Opening Night is Less than Two Weeks Away!

Our Company has been busy rehearsing for the February 6 Opening Night performances of Cavalleria rusticana/Pagliacci by Mascagni and Leoncavallo respectively. Here is a preview of our principal singers in full costume and makeup. Performances run through March 21. Tickets are still available at the Box Office or online at www.sarasotaopera.org.



Cavalleria rusticana: Michael Corvino as Alfio, left, with Kara Shay Thomson as Santuzza





Cavalleria rusticana: Kara Shay Thomson as Santuzza.






Finally in Pagliacci: Gustavo Lòpez Manzitti as Canio. left, and Aundi Marie Moore as Nedda.

Were You There?

Were you part of the 800 people of all ages who came out Sunday, January 17 for the free Open House at Sarasota Opera House? There were several performances, backstage tours, wig, makeup, and costume displays, food from area restaurants, ticket giveaways, special ticket deals - even activities for the youngsters. Hope you had a great time. We certainly did!

Marco Nisticò in the NY Times

Sarasota Opera favorite Marco Nisticò is featured in the NY Times Arts & Leisure section today.

The article talks about his upcoming performances in Haydn's Il mondo della luna. In speculating who will deliver a star turn during the production the author says that "Marco Nisticò, the Buonafede, delivered a winning comic turn in the title role of Rossini’s “Signor Bruschino” with Gotham in 2007."

Sarasota Opera audiences certainly are aware of his ability to dominate the stage. He has performed roles as diverse as the aged Francesco Foscari in Verdi's I due Foscari, Rossini's ebullient Figaro in The Barber of Seville, the idealistic Rodrigue in Verdi's Don Carlos, and the stoic Germont in La traviata on our stage.

Marco Nisticò returns to Sarasota Opera in March as Joan of Arc's father Giacomo in Verdi's Giovanna d'Arco. There are six performances through March 20 and tickets are going quickly.

We are busy getting ready for season!

Soprano Lindsay Ohse, who will play the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute, is being fitted by Costume Designer Howard Tsvi Kaplan and staff. Fittings are currently taking place nonstop in our busy Costume Shop. It won't be long now. Our Winter Festival season opens on February 6 with Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci. Other offerings this season are The Magic Flute, Hansel and Gretel, and Giovanna d'Arco (Joan of Arc).

The Singers Are Back

With less than a month before Opening Night, Sarasota Opera House is abuzz with activity. Apprentice and Studio Artists as well as the cast of Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci recently arrived in Sarasota. We celebrated their arrival with a Welcome Buffet, complete with delicious food provided and served by members of the Sarasota Opera Guild and a welcome cake! Currently, everyone is busy rehearsing. The season opens February 6, with the performance at 5 p.m., followed by the elegant Gala dinner/dance in a grand tent behind the Opera House.

Join the Fun at Open House on January 17!

Bring the family and join the fun at our Winter Open House set for Sunday, January 17, from 1:30-3 p.m.

There will be something for everyone:
· Listen to opera, operetta, and musical theater selections, performed throughout the building and in the courtyard by artists from Sarasota Opera’s Winter Opera Festival and by the Youth Opera choruses.
· Meet the Director - Stephanie Sundine, director of Sarasota Opera’s productions of Cavalleria rusticana/Pagliacci will be on hand to talk about the upcoming production.

· Make-up demos and Costume displays - Wig and makeup designer Georgianna Eberhard and resident costume designer Howard Tsvi Kaplan will host demonstrations of their art.

· Children's activities in our Youth Opera Room

· Backstage tours

· Free refreshments - food from some of our local restaurants

· Free giveaways - special tickets offers - and a free gift to all attendees while they last!

Don't miss it! Sarasota Opera House is at 61 N. Pineapple Ave., downtown Sarasota.

Former Sarasota Opera Apprentice and Studio Artist at the Met

Former Sarasota Opera Apprentice and Studio Artist Kathleen Kim was a huge hit in the Metropolitan Opera's new production of Les Contes d'Hoffmann. Anthony Tommasini in the NY Times praised her Olympia: "The role's high-flying runs and roulades require a true, agile coloratura soprano, and this production has one in the petite Kathleen Kim, who excelled in Olympia's showpiece aria, singing with pinpoint pitch, bright tone and impressive accuracy."

She can bee seen in the Encore HD Live Telecast on January 6. It will likely turn up on PBS sometime this winter as well.

Ms. Kim was a 2002 Sarasota Opera Apprentice Artist and a Studio Artist in 2005. She was the recipeint of the Sarasota Opera Guild's Leo M. Rogers Scholarship.