2019 Winter Opera Festival
Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot
March 3 (matinee), 8, 15, 17, 20 (matinee), 22
The vocally extravagant Turandot features some of
the composer’s most exquisite music, including the
famous tenor aria “Nessun dorma.”
Set in ancient China,
Turandot tells the story
of a beautiful princess
for whom suitors travel
the world to win her
hand in marriage. But
first, they must solve
three riddles. A wrong
answer bodes a disastrous fate. Will true love
prevail? Featuring Kara Shay Thomson as Turandot,
Jonathan Burton as Calaf and Anna Mandina as
Liù. Turandot is conducted by Victor DeRenzi with
stage direction by Stephanie Sundine. This
production is generously sponsored by Bud and
Betty Shapiro in honor of the 60th Anniversary
Season.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s
The Magic Flute
March 1, 16 (matinee), 21, 23
This enchanting tale tells the story of a noble prince
searching for his princess, a bumbling bird catcher
hoping for a mate and an evil queen. The mystical
story is filled with metaphor, beautiful music, and
dazzling vocal fireworks,
making it an audience
favorite the world over.
Featuring Alexandra
Batsios as the Queen of
the Night, Hanna
Brammer as Pamina
(Adelaide Boedecker
on March 1 only), Andrew Surrena as Tamino,
Matthew Hanscom as Papageno. Jesse Martins will
conduct and Mark Freiman direct.
Guiseppe Verdi’s Nabucco
March 2, 5, 7, 10 (matinee),
13, 16, 19, 24 (matinee)
An epic story of the conquest of the ancient
Hebrews by the Babylonian king Nabucco is
replete with a treacherous love triangle,
betrayal, madness and – ultimately –
repentance. The third act chorus, “Va pensiero,”
in which the Jews in captivity dream of their lost
homeland and freedom, has become one of
the most popular melodies of all time. Victor
DeRenzi conducts,
Martha Collins directs,
Stephen Gaertner is
Nabucco, Rochelle
Bard is Abigaille, Lisa
Chavez is Fenena, and
Ben Gulley is Ismaele.
A COMIC DOUBLE BILL
Gaetano Donizetti’s Rita
(Two Men and a Woman)
&
Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari’s
Susanna’s Secret
March 9, 12, 14, 17(matinee),
20, 23 (matinee)
This Sarasota Opera premiere of two rare
one-act comedies will make for a
delightful evening at the opera. Both
operas take a comic look at marital
discord, with plots filled with mix-ups and
confusion, colorful characters, and
misunderstandings. And yet, effervescent
music and lively orchestration light the
way to a most amusing outcome. A
talented trio of artists will serve as the
cast for both of these works: Elizabeth
Tredent, Marco Nisticò and William Davenport.
Marcello Cormio will conduct and
JJ Hudson will make his Sarasota Opera
debut directing.
All opera performances take place at The William E.
Schmidt Opera Theatre, Sarasota Opera House.
Evening performances start at 7:30 p.m.
Matinee performances start at 1:30 p.m.