Michael Schweikardt.

Sarasota Opera joins opera organizations nationwide to celebrate NATIONAL OPERA WEEK (October 26 - November 4), coordinated by OPERA America, the national service organization for opera, with support of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Saturday, October 27, from 4:30pm - 5:30pm, Ringling College and Sarasota Opera will host a panel discussion on the works of Windsor McCay and the creation of the new opera Little Nemo in Slumberland at the Selby Gallery located on the campus of the Ringling College of Art and Design. Maestro Victor DeRenzi will moderate the discussion and the panel will include composer Daron Hagen, librettist J.D. McClatchy, and members of both the artistic team and cast of Little Nemo in Slumberland.

The Board of Trustees of Sarasota Opera has announced the appointment of Richard Russell as the new Executive Director of Sarasota Opera effective November 1, 2012. Mr. Russell, who was Sarasota Opera's Director of Marketing from 2005 - 2010, returns to Sarasota having served the past three seasons as General Director of Opera New Jersey in Princeton, NJ.

Donald Worthington, Chairman of the Board of the Sarasota Opera announced today long time Executive Director, Susan T. Danis, has been appointed General Director and CEO of Florida Grand Opera, a level one opera company (opera companies with an operating budget of over $10 million) located in Miami, Florida. Ms. Danis will continue her duties as Executive Director through September 28th and assume her new role at Florida Grand Opera on October 1st.

Single tickets go on sale online at www.sarasotaopera.org to the general public Wednesday, August 1st, 2012 for Sarasota Opera's 2012-2013 Fall and Winter Festival seasons, the company's 54th consecutive season. Sarasota Opera continues its tradition of assembling casts of international talent to perform a mixture of classic favorites paired with rarely performed works of artistic excellence in the beautiful historic Sarasota Opera House.

Voted the Garden State's favorite opera company by JerseyArts.com's People's Choice Awards, Opera New Jersey celebrates its tenth anniversary by bringing its summer season to Asbury Park's historic Paramount Theatre.

The 2012 fall season will include the Sarasota Youth Opera world premiere of LITTLE NEMO IN SLUMBERLAND. The 2013 Winter Festival will feature three Sarasota Opera premieres: Puccini's TURANDOT; Verdi's A KING FOR A DAY (Un giorno di regno); and Carlisle Floyd's OF MICE AND MEN.

The Dicapo Opera Theatre presented a glittering all Puccini program to celebrate the composer's 150th birthday at Lincoln Center's Rose Theater. The program featured arias and scenes from all of Puccini's operas- from LeVilli through the last music he composed and orchestrated for Turandot- including the Opening Act II of Edgar, and selections from both the Brescia and La Scala versions of Madama Butterfly.