Victor DeRenzi, Artistic Director Richard Russell, Executive Director An Operatic Milestone— 28 Years in the Making In 1989 Sarasota Opera began The Verdi Cycle—a unique undertaking to perform the complete works of Giuseppe Verdi. The 2016 Winter Opera Festival will mark the grand finale of this extraordinary journey with new productions of Aida and The Battle of Legnano, with a final week devoted exclusively to the composer including two concerts of his music, talks, panel discussions, and other special events. The completion of the Cycle will make Sarasota Opera the only company in the world to have performed all of Verdi’s music! As we make history right here in the heart of downtown Sarasota, where will you be? Table of Contents Fall Opera Season La bohème ..........................................4 Brundibár: Youth Opera ......................6 The Verdi Cycle Commemorative Book ...6 Visit Sarasota Opera ...............................7 Season Calendar .....................................8 Concert Performances ............................9 Lecture Series / Special Events .............10 Winter Opera Festival Aida ...................................................12 Così fan tutte .....................................14 Fidelio ................................................16 The Battle of Legnano .......................18 Become a Donor ...................................20 Donor Rewards .....................................21 Accessibility / Parking / Connect ..........22 Buy Your Tickets ...................................23 Opera Season Sponsor Opera in four acts by Giacomo Puccini Sung in Italian with English translations projected above the stage October 30 Fri 7:30 PM November 1 Sun 1:30 PM 4 Wed 7:30 PM 10 Tue 7:30 PM 12 Thu 7:30 PM 15 Sun 1:30 PM 17 Tue 7:30 PM With 1830s Paris as the backdrop, love flourishes, withers and dies in this melodious and heart-wrenching favorite. Puccini’s most beloved opera will have you relive Mimì and Rodolfo’s first encounter, walk through Paris’ Latin Quarter with the two lovers, and dine at Cafè Momus on Christmas Eve. You’ll laugh at the four friends’ jokes and pranks, and feel the poet’s broken heart as he realizes his lover is fatally ill. MIMÌ Jessica Rose Cambio MUSETTA Angela Mortellaro RODOLFO Martín Nusspaumer MARCELLO Craig Irvin SCHAUNARD Gideon Dabi COLLINE Colin Ramsey CONDUCTOR Victor DeRenzi STAGE DIRECTOR Stephanie Sundine SCENIC DESIGNER David P. Gordon COSTUME COORDINATOR Howard Tsvi Kaplan LIGHTING DESIGNER Ken Yunker Come early and enjoy a pre-show introduction hosted by a member of the Sarasota Opera music staff 45 minutes before all La bohème performances. FREE with your opera ticket. Felding Hall (in the back of the Donna Wolf Steigerwaldt Courtyard.) Meet the Artists OCTOBER 20, 2015, 5:00 PM Tickets: $20 The William E. Schmidt Opera Theatre, Sarasota Opera House Executive Director Richard Russell will interview the singers and artistic staff responsible for bringing La bohème to the Sarasota Opera stage. We are pleased to be performing with the outstanding musicians of the Sarasota Orchestra during our 2015 Fall Season. For more information about the Sarasota Orchestra, visit sarasotaorchestra.org. Cambio Mortellaro Nusspaumer Irvin Media Sponsors: (941) 328-1300 | SARASOTAOPERA.ORG | 5 Hans Krása’s A Youth Opera Production Sung in English with English titles projected above the stage Prologue and additional materials by Martha Collins November 14 Sat 1:30 PM 14 Sat 7:30 PM Performed more than 55 times by the children of the Theresienstadt concentration camp during WWII, this tale finds Annette and Little Joe in search of milk for their ill mother. The children’s only hope is to raise money by singing in the marketplace, but the heartless organ grinder Brundibár chases them away. Not to worry! Help is on the way—the children of the town, plus a sparrow, a cat, and a very wise dog set out to help the siblings stand up to Brundibár. Tickets: Children $12 | Adults $25 | Premium $40 | Family Package $55 (4 children & 2 adults) CONDUCTOR Jesse Martins STAGE DIRECTOR Martha Collins SCENIC DESIGNER Thaddeus Strassberger Youth Opera Production Sponsored by the Les and Carol Brualdi Foundation. The Verdi Cycle: 28 Years of Verdi in Sarasota In honor of this great Sarasota Opera milestone, we are producing a hard-cover, full-color commemorative book. Drawing on years of archival images, historical facts and interesting anecdotes, the book tells the story of the Verdi Cycle from its inception to completion. Order yours today by calling or going online. Price: $79 Books will be available to ship in March/April 2016. 6 | SARASOTAOPERA.ORG | (941) 328-1300 Visit Sarasota Opera Visit SARASOTAOPERA.ORG for useful information for first time visitors to Sarasota, including information about local hotels and restaurants. Check for partner hotel packages and special offers. Opera House Tours Our tour of the historic Sarasota Opera House includes access to backstage areas— see what happens behind the scenes! Call for information about tours for groups of 10 or more. MONDAYS AT 10:30 AM on the following dates: Fall 2015: NOVEMBER 2 & 9 Winter 2016: FEBRUARY 8, 15, 22, 29, MARCH 7, 14 Tickets: $12 per person Visit Sarasota County Sarasota—Where Artistic Expression and Inspiration Meet Visit Sarasota County has expanded information for many local hotels, restaurants and attractions, as well as the inside track on hotel packages and other visitor specials. Contact at: (800) 800-3906 | (941) 957-1877 | visitsarasota.org Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County The Arts and Cultural Alliance has information on Sarasota’s diverse visual and performing arts scene. Contact at: (941) 365-5118 | sarasotaarts.org For more discount opportunities, mention Sarasota Opera when booking hotels, renting cars, or contacting other local businesses. First time at the Opera? Dress comfortably and be yourself. We want everyone to feel at home in our theater. At Sarasota Opera, appropriate dress can be anything from jeans and khakis to evening gowns and tuxedos, and everything in between. Real-time English translations are projected above the stage so you can follow along even if the opera is in a foreign language. No special preparation is required. You will be given a program book with a full cast list and program notes as you enter the hall. You can also check our website SARASOTAOPERA.ORG, for suggested reading, recordings and other information. Applaud when the performance moves you. Don’t be shy! Allow extra time for travel and parking. If you are late, you can watch and listen to a live stream of the performance in our second floor lounge. You will be seated in the theater at the first available opportunity. Food and drinks are available prior to the performance and during intermissions at concessions throughout the Opera House and Courtyard. Photo: Herb Booth 2015-16 Verdi Cycle Grand Finale Season Calendar Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun OCTOBER 15 16 17 18 Understanding 2015 Fall Season (1) Opera , 10:30 AM 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Meet the Artists, Understanding Curtain Raiser 5:00 PM Opera(1), 10:30 AM Dinner (2), 6:00 PM 26 27 28 29 30 31 NOVEMBER 1 Understanding La bohème, La bohème, Opera (1), 10:30 AM 7:30 PM 1:30 PM 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Opera House La bohème, Understanding Forbidden Forbidden Tour, 10:30 AM 7:30 PM Opera (1), 10:30 AM Music Concert, Music Concert Lecture: Forbidden 8:00 PM (4), 3:00 PM Music & Anti- Semitism, 5:30 PM 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Opera House La bohème, Concerts at Noon, Brundibár, La bohème, Tour, 10:30 AM 7:30 PM 12:00 PM 1:30 PM 1:30 PM La bohème, 7:30 PM Brundibár, 7:30 PM 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 La bohème, Panel Discussion: 7:30 PM Anti-Semitism Today (3), 5:30 PM JANUARY 22 23 24 2016 Winter Opera Festival Opera Gala (5), 6:30 PM 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Meet the Artists, Aida, 7:00 PM 5:00 PM FEBRUARY 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Meet the Artists, Aida, 7:30 PM Così fan tutte, Aida, 1:30 PM 5:00 PM 7:30 PM 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Opera House Meet the Artists, Aida, 7:30 PM Così fan tutte, Fidelio, 7:30 PM Così fan tutte, Tour, 10:30 AM 5:00 PM 7:30 PM 1:30 PM Così fan tutte, 7:30 PM 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Opera House Così fan tutte, Fidelio, 7:30 PM Aida, 1:30 PM Così fan tutte, Tour, 10:30 AM 7:30 PM 1:30 PM 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Opera House Meet the Artists, Fidelio, 7:30 PM Così fan tutte, The Battle of Fidelio, 1:30 PM Tour, 10:30 AM 5:00 PM 7:30 PM Legnano, Aida, 7:30 PM Aida, 7:30 PM 7:30 PM 29 MARCH 1 2 3 4 5 6 Opera House Fidelio, 7:30 PM Aida, 7:30 PM The Battle of Concerts at Fidelio, 1:30 PM The Battle Tour, 10:30 AM Legnano, 7:30 PM Noon, 12:00 PM Aida, 7:30 PM of Legnano, Covers at 3, 1:30 PM 3:00 PM Così fan tutte, 7:30 PM 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Opera House The Battle of Artists Choice Fidelio, 7:30 PM The Battle of Aida, 1:30 PM Tour, 10:30 AM Legnano, 7:30 PM Concert, 7:30 PM Legnano, 1:30 PM Così fan tutte, 8:00 PM 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Opera House Aida, 7:30 PM The Battle of The Young Verdi The Battle of Aida, 7:30 PM The Verdi Cycle Tour, 10:30 AM Legnano, 7:30 PM Concert, 7:30 PM Legnano, 7:30 PM Grand Finale Dinner (6), 5:00 PM Concert, 7:00 PM After Party, 9:30 PM OPERA LOVERS WEEKEND: See all 4 Winter Festival titles in a weekend.