Welcome to Sarasota Opera’s
2021-22 Season
Rossini’s
The Silken Ladder
Puccini’s
Tosca
Donizetti’s
The Daughter of the Regiment
Bizet’s
The Pearl Fishers
Verdi’s
Attila
Opera tickets from just $25. Don’t delay! Reserve your tickets today.
(941) 328-1300 SARASOTAOPERA.ORG
Welcome to Our Season W
elcome back to Sarasota Opera to enjoy an exciting musical adventure, featuring world-class opera productions, special events and concerts. The 2021-22 Season also marks the 40th Season of Sarasota Opera Artistic Director and Principal Conductor, Victor DeRenzi. Maestro DeRenzi is a Knight of the Italian Republic and the only conductor in the world to have performed all the works of Giuseppe Verdi. The last year has been challenging for us all. We are thrilled to be able to welcome our community of opera lovers back to the Sarasota Opera House, where we can once again be together to enjoy the excitement of the human voice and live opera!
FIRST TIME AT THE OPERA? Dress comfortably and be yourself. We want everyone to feel at home in our theater. Appropriate dress can be anything from jeans and khakis to gowns and tuxedos. However you dress, at Sarasota Opera you give yourself permission to be fabulous! Real-time English translations are projected above the stage so you can follow along even if the opera is in a language you do not speak. You will receive a program book with cast information, as well as synopsis and background information for all operas. For suggested reading, recordings, and other information, go to SarasotaOpera.org.
YOUR HEALTH AND SAFETY ARE IMPORTANT TO US As we return to a full-scale opera production, please know that we have your health and safety, as well as those of our staff and artists in mind. Our company of artists has been fully vaccinated and will observe strict health protocols. For your comfort, our air conditioning system has been upgraded with bipolar ionization technology to eliminate airborne pathogens. There are numerous hand-sanitizing dispensers throughout the Opera House.
To give you the most flexibility and to allow you to buy tickets with confidence, we are suspending our usual refund policies this season and will allow refunds of any tickets up until 24 hours before the scheduled performance. We are continually reviewing health and safety guidelines with our medical advisors and will communicate those based on prevailing conditions. Most importantly, we believe that a fully vaccinated audience will make the return to the Opera House safest for our patrons, our artists, and our staff, and encourage everyone who is able to be vaccinated. 2
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FA L L OPER A SE A SON
The Silken Ladder (La scala di seta) Music by Gioachino Rossini / Words by Giuseppe Maria Foppa
Rossini’s The Silken Ladder is a spirited one-act comedy that spins a seductive story of a secret husband and would-be lovers who scale a silken ladder into and out of a lady’s room.
Giulia Hanna Brammer
Dorvil Christopher Bozeka
Germano Sean Anderson
Blansac Alexander Boyd
FRIDAY
OCTOBER 29
7:30 PM
SUNDAY
OCTOBER 31
1:30 PM
WEDNESDAY
NOVEMBER 3
7:30 PM
TUESDAY
NOVEMBER 9
7:30 PM
THURSDAY
NOVEMBER 11
6:00 PM
SATURDAY
NOVEMBER 13
1:30 PM
Conductor Victor DeRenzi
Lighting Designer Ken Yunker
Stage Director Stephanie Sundine
Hair & Make-Up Designer Kellen Eason
Costume Designer Howard Tsvi Kaplan Lucilla Maria Miller
Dormont Samuel Schlievert
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WINTER OPER A FESTIVAL Due to the challenges of auditioning during COVID, casts are not complete as we go to press. But we are delighted that many of your favorite artists are slated to return: Stephen Gaertner (Nabucco) will return as Scarpia in Tosca, William Davenport (La bohème) will dazzle you with his nine high Cs in The Daughter of the Regiment, Young Bok Kim will reprise the role of Attila which he sang with us in 2007, with Matthew Vickers (Manon Lescaut) and Rochelle Bard (Nabucco) filling out the cast, and Hanna Brammer (Roméo et Juliette) will once again charm you as Leila in The Pearl Fishers. Check our website SarasotaOpera.org regularly for updated casting information.
Tosca
Music by Giacomo Puccini Poetry by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa
Set in Rome, Tosca’s jealousy plays
into the hands of the lecherous chief of police, Baron Scarpia. An escaped political prisoner seeks the help of his friend, the painter Mario Cavaradossi, the lover of the famous diva Floria Tosca. In an attempt to recapture the fugitive, Scarpia plants a seed of suspicion in Tosca and sets a dreadful trap. SATURDAY
FEBRUARY 12
7:00 PM
WEDNESDAY
FEBRUARY 16
7:30 PM
SUNDAY
FEBRUARY 20
1:30 PM
TUESDAY
FEBRUARY 22
7:30 PM
THURSDAY
FEBRUARY 24
7:30 PM
SUNDAY
FEBRUARY 27
1:30 PM
FRIDAY
MARCH 11
7:30 PM
SATURDAY
MARCH 19
7:30 PM
Conductor Victor DeRenzi
Lighting Designer Ken Yunker
Stage Director Stephanie Sundine
Hair & Make-Up Designer Kellen Eason
Costume Designer Howard Tsvi Kaplan Photos by Rod Millington
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The Daughter of the Regiment (La Fille du régiment)
Music by Gaetano Donizetti Poetry by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges andJean-François Bayard
Travel to the Tyrol during the Napoleonic Wars in Donizetti’s The Daughter of the Regiment.
In this story a love for Marie, a girl raised by a French regiment, will lead the young Tonio to unexpected lengths in this colorful comedy. SATURDAY
FEBRUARY 19
7:30 PM
WEDNESDAY
FEBRUARY 23
7:30 PM
SATURDAY
FEBRUARY 26
1:30 PM
TUESDAY
MARCH 1
7:30 PM
THURSDAY
MARCH 3
7:30 PM
SUNDAY
MARCH 6
1:30 PM
FRIDAY
MARCH 18
7:30 PM
Conductor Jesse Martins
Costume Designer Howard Tsvi Kaplan
Stage Director Mark Freiman
Lighting Designer Ken Yunker
(941) 328-1300
Hair & Make-Up Designer Kellen Eason
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WINTER OPER A FESTIVAL
The Pearl Fishers (Les Pêcheurs de perles)
Music by Georges Bizet / Words by Eugéne Cormon and Michel Carré
Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers is set in legendary Ceylon. Longtime friends Nadir and Zurga are reunited, but their friendship falters when they share the same forbidden love for the priestess Leïla—a love they swore to renounce. SATURDAY
MARCH 5
7:30 PM
TUESDAY
MARCH 8
7:30 PM
THURSDAY
MARCH 10
7:30 PM
SUNDAY
MARCH 13
1:30 PM
WEDNESDAY
MARCH 16
7:30 PM
SATURDAY
MARCH 19
1:30 PM
Conductor Marcello Cormio
Lighting Designer Ken Yunker
Stage Director Robert Neu
Hair & Make-Up Designer Kellen Eason
Costume Designer Howard Tsvi Kaplan
Production Sponsor Ernie Kretzmer, in loving memory of Alisa Kretzmer Photos by Rod Millington
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Attila
Music by Giuseppe Verdi Words by Temistocle Solera
Verdi’s Attila begins as Attila the
Hun has conquered most of Western Europe and is about to take Rome itself. But, he is brought to his knees by his love for a female warrior, Odabella.
SATURDAY
MARCH 12
7:30 PM
TUESDAY
MARCH 15
7:30 PM
THURSDAY
MARCH 17
7:30 PM
SUNDAY
MARCH 20
1:30 PM
TUESDAY
MARCH 22
1:30 PM
Conductor Victor DeRenzi
Lighting Designer Ken Yunker
Stage Director Martha Collins
Hair & Make-Up Designer Kellen Eason
Costume Designer Howard Tsvi Kaplan Photos by Debra Hesser
(941) 328-1300
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SARASOTA OPERA 2021-22 SUN
MON
TUES
WED
OCTOBER - NO VEM 27
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21 Opera House Tour
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The Silken Ladder Moonlight & Melodies 1:30 pm Dinner 6:00 pm
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The Silken Ladder 7:30 pm
Curtain Raiser Dinner 6:00 pm* The Silken Ladder 7:30 pm
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FEBRUA RY
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Tosca 1:30 pm
Tosca 1:30 pm
10:30 am
Moonlight & Melodies Dinner 6:00 pm 28
Tosca 7:30 pm
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Tosca 7:30 pm
The Daughter of the Regiment 7:30 pm
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Opera House Tour 10:30 am
MARCH 202 1
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The Daughter of the Regiment 1:30 pm
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Opera House Tour 10:30 am
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The Pearl Fishers 1:30 pm
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Attila 1:30 pm Youth Opera Concert 7:30 pm
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Opera House Tour 10:30 am
The Pearl Fishers 7:30 pm
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Attila 1:30 pm
Opera Lovers Week is March 16-20. (See shaded dates on calendar.) 8
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10
16
17
Attila 7:30 pm
Opera House Tour 10:30 am
21
The Daughter of the Regiment 7:30 pm
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The Pearl Fishers 7:30 pm
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21-22 SEASON CALENDAR THU
FRI
SAT
NO VEMBER 2021
aiser pm*
dder 0 pm
28
29
4
5
6
12
13
10
11
12
17
18
19
25
26
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5
11
The Silken Ladder 6:00 pm
The Silken Ladder 7:30 pm
30
The Silken Ladder 1:30 pm
RUA RY 2022
osca 0 pm
ghter ment 0 pm
24
Tosca 7:30 pm
Tosca 7:00 pm The Daughter of the Regiment 7:30 pm The Daughter of the Regiment 1:30 pm
CH 2022 3
10
The Daughter of the Regiment 7:30 pm The Pearl Fishers 7:30 pm
11
Apprentice Artists at Noon 12:00 pm
12
The Pearl Fishers 7:30 pm Attila 7:30 pm
Tosca 7:30 pm 17
18
Attila 7:30 pm
hers 0 pm
24
Apprentice Artists at Noon 12:00 pm Covers at 3 3:00 pm The Daughter of the Regiment 7:30 pm
25
19
The Pearl Fishers 1:30 pm Tosca 7:30 pm
26
The Opera Gala: Celebrating Maestro DeRenzi’s 40th Season 5:00 pm
*Held at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens (941) 328-1300
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CONCERTS, PACKAGES & TOURS Apprentice & Studio Artists Concerts
Covers at Three
The Lee & Bob Peterson Great Room Tickets: $5 per concert
Hear the Studio Artists perform scenes from the mainstage operas they are covering (understudying).
Hear the Apprentice and Studio Artists perform timeless operatic arias, duets, and ensembles in hour-long concerts.
March 18 at 3 pm
Youth Opera Concert
Apprentice Artists at Noon
Sarasota Youth Opera with the Sarasota Opera Apprentice Artists and Orchestra
March 11 at 12 noon
March 20, 2022 at 7:30 pm
March 18 at 12 noon
TOWN Club (Tuesday Opera Women’s Network) The Silken Ladder - November 9, 2021 | Tosca - February 22, 2022 The Daughter of the Regiment - March 1, 2022 | The Pearl Fishers - March 8, 2022 Attila - March 15, 2022 We invite you to join us for the 4th season of TOWN Club— a community of women who come together in the love of opera. The program features short introductions to operas, and opportunities to mix and mingle with other members.
Student Tickets
Opera Lovers Week March 16-20, 2022
If you have a current school ID, you can get rush tickets for just $10 (cash only) at the lobby box office, 30 minutes before a performance. Students can also see an unlimited number of performances for just $25 by purchasing a Student Season Pass. Call (941) 328-1300 for more information about Student and Teacher tickets.
The ultimate opera immersion experience —during this week, you can see all four Sarasota Opera winter productions in as few as three days. (See performance calendar on pages 8 and 9.)
Opera House Tours Tour the historic Sarasota Opera House including access to backstage areas—see what happens behind the scenes. Mondays at 10:30 am starting in February 2022. Tickets: $12 per person. Email Travis Rogers at trogers@sarasotaopera.org for groups of 10 or more. 10
SARASOTAOPERA.ORG (941) 328-1300
SPECIAL EVENTS & OPERA CLUB Curtain Raiser Dinner Michael’s on the Bay, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens October 27, 2021 at 6:00 pm | Tickets: $195 per person Welcome back! Join your fellow Sarasota Opera lovers as we celebrate the start of the 2021-22 Season. The evening begins with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres amid the lush landscape of the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, followed by a three-course dinner and exciting performances by our principal artists from the fall production of Rossini’s The Silken Ladder.
Moonlight & Melodies Dinner Series Donna Wolf Steigerwaldt Courtyard, Sarasota Opera House November 1, 2021 & February 21, 2022 at 6:00 pm | Tickets: $175 per person/per dinner This year Sarasota Opera welcomes our community into the Donna Wolf Steigerwaldt Courtyard for an immersive themed dinner series that highlights composers from the season. As we come together to share our awe for the exquisite art these composers created, enjoy curated cocktails and food prepared by the best of Sarasota’s chefs in a setting that will transport you to a different location each evening. Make your reservations now!
The Opera Gala: Celebrating Maestro DeRenzi’s 40th Season Sarasota Opera House | Saturday, March 26, 2022 at 5:00 pm Join us for an extraordinary evening as we celebrate Victor DeRenzi’s 40th Season as Artistic Director. The event includes a lively reception, a celebration concert in the William E. Schmidt Opera Theatre, followed by an elegant dinner under the tent on Pineapple Avenue.
The Simonsen & Montminy Opera Club Make the most of your Sarasota Opera experience. Our members-only second floor lounge is a place where you can relax, have a drink, and meet other opera fans before performances and during intermissions. Join Simonsen & Montminy Opera Club today for a new way to enjoy your time at Sarasota Opera. Membership information is available on our website at SarasotaOpera.org or call the Development Office at (941) 366-8450, ext. 250.
(941) 328-1300
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BECOME A DONOR A Gift of Any Amount Makes a Difference Your gift to Sarasota Opera helps to bring world-class opera, true to the vision of the composer, to our region. Your support also ensures that we can continue to provide innovative education programming, including our renowned Sarasota Youth Opera. By adding your voice to the chorus of supporters, you guarantee that we remain a destination where you are joined by opera lovers from across the country and around the world to experience rarely produced but artistically significant works, like this season’s The Silken Ladder and Attila.
We Can’t Do It Without You — Giving is Easy Ticket sales cover only 40% of the cost of our world-class productions. Please consider including a tax-deductible contribution along with your ticket order. Gifts can also be made by phone, check, credit card, online, or through gifts of appreciated stock. Double the impact of your gift through your company’s corporate matching program. For more on ways to give, please contact Sarasota Opera’s Development Department at (941) 366-8450, ext. 416, visit us online at SarasotaOpera.org or mail your contribution to Sarasota Opera, Attn: Development Department, 61 N. Pineapple Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34236. Sarasota Opera Association, Inc. is a not-for-profit, tax exempt corporation that acknowledges contributions are deductible to the extent allowed by law. EIN# 23-7089047 A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CUSTOMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE (1-800 435-7352) WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE REGISTRATION NUMBER: CH429
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BUY YOUR TICKETS TODAY! Subscribe and Save Subscribers can save up to 10% over individual ticket prices and enjoy benefits such as same seats for all performances, free ticket exchanges, discounts, and priority on additional tickets and much more. Choose a Fixed 4-opera subscription to get the same seats for all your opera performances or Build Your Own to select the dates you want to attend to fit your schedule.
2021-22 Full 5-opera subscriptions start at just $114
(The Silken Ladder, Tosca, The Daughter of the Regiment, The Pearl Fishers and Attila)
2022 Winter Opera Festival 4-opera subscriptions start at just $91 (Tosca, The Daughter of the Regiment, The Pearl Fishers and Attila)
If you’re planning to take a quick getaway to Florida, please check out our Opera Lovers Week (Mar 16-20, 2022), where you can see all 4 Winter Festival productions in as few as three days. See pages 8 and 9 for calendar of Sarasota Opera performances.
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ONLINE: SARASOTAOPERA.ORG Ticket purchases are non-refundable. Tickets may be exchanged for another performance of the same opera for $5 per ticket. Subscribers may exchange tickets for FREE.
Accessibility The Sarasota Opera House is accessible to people with disabilities. The theater is outfitted with Hearing Loop technology, and we provide assistive listening devices as well as highpowered glasses for the visually impaired. Braille program materials are also available but must be ordered at least one month in advance together with your tickets. For more information, contact the Box Office or visit our website.
Box Office Hours Please check our website at SarasotaOpera.org for current Box Office hours. (941) 328-1300
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PARKING 4 STATE STREET PARKING GARAGE
1 PALM AVENUE PARKING GARAGE
Located at 1538 State Street. Public parking on levels 2-6.
Located at Palm Avenue and Main Street intersection (1289 Palm Ave), just behind the Opera House.
For most Sarasota Opera performances, the Palm Avenue and State Street garages charge a cash-only $5 pay-on-entry fee. Otherwise, the first two hours are free. After two hours, there is a $3 charge, plus $1 charge for each additional hour. Take a ticket when you enter the garage and keep it with you. For easiest exit, pay before you return to your car at the payment machines which take both cash or credit cards. Please refer to our website for updated information.
2 PLAZA AT FIVE POINTS
5 DO NOT PARK
Located at 50 Central Avenue, Enter on 1st Street, $2 per hour, up to $6 maximum.
If you park in the lot of the Selby Library or on the ground floor lot adjacent to Whole Foods Market, you may be towed.
3 100 CENTRAL AVENUE
Enter on 2nd Street, Free public parking on the 2nd floor only with 4-hour limit.
COMPLIMENTARY VALET PARKING - This is available in front of the Sarasota Opera House one hour prior to curtain. Be prepared for a brief wait following the performance for your car to arrive. Tipping is encouraged.
Alleyway
Adelia Ave.
1st. Street
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Adelia Ave.
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2022 WINTER OPERA FESTIVAL
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THE 2016–17 SEASON
Music, ACTION! 2021-22 Lights, SEASON
Welcome to the
2021 FALL OPERA SEASON Rossini’s The Silken Ladder
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