Sarasota Opera Winter 2026 Program Book by Sarasota Opera

Winter

Victor DeRenzi, Artistic Director

Richard Russell, General Director

INVESTING IN THE ARTS PAINTS A BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR OUR REGION.

Welcome

TO SARASOTA OPERA AND THE WILLIAM E. SCHMIDT OPERA THEATRE

VICTOR DeRENZI, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR RICHARD RUSSELL, GENERAL DIRECTOR

We are glad you have chosen to enjoy a live opera performance at Sarasota Opera. Here are some tips to make you feel at home in our theater, and to ensure you fully enjoy your experience.

• English translations are shown above the stage so you can follow along, even when the opera is in a foreign language.

• No special preparation is necessary when you come to the opera. This program book will provide you with all the information about our productions, including a full cast list, program notes, etc. You can also check our website, SarasotaOpera.org, for further information.

• To ensure an enjoyable experience for you and other audience members, cell phones and electronic devices that make any kind of sound or emit light must be turned off while you are in the theater. Phone conversations, texting, and audio and video recording are not permitted. Leaving the real world behind for a while and enjoying the beauty of opera will do you a world of good!

• If you are late, you can watch and listen to a live stream of the performance in the William G. and Marie Selby Lobby on the second floor. You will be seated in the theater at the first available opportunity.

• For your convenience, the Box Office is open before all Sarasota Opera performances. Visit the kiosk in the lobby to purchase tickets for any performance or call (941) 328-1300.

• Found articles should be turned in to the House Manager. Lost items may be claimed from the Sarasota Opera Box Office at 61 N. Pineapple Avenue, Monday through Friday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.

• Sarasota Opera is equipped with hearing loop technology. Patrons who need auditory assistance but do not have hearing aids or implants may pick up hearing devices in the main lobby. For patrons who require visual assistance, binoculars are also available. A driver’s license or another form of identification is required to check out an assistance device.

61 N. Pineapple Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34236

(941) 366-8450 www.SarasotaOpera.org

Box Office: (941) 328-1300

Chairman’s Message and Board of Trustees

Artistic and General Director Message

Sarasota Opera Staff

Repertoire 1960-2026

2026 Winter Opera Festival

Sarasota Opera House Celebrates its Centennial La bohème

Die lustige Witwe (The Merry Widow)

Il trovatore

Susannah

The Artists

Sarasota Opera Orchestra

Apprentice Artists

Special Awards

Supernumeraries, Sarasota Youth Opera 2026 and Production Acknowledgments

Raise Your Voice

Leadership Giving

The Artistic Achievement Fund

STARs

Youth Opera and Education Fund

Signature Events

Kretzmer Legacy Society

Endowment and Legacy Gifts

Corporate, Foundation and Public Support

Year-End Appeal

Sarasota and Mantee Opera Guilds

Opera Volunteers

Program Design: Darcy Kelly-Laviolette

Program Book Editor: Lael A. Mohib

Ad Sales: Sarasota Media Company

Published by: Sarasota Media Company

THE OFFICIAL PROGRAM BOOK OF SARASOTA OPERA

WWelcome to our 67th Season under the inspired leadership of General Director Richard Russell and Artistic Director Victor DeRenzi. Our Fall Season began with Mozart’s popular masterpiece, Così fan tutte our Youth Opera’s production of Krása, first performed in 1942 at a Jewish orphanage in Prague.

Our Winter Festival begins with a perennial favorite: Puccini’s La bohème , a love story set in 1830s Paris, about two couples dealing with poverty, passion and illness. Paris in the 1900s is the scene for Widow by Franz Lehár, a comic operetta presented in English, in which a wealthy widow from a small Balkan country is pursued by men including her past lover. Verdi’s Il trovatore is a tragic story of love and revenge between a troubadour and an aristocrat for the love of a noblewoman in 15 th century Spain. Our season concludes with Susannah by American composer Carlisle Floyd. In 1950s Tennessee, an innocent young woman is falsely accused of sinning by church elders who see her beauty as a sexual temptation.

Post-Covid recovery has continued during fiscal year 2025. Year end audit results compared to 2024 show a meaningful increase in total revenue and support along with a similar increase in net assets.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Officers

CHAIR

Arthur Siciliano

VICE CHAIR

Katherine Benoit

TREASURER

Joseph Mallof

SECRETARY

David Bialosky

Trustees

J. Sumner Bagby

Lynn Blackledge

Ulysses Brualdi

David Chaifetz

Syble DiGirolamo

Thomas Garden

Alastair Hunter-Henderson

Tamara Jacobs

Rosanne Martorella

Mary J. Mitchell

Sue Neumann

Steve Sabato

Toby Siegel

Janet Stern Solomon

John Suhre

Michal Wadsworth

Donald J. Worthington

Emeritus Trustees

Ron Archbold

Murray Bring

Carol English

William Tompkins

Guilds

MANATEE OPERA GUILD

Elizabeth Aversa

SARASOTA OPERA GUILD

Sherry Wheeler

Legal Counsel

Jeff Troiano

MESSAGE FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR AND GENERAL DIRECTOR

AAt Sarasota Opera we are committed to being stewards of the great operas that we present. We believe in these works and that audiences want to experience them in a way that represents them with respect and commitment to the creators’ vision. The composers and librettists who were writing these operas knew their audiences, and we strive to honor that understanding in every performance.

We feel the same way about the building that is our home and for which we are also the stewards. The Sarasota Opera House is more than just a building. It is a place where communities come together—not only for our own performances but for a wide range of cultural and civic events. For 100 years, this historic theater has served as a gathering space for art, music, and fellowship.

We are proud to be one of only seven opera companies in the United States that owns its theater. This unique position has given us the ability to adapt and expand in ways that would not otherwise be possible. It enabled us to accomplish one of the most ambitious projects in opera history: the Verdi Cycle. Sarasota Opera is the only company in the world to have performed every work of Giuseppe Verdi—a feat that required vision, dedication, and the flexibility that comes with owning our home.

Opera-lovers have come from around the world to enjoy works of Verdi, in every alternative version, that they would not have seen anywhere else.

Owning the Opera House also allows us to nurture the next generation of artists. Through our Youth Opera program, which allows young people to be part of an opera company, they learn about the art form and experience it by performing it. We were the first opera company to produce a work for young voices annually, on our mainstage, with professional production values. In addition, our Apprentice and Studio Artist training programs provide emerging singers with professional-level opportunities to learn, grow and perform alongside more experienced artists. These programs ensure that the operatic tradition will continue to thrive for generations to come.

Photo by Matt Holler

MESSAGE FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR AND GENERAL DIRECTOR

"Coming together as a community is the heart of this theater. People enter through our doors to witness something transformative and uplifting."

It is also important to us that the Opera House be a community resource. Every year the theater hosts professional performing arts groups—Sarasota Orchestra, Sarasota Ballet, La Musica, and others—as well as a variety of performances by community groups and schools.

Coming together as a community is the heart of this theater. People enter through our doors to witness something transformative and uplifting. We watch, hear, and share what happens on our stage, taking away that moment in time together, as a unique experience.

None of this would have been possible without the generosity and foresight of our supporters. We are profoundly grateful to those who had the vision to purchase and renovate this building in the early 80s, to those who made the major renovation of 2007–2008 a

reality, and to all who continue to sustain our work today. Your commitment ensures that the Sarasota Opera House remains a place where great art and community come together.

As we look back, we are proud that we have been able to honor the operatic tradition, to preserve this historic theater, and to keep the doors open for all who seek the beauty and power of live performance. Thank you for being part of this extraordinary journey.

VICTOR DeRENZI Artistic Director

RICHARD RUSSELL General Director

Administrative Staff

RICHARD RUSSELL

General Director

Susan Ashcraft

Special Consultant to the General Director

Nancy J. Guyer

Executive Assistant to the General Director

ADMINISTRATION

Irek Sipowicz-Hicks

Katherine Orenic Administrative Assistants

DEVELOPMENT

Melissa M. Voigt Director of Development

Karen Misantone Leadership Giving Officer

Stacy Ridenour Donor Relations Officer

Matthew Glover Events and Corporate Officer

Brenda Tamm Patron Giving and Operations Manager

Davis Wolfe Patron Giving Associate

Artistic Staff

VICTOR DeRENZI

Artistic Director

Arthur Bosarge Artistic Administrator

Diana Dizon Company Manager

Jessé Martins Music Administrator

John Potvin Rehearsal Administrator

Daniel Laverriere Arts Administration Intern

Technical Staff

Scott Keclik Director of Production

COSTUMES AND WARDROBE

Howard Tsvi Kaplan Resident Costume Designer

OPERA STAFF

EDUCATION

Martha Collins Director of Education

Jessé Martins Youth Opera Music Director

Cameron Maxwell Youth Opera Coordinator

FINANCE

Kenneth Tarasi Director of Finance

John Young Accounts Receivable/ Payables/Payroll Manager

John Tully

MARKETING

Lael A. Mohib Director of Marketing

Hallie Geyh

Digital Marketing and Communications Manager

Travis Rogers Patron Services Manager

Olivia Baylou Marketing Coordinator

David Sorrells Box Office Supervisor

Costume Studio Design Coordinator

Frances Mena Costume Studio Office Administrator

Colleen Metzger Head Draper

Darío Almirón, Lisa K. Gibson Drapers

Blake Blanning, Quinlan Elise Trask, Bree Stouffer, Kayla Bryan, Kim Copeland, Irina Deynega, Cristine Herriot, Katherine Scarlett Kellum Hood, Daniella Landelius, Judy Larson, Kay Torralva, Barbara Wechsler First Hands/Stitchers

Ruth Clark, Lili Cristiani Wardrobe Heads

Mimi Cirbusova, MaryJo Pressman, Roberta Rodgers-Misleyan, Jodie Urias, Cindy Wells, Fred Werling, Claire Wallenda Zoppe Dressers

Zachary Payne

Assistant to the Costume Designer

LIGHTING

Ken Yunker

Resident Lighting Designer

Aleyna Almaraz, Christina Brown, Kary Erickson, Ashley Erickson Spetsios, Celia Hetrick, Krysten Hughes, Isabelle Moravec, Duncan Nelson, Ellen Sakamoto, Danielle Williams Patron Services Representatives

THEATER OPERATIONS

Jill Sherman Director of Theater Operations

Jo Ann Whitehead House Manager/ Volunteer Coordinator

Michael Pasquini

Assistant Lighting Designer

STAGE MANAGEMENT

Francesca MacBeth

Production Stage Manager

Emily Stafford Stage Manager

Annie Hennen, Ben Kulwanoski, Evan Lemole, Camila Serrano, Eva Schramm

Assistant Stage Managers

HAIR & MAKEUP

Sue Schaefer

Hair & Makeup Designer

Brookanna Ware

Hair & Makeup Assistant

Valentine Barneycastle, Izzy Cosen, Brittany McDowell, Joshua Wisham

Hair & Makeup Staff

CARPENTRY

Earl “Dixie” Schmidt

Head Carpenter

Armando Cristiani, John Walther

Assistant Head Carpenters

James McDonald Assistant House Manager

Eden Francois House Engineer

Robert Schoenung Maintenance Technician

Mary Thompson, Martin Stofko, Svetlana Stofko Facilities Service Staff

Jeffery Arnold, Secundino Esqueda, Bryant Warkentine Carpenters

Alex Wallenda Zoppe Flyman

ELECTRICS

Michael Pasquini Head Electrician

Alex Wood

Assistant Head Electrician

Hudson Dickinson Electrician

AUDIO

Joseph Reynolds

Head Audio

PROPERTIES

Alexandria Flynn Props Coordinator

Joshua Linderman Props Head

Heath Hubler

Assistant Props Head

Giulia Pagano Props Crew

REPERTOIRE 1960–2026

Barab

Chanticleer 1962

Barber A Hand of Bridge 1976, 1981

Vanessa 2012

Bartók

Bluebeard’s Castle 1980

Beethoven

Fidelio 1985, 1995, 2016

Bellini

Norma 2018

Berlioz

Les Nuits d’été 1980

Bernstein Trouble in Tahiti 1962

Bizet

Carmen 1987, 1992 , 1999, 2012 , 2018 , 2023

La Jolie fille de Perth 1996 (American professional premiere)

Les Pêcheurs de perles 2000, 2003, 2013, 2022

Bock

She Loves Me 1982

Boieldieu

Ma Tante Aurore 1982

Britten

Les Illuminations 1996 , 1980

The Rape of Lucretia 1964 , 1979

The Turn of the Screw 1983, 1988

Catalani

La Wally 1989, 2020

Cilèa

L’Arlesiana 1998 (American professional premiere)

Cimarosa

Il matrimonio segreto 2022

D’Albert

Tiefland 2018

DeBanfield

Lord Byron’s Love Letter 1996

Debussy

L’Enfant prodigue 1962 , 1963, 1969

Pelléas et Mélisande 1978

Delibes

Lakmé 2005

Donizetti

Don Pasquale 1963, 1965, 1969, 1973, 1977, 1982, 2016

L’elisir d’amore 1986 , 2009, 2020

La Fille du regiment 1987, 2022

Lucia di Lammermoor 1985, 2002 , 2012 , 2023

Rita (Deux Hommes et une femme) 2019

Flotow

Martha 1979, 1992

Floyd

Of Mice and Men 2013

Susannah 1971, 1973, 2026

Gounod

Faust 1969, 1991, 1998

Roméo et Juliette 1993, 2020

Gluck

Orfeo ed Euridice 1965, 1967, 1974 , 1983

Haydn

L'infedeltà delusa 2024

Hoiby

The Scarf 1969

Holst

The Wandering Scholar 1978

Humperdinck

Hänsel und Gretel 1986 , 2001, 2010

Königskinder 1997

Janácek

Jenůfa 1998

Lehár

Die lustige Witwe (The Merry Widow) 1988 , 2026

Leoncavallo

Pagliacci 1967, 1978 , 2005, 2010, 2014 , 2025

Mascagni

Cavalleria rusticana 1987, 2005, 2010, 2025

L’amico Fritz 2009

Massenet

Manon 1997

Thérèse 2023

Werther 1990, 2004

Menotti

Amahl and the Night Visitors 1972

The Medium 1962 , 1973

Moniuszko

Halka 2007

Montemezzi

L’amore dei tre re 2003, 2017

Monteverdi

Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda 1961

L’incoronazione di Poppea 1977

Mozart

Così fan tutte 1960, 1966 , 1970, 1974 , 1976 , 1981, 1990, 2002 , 2008 , 2016 , 2025

Don Giovanni 1977, 1989, 2005, 2011, 2023

Die Entführung aus dem Serail 1964 , 1971, 1979, 1985

Le nozze di Figaro 1961, 1962 , 1972 , 1988 , 1994 , 2006 , 2015, 2025

Der Schauspieldirektor 1960

Die Zauberflöte 1984 , 1991, 1996 , 2004, 2010, 2019

Nielsen

Maskarade 1995 (American premiere in Danish)

Offenbach

Les contes d’Hoffmann 1995, 2001

La Périchole 1984

Orphée aux Enfers 1982

Orff

Die Kluge 1970

REPERTOIRE 1960–2026

Pergolesi

Il maestro di musica 1978 , 1980

La serva padrona 1967, 2021

Poulenc

La Bal masqué 1975

Dialogues des Carmélites 2017

Nocturnes 1975

La Voix humaine 1975

Puccini

La bohème 1960, 1965, 1969, 1971, 1976 , 1982 , 1990, 1997, 2006 , 2011, 2015, 2020, 2026

La fanciulla del West 1993

Gianni Schicchi 1996

Madama Butterfly 1968 , 1972 , 1980, 1986, 1994 , 2007, 2011, 2017, 2023

Manon Lescaut 2018

La rondine 1999, 2008

Suor Angelica 1996

Il tabarro 1987, 1996

Tosca 1977, 1988 , 2004, 2009, 2015, 2022

Turandot 2013, 2019

Purcell

Dido and Aeneas 1961, 2021

Rachmaninoff

Francesca da Rimini 1993 (American professional premiere)

Ravel

L’Heure espagnole 1960, 1963, 1972

Shéhérazade 1965

Rieti

Don Perlimplin 1972

Rimsky-Korsakov

The Golden Cockerel 2015 May Night 1999 (American premiere)

Rossini

Il barbiere di Siviglia 1963, 1964 , 1967, 1971, 1975, 1982 , 1992 , 2000, 2008 , 2014 , 2018 , 2025

Il signor Bruschino 2021

La Cenerentola 1961, 1969, 2010

La scala di seta 2021

L’inganno felice 2021

L’Italiana in Algeri 2017

Il turco in Italia 1965

Smetana

Hubička (The Kiss) 1991 (American professional premiere)

Prodaná Nevėsta (The Bartered Bride) 1994

Sousa

El Capitan 1981

J. Strauss, Jr.

Die Fledermaus 1962 , 1968 , 1970, 1974 , 1978 , 1989, 2003, 2006 , 2013

R. Strauss

Ariadne auf Naxos 2002

Stravinsky

The Rake’s Progress 1968 , 1985

Tchaikovsky

Eugene Onegin 1984

Iolanta 1993

Verdi

Aida 2016

Alzira 2000

Aroldo 1990

Attila 2007, 2022

Un ballo in maschera 1991

La battaglia di Legnano 2016

Il corsaro 2004

Don Carlos 2015 (Original Paris version)

Don Carlos 2009 (Revised 4 Act version in French)

I due Foscari 2008

Ernani 1997, 2023

Falstaff 1986 , 2001

La forza del destino 1996 (Original version)

La forza del destino 1996 (Standard version)

Un giorno di regno 2013

Giovanna d’Arco 2010

Jérusalem 2014

I Lombardi alla prima crociata 2011

Luisa Miller 1999

Macbeth 2003 (Original version)

Macbeth 2003 (Standard version)

I masnadieri 2006

Nabucco 1995, 2019

Oberto, conte di San Bonifacio 2001

Otello 2012

Rigoletto 1964 , 1966 , 1976 , 1981, 1989, 2008 , 2012 , 2019

Simon Boccanegra 1992 (American premiere of the original version)

Simon Boccanegra 1992 (Standard version)

Stiffelio 2005, 2025

La traviata 1963, 1966, 1970, 1973, 1979, 1984, 1998, 2009, 2017

La Trouvère 2002

Il trovatore 1993, 2014 , 2026

Les Vêpres siciliennes 1994 (American premiere in French)

Wagner

Der fliegende Holländer 2000, 2014

Ward

The Crucible 2011

Weill

The Threepenny Opera 1972 , 1980

Wolf-Ferrari

Il segreto di Susanna 1973, 2019

2026 PERFORMANCE CALENDAR

2026 WINTER OPERA FESTIVAL CALENDAR

MARCH 2026

Step inside to bayfront residences unequaled in Sarasota, perhaps because they open to a panorama of the city’s entire skyline. Here is a stage for expansive living — a breathtaking esplanade, pool terrace, and even, a berth for your boat. This is that once-and-forever moment. Now accepting reservations.

HOW SARASOTA OPERA

Saved a Theatre & Found a Home

BY RICHARD RUSSELL

The Asolo Opera Guild had been giving opera performances since 1960. Utilizing the historic Asolo Theatre at the Ringling Museum, the group presented the touring Turnau Opera Players until 1973 and then mounted their own productions, rehearsed in NYC before moving to Sarasota. Because the venue was intimate with no orchestra pit, the accompaniment was provided by two pianos or a small chamber orchestra.

The opera company shared the space with the Asolo Theatre and as the theatre company grew, it became evident that the opera company would need to find another space. Performances of Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah at the Van Wezel with full orchestra in 1973 only confirmed the company’s desire to grow.

At the same time in downtown Sarasota, it looked like the Florida Theatre’s days were numbered. Opened to great fanfare in 1926 as the Edwards Theatre, a tribute to A.B. Edwards, the man who built it, the theater served several generations of Sarasotans as a place to see first run movies and live entertainment. Sold by Mr. Edwards in the early thirties, sporting a new name, the Florida Theatre featured the best from Hollywood (including the Academy

Award winning The Greatest Show on Earth , which was mostly filmed in Sarasota), as well as great entertainers. Tommy Dorsey, Sally Rand, Will Rogers, and most famously, Elvis Presley, had all graced that stage.

But by the late sixties and early seventies downtown Sarasota was in decline. It was labeled blighted and a slum, and the Florida Theatre was similarly derelict. It closed in 1972 and was a day away from demolition—the wrecking ball already in the parking lot next door—when Dwaine and Patricia Glenn bought it for their Radio Engineering Institute (REI) the same year.

The school was housed in the front spaces (currently the lobby and lounges) and the auditorium was used for community theater, church services, and the showing of family friendly films. Some of the second-floor offices were leased to other tenants, one of which was the Asolo Opera Guild.

Searching for a new home in 1979, the enterprising Deane Allyn, a former showgirl and then president of the Sarasota Opera Society (now the Sarasota Opera Guild), approached the Glenns about buying the theater. They expressed willingness and Deane lept into action. She contacted the Asolo Opera Guild chair Leo Rogers

at his Finger Lakes summer home, and he wired $50,000 as a down payment on the $173,000 purchase price. The Glenns asked for a 3-year lease to continue operations of their school, giving the opera company time to raise money they needed for the renovation.

The company created a competition for designs for the new theater, but the winning design proved unfeasible and beyond the company’s budget. Instead, the Asolo Opera Guild decided to try to preserve the original façade, earning a National Historic Places designation in the process. A support facility would also be needed, so the adjacent parking lot was acquired for a new building now known as the Artists Wing. It provides dressing rooms, offices, and side wing space to support the multiple opera productions the company presents during its winter season.

Ultimately, $3 million enabled the newly-renamed Sarasota Opera Association to accomplish a partial renovation encompassing the new support building, new orchestra pit (housing 45 players), and the orchestra level of the auditorium. It was in this form that the Sarasota Theatre for the Arts was christened on January 21, 1984, with a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin starring soprano Stephanie Sundine, tenor Jerry Hadley, and baritone Marc Embree. The production was conducted by Victor DeRenzi, then in the second season of his extraordinary tenure.

There was still work to be done. The theater would soon be renamed the Sarasota Opera House. The balcony of the auditorium needed renovating to be usable. The company’s

offices were on the second floor of the lobby with the third-floor apartments used by Sarasota Opera’s apprentice artists. Over the next few years, the singers moved to a purchased apartment building on Second Street, the offices moved to the third floor and new lobby spaces and the Opera Club were created on the second floor. The renovated lobby—complete with a chandelier that was part of the set of Gone with the Wind—was finished in 1993.

All this was achieved with the determination of a small staff and an army of volunteers. Over the next decade, under DeRenzi’s leadership, the quality of performances grew to world-class, and the support of the community burgeoned. And so did the needs of the company. When DeRenzi launched the Verdi Cycle, a bigger orchestra pit was required to perform works like Otello, Don Carlos, and Aida. Upgrades were needed backstage and the larger audiences needed better facilities front of house.

Under Executive Director Susan Danis, a $20 million renovation was undertaken in 2007. The theater you now sit in is the result of that effort. More comfortable, with better production facilities, an orchestra pit that can now accommodate 80 players, more lobby spaces, lounges, and more patron restrooms, the Sarasota Opera House was called “one of the finest venues for opera in America” by Musical America and in 2025 British Yahoo put it on its list of “bucket-list opera houses for a concert to remember.”

Fully restored and vibrant, celebrating its centenary in 2026, the Sarasota Opera House promises another 100 years of exciting and world-class performances.

FEBRUARY 14, 17, 19, 22 (M), 25, 28 (M), MARCH 3, 6, 11, 20 (M) 26, 28

France, Paris, Cafe Momus, set design for Act III in opera La bohème by Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924), performance at Paris Opera, November 23, 1973

La bohème

Opera in Four Scenes

Music by Giacomo Puccini

Libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica

Based on the book Scenès de la vie de bohème by Henry Murger

Sung in Italian

First performed by Sarasota Opera on February 11, 1960

2006 production created by Sarasota Opera

Conductor

Stage Director

Scenic Designer

Costume Designer

Lighting Designer

Hair & Makeup Designer

Chorus Master

Youth Opera Chorus Master

Assistant Conductors

Surtitle Supplier

Surtitle Translator

Victor DeRenzi

Stephanie Sundine

David P. Gordon

Howard Tsvi Kaplan

Ken Yunker

Sue Schaefer

Artyom Pak

Jessé Martins

Stefano Teani, Connor Buckley, Jordan Brooks

Words For Music

Victor DeRenzi

CAST

Rodolfo, a poet

Marcello, a painter

Schaunard, a musician

Colline, a philosopher

Benoit, the landlord

Alcindoro, a state councilor

Mimì

Musetta

Parpignol, a street vendor

A Customs Sergeant

A Customs Officer

Sarasota Opera Orchestra

Chorus: Sarasota Opera Apprentice and Studio Artists

Sarasota Youth Opera

WooYoung Yoon ++

Filippo Fontana

Riley Findley *

Young Bok Kim

Brian Kontes

Hans Tashjian

Ashley Milanese +

Virginia Mims

Konstantin Jan **

Alejandro Cuellar **

Gabriel Lockheimer Toso **

*Studio Artist

**Apprentice Artist

+The David and Edith Chaifetz Endowed Artist

++The Jan Schmidt Endowed Artist

Production sponsored by Paul and Sharon Steinwachs

LA BOHÈME

SCENE I

In the garret Marcello, a painter, works on his canvas while Rodolfo, a poet, looks out the window. Rodolfo decides to burn the manuscript of his play to heat the room. The philosopher Colline arrives, soon followed by Schaunard, a musician and the fourth inhabitant of the garret. He has food, money, and wood, but he tells his friends to save the food for another time. Tonight is Christmas Eve, and he insists they dine out. The apartment erupts into turmoil when Benoit, the landlord, demands the rent. He is coaxed by Marcello into talking about his amorous adventures. With mock indignation, the bohemians condemn Benoit’s marital infidelity and usher the landlord away without paying him. As his friends are leaving, Rodolfo decides to finish writing an article before joining them. Unable to write, Rodolfo answers a knock at the door. A young woman asks to have her candle relit but faints once inside the garret. After Rodolfo revives her, they are forced to search in the dark for her lost key after both their candles go out. The poet finds the key but convinces the woman he has not and gently touches her hand in the dark. Rodolfo tells her that he is a poet and the woman in turn explains that her name is Mimì, and she makes her living by embroidering. Mimì and Rodolfo profess their love.

INTERMISSION

SCENE II

In the Latin Quarter

Outside the Café Momus, peddlers sell their merchandise to the revelers. The bohemians converge at the café, and Rodolfo introduces Mimì to his friends. She is readily accepted and tells them about a bonnet Rodolfo has bought her. Marcello is surprised when Musetta, his former lover, arrives with her current paramour, the state councilor, Alcindoro. Musetta’s behavior embarrasses Alcindoro as she sings a song to rekindle Marcello’s love. Sensing her attempt is successful, Musetta pretends to have a pain in her foot so as to get rid of Alcindoro. Alcindoro runs off to have Musetta’s shoe repaired while Marcello and Musetta fall into each other’s arms. The waiter presents a bill to the bohemians who cannot pay it. Musetta solves the problem by having the amount added to Alcindoro’s bill.

INTERMISSION

SCENE III

Barriere d’Enfer

At the tollgate, guards admit workers and peasants into the city. Mimì, in ill health, finds Marcello at the tavern where Musetta and he are working and Rodolfo has recently arrived. Mimì explains that although she and Rodolfo have been living together, their relationship is not going well. Marcello urges her to leave when he sees that the poet is looking for him. Instead,

Mimì hides so she can observe the two. Rodolfo tells Marcello that he wants to separate from Mimì. What frightens him is Mimì’s bad health: she is sure to die. Mimì overhears the conversation, and the men discover her as she coughs and weeps. Rodolfo tries to comfort her while Marcello jealously goes to find out why Musetta is laughing loudly in the tavern. Mimì tells Rodolfo that she can no longer live with him. They begin to reminisce as Marcello and Musetta argue. Mimì and Rodolfo decide to remain together until spring as Musetta and Marcello break up.

INTERMISSION

SCENE IV

In the garret

Several months later, both Rodolfo and Marcello desperately miss their former loves. Schaunard and Colline arrive with a meager meal. While much clowning ensues, Musetta bursts through the door and says that Mimì is at the top of the stairs, too weak to enter. Rodolfo brings Mimì in and makes her comfortable. When left alone, Rodolfo and Mimì relive moments from their first meeting. The others return and as they busy themselves, Schaunard notices that Mimì has died. Rodolfo sees his friends’ reactions and, rushing to the bedside, discovers Mimì.

LWorld Premiere -Teatro Regio, Turin, February 1, 1896

Giacomo Puccini (1900)

LA BOHÈME BACKGROUND

LLa bohème, the fourth opera written by the Italian composer Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924), is one of the most performed and best-loved operas in the world today. Its place as a masterpiece in the operatic canon is anchored by the work’s many, almost contradictory, elements. These include realistic characters displaying simple emotions, theatrical situations, narrative brevity, and poetic expansiveness. However, the path to creating this fresh and original opera was a tortuous one for Puccini and his librettists. It was only after numerous changes of structure and detail that the work which audiences recognize as Puccini’s La bohème came into existence.

Following the huge critical and popular success in early 1893 of his third opera, Manon Lescaut, Puccini divided his attention by working on two new operas simultaneously. They were La lupa (The She Wolf), based on Giovanni Verga’s short story of a peasant life in Sicily, and La bohème. Puccini first gave preference to La lupa but finally decided to abandon its composition in July of 1894. The composer incorporated some of the music he had already written for his Sicilian opera into his Parisian one. Even with all of Puccini’s attention focused on La bohème its creation did not occur swiftly. The composer demanded many changes from the opera’s two librettists: Luigi Illica, who was responsible for the scenario, and Giuseppe Giacosa, whose job was to versify the prose text Illica brought into the project. Because of Puccini’s unhappiness with Illica’s work, Illica complained to the publisher, Giulio Ricordi, that he had rewritten the complete libretto three times and certain sections four times in order to appease Puccini. Both librettists felt abused by the composer and each in turn wanted to resign from his assignment. Ricordi managed to keep Puccini, Illica, and Giacosa (whom he referred to as the ‘Holy Trinity’) working together.

The librettists’ job adapting Henry Murger’s book Scenes de la vie de bohème was not easy. French author Murger (1822-1861) wrote a work filled with many unrelated episodes and populated with numerous characters based on authentic Parisian figures. Illica and Giacosa had to create a coherent dramatic plot from the unconnected stories. Because of this challenge, the overall shape of the new libretto was much in flux. For example, the famous Act I meeting of Rodolfo and Mimì in the garret was not part of the opera’s early stages. Ricordi himself, by suggesting that Musetta should reprise part of her waltz offstage, helped ease some of the problems in creating the current Act III. In the last act, Puccini was completely stymied in writing the music for four Bohemians in which they were to sing a toast to each other. Less than three months before the first performance, the composer simply deleted the section from the opera.

The world premiere of La bohème took place at Turin’s Teatro Regio on February 1, 1896. It was at this same theater and on this date exactly three years before that Manon Lescaut had opened. La bohème on the whole was greeted in a friendly fashion by the audience but the majority of the critics were hostile. Expecting to hear an opera in

the romantically tragic vein of Manon Lescaut, the critics instead were offered a mixture of lighthearted and sentimental scenes in often conversational style. They condemned the new opera as a step backward and especially castigated Puccini for some of his harmonic touches. In spite of the critics’ objections, by the end of its first month La bohème was given 24 performances before sold-out houses.

After the first production of the opera, Puccini again demanded new alterations from his librettists. These included the addition of a section in Act II between Parpignol’s exit and Musetta’s entrance and changes in the end of the same act in order to conclude it more effectively. Puccini even made changes to the melody of Musetta’s waltz. Further performances followed in Rome, but the reception at first was lukewarm. However, with a production in Palermo, Sicily in April 1897, the opera achieved an unparalleled success, and its fame spread throughout the Italian peninsula. Performances of La bohème are today the backbone of operatic seasons around the globe.

Sarasota Opera has presented many productions of Puccini’s works at the Opera House. These include Madama Butterfly in 1986, 1994, 2007, 2011, 2017, and 2023; Il tabarro in 1987; Tosca in 1988, 2004, 2009, 2015, 2022; La fanciulla del West in 1993; La rondine in 1999 and 2008; Turandot in 2013 and 2019; and a production of the composer’s complete Il trittico (consisting of the three one-act operas Il tabarro, Suor Angelica, and Gianni Schicchi) in 1996. Sarasota Opera last produced La bohème in 2020.

Greg Trupiano (1955-2020) joined Sarasota Opera in 1987 and was with the company until his death. He was also the Artistic Director of the Brooklyn-based The Walt Whitman Project, founded in 2000.

FEBRUARY 21, 24, 26, MARCH 1 (M), 4, 8 (M), 13, 21, 27 (M)

"Partners here in plenty!" Souvenir of the first anniversary performance in London of The Merry Widow (William Heinemann, 1908). Artist: Talbot Hughes © Look and Learn / Bridgeman Images

Die lustige Witwe

(THE MERRY WIDOW)

Operetta in three acts

Music by Franz Lehár

Text by Victor Léon and Leo Stein

Sung in English • English translation by Sheldon Harnick

First performed by Sarasota Opera on February 13, 1988

New production created by Sarasota Opera

Conductor

Stage Director

Scenic Designer

Costume Designer

Lighting Designer

Hair & Makeup Designer

Chorus Master

Assistant Conductors

Surtitle Supplier

Surtitle Designer

CAST

Baron Mirko Zeta, Pontevedrian ambassador in Paris

Valencienne, his wife

Count Danilo Danilowitsch, First Secretary at the Pontevedrian embassy, cavalry lieutenant

Hanna Glawari

Camille de Rosillon

Vicomte Cascada

Raoul de St. Brioche

Bogdanowitsch, Pontevedrian consul

Sylviane, his wife

Kromow, counsellor at the Pontevedrian embassy

Olga, his wife

Pritschitsch, retired Pontevedrian colonel

Praskowia, his wife

Njegus, chancery clerk at the Pontevedrian embassy

Sarasota Opera Orchestra

Chorus: Sarasota Opera Apprentice Artists

Anthony Barrese

Katherine M. Carter

Steven C. Kemp

Howard Tsvi Kaplan

Ken Yunker

Sue Schaefer

Artyom Pak

Pierre-Nicolas Colombat, Andrew Downs

Words For Music

Victor DeRenzi

Adam Hirama Wells *

Sara Kennedy

Jake Stamatis

Raquel González

Patrick Bessenbacher

Nathan Schafer *

Kyle Dunn *

Kevin Douglas Jasaitis **

Agnese Gallenzi **

Konstantin Jan **

Sarah Stembel **

Spencer McIntire **

Serafina Belletini **

Patrick Scully *

*Studio Artist

**Apprentice Artist

DIE LUSTIGE WITWE SYNOPSIS

ACT I

Paris, 1905, The Pontevedrian Embassy in Paris

The birthday of the King of Pontevedro is being toasted by the Ambassador, Baron Zeta and his guests. Valencienne, the Baron's wife is having a secret flirtation with the Frenchman Camille de Rosillon, who writes "I love you" on her fan after she has forbidden him to speak the words. The glamorous and very wealthy widow, Hanna Glawari enters, pursued by a throng of suitors. Count Danilo, the embassy's first secretary, has been summoned by the Baron to the party to prevent any marriage to a foreigner so that her vast wealth stays in Pontevedro. He arrives directly from his favorite haunt, Maxim's, having had too much champagne and too little sleep, and lies down for a nap. Hanna discovers him. Some time ago, the two were engaged, but Danilo's uncle would not allow his nephew to marry a commoner. Now that she is an heiress, Danilo swears that he will never marry her. A “Ladies Choice” dance is called, and Hanna’s suitors all vie to be selected. Valencienne proposes that the widow choose Camille, but she selects Danilo. Danilo offers to give his dance to anyone who offers to donate 10,000 francs to charity. The suitors slink away, and Danilo claims his dance. Hanna resists but ultimately yields to the waltz.

INTERMISSION

ACT II

At the home of Hanna Glawari

Hanna hosts a Pontevedrian themed party in her home, complete with authentic costumes, dancing, and music. Hanna entertains the guests by singing the legend of the “Vilja”, a wood nymph. Danilo arrives and banters with Hanna regarding affairs of the heart. When Danilo hears Hanna’s suitors arguing about women, he counsels them not to bicker since at the end they will never understand women’s behavior. Valencienne urges Camille to pursue Hanna. With difficulty, he tries to bid Valencienne a fond farewell and the two

slip into a pavilion in the garden. Njegus, the embassy clerk, sees this and also sees Baron Zeta and Danilo approaching. They have seen Camille enter the pavilion with a woman and spy through the keyhole to determine who it is. When Zeta sees his wife, he shouts for them to come out. But Njegus has arranged for Hanna to switch places with Valencienne, so all are surprised when the widow emerges from the pavilion. Hanna announces that she will marry Camille. Jealous, Danilo expresses his anger and stalks off to Maxim’s, while Hanna plans for a Parisian wedding.

INTERMISSION

ACT III

Hanna's home

Hanna has created a replica of Maxim's in her home. Valencienne and the grisettes entertain the guests. Danilo arrives and Hanna tells him the truth about the incident in the pavilion. Each is still hesitant about their own emotions, but they hint at their true feelings as they waltz together. Hanna tells him that by the terms of her late husband's will, she will lose her fortune if she remarries. Learning this, Danilo finally admits that he loves her. She further reveals that her millions will revert to her new husband, and all ends happily.

World Premiere: December 30, 1905 in Vienna, Austria.

Franz Lehár

James Busterud as Danilo and Martha Thigpen as Hanna in Sarasota Opera's 1988 production of Die lustige Witwe

DIE LUSTIGE WITWE BACKGROUND

AAlthough born in Hungary, Franz Lehár was undoubtedly the father and principal inspiration of the "Silver Age" of Viennese Operetta. The beginning of this era can be traced back to one special night, that of December 30, 1905. On that date The Merry Widow (or Die lustige Witwe) was given its world premiere in Vienna. Since that night, it has never left the stages of the world. Its first performance in London in 1907 was one of the greatest theatrical triumphs that city has ever witnessed. The American premiere in the same year at New York's New Amsterdam theatre was such a sensation that it led to the creation of Merry Widow hats, corsets, cigarettes, trains and cocktails. The Paris premiere in 1909 continued the "Widow's" triumphant path around the world and the work has been translated into more than 25 languages.

The Merry Widow has received three Hollywood adaptations, the first in 1925 starred Mae Murray and John Gilbert, the next in 1934 (with new lyrics by Lorenz Hart) featured Jeanette MacDonald and Maurice Chevalier, and the most recent in 1952 offered the unlikely team of Lana Turner and Fernando Lamas.

To the glorious melodic gifts and comic brilliance of his great predecessor Johann Strauss Jr., Lehár added more romance, lyricism and intimacy. Sensual, sophisticated

overtones (in waltz tempo) replaced the fairy tale world of the older Viennese operettas. Set in and around the Parisian Embassy of Pontevedro, a mythical Balkan country, The Merry Widow has a score that sparkles with wit and melody from beginning to end. Three of its highlights in particular are as famous and well-loved as any moments in all operetta: Hannah's "Vilja," Danilo's entrance song "Maxim's," and of course, "The Merry Widow Waltz."

Franz Lehár sustained his fame and success for thirty years following the premiere of the Widow with such works as The Land of Smiles, The Count of Luxembourg, The Czarevitch and Giuditta. But it is The Merry Widow above all which is synonymous with the pre-World War I era and which has made Lehár's reputation eternally secure.

Ken Benson is an artist manager with a career spanning over four decades. He has been instrumental in developing the careers of many leading singers and stage directors.

Set model for Act III by Steven C. Kemp.

MARCH 7,

12, 15 (M), 18, 21 (M), 24, 29 (M)

Illustration for Manrico aria, Di quella pira Act III, in Il trovatore, opera by Giuseppe Verdi, Luigi Morgari (1857-c.1935)

Il trovatore

Dramma in four parts by Salvadore Cammarano

Music by Giuseppe Verdi

Sung in Italian

First performed by Sarasota Opera on February 6, 1993

2014 production created by Sarasota Opera

Conductor

Stage Director

Scenic Designer

Costume Designer

Lighting Designer

Hair & Makeup Designer

Chorus Master

Assistant Conductors

Surtitle Supplier

Surtitle Translator

Victor DeRenzi

Marco Nisticò

Michael Schweikardt

Howard Tsvi Kaplan

Ken Yunker

Sue Schaefer

Artyom Pak

Stefano Teani, Connor Buckley, Jordan Brooks

Words For Music

Victor DeRenzi

CAST

The Count De Luna

Leonora

Azucena

Manrico

Ferrando

Ines

Ruiz

An old gypsy

A messenger

Sarasota Opera Orchestra

Chorus: Sarasota Opera Apprentice and Studio Artists

Ricardo José Rivera

Aviva Fortunata

Lisa Chavez

Victor Starsky

Young Bok Kim

Gabrielle Barkidjija *

Nathaniel Catasca *

Henry Horstmann **

Jordan Hammons **

*Studio Artist

**Apprentice Artist

Production sponsored by Claudia McCorkle and Beau

IL TROVATORE SYNOPSIS

PART I - THE DUEL

SCENE 1

A ball in the Aliaferia palace

Civil war rages between the forces of the Count of Urgel and the Aragonese king. At the De Luna fortress of Aliaferia in Aragon, soldiers are on watch by night. Their captain, Ferrando, tells them a story that took place fifteen years before, when Count De Luna was a little boy. Late one night, the nurse of his baby brother, Garzia, awoke to see a Gypsy woman staring at her charge. When the nurse cried out, servants responded and seized the Gypsy, who protested she had only sought to cast the baby's horoscope. Later, when the infant became sick, the Gypsy was captured, condemned, and burned at the stake. She left a daughter, Azucena, who became obsessed with avenging her mother's death. To that end, Azucena stole the infant Garzia. In vain pursuit of the kidnapper, the old Count De Luna's men found an infant's charred skeleton on the very spot Azucena's mother had been burned. The father never believed those charred remains were those of his son and made his older boy, the present Count, vow never to give up the search for his brother.

SCENE 2

The palace gardens Leonora, a lady-in-waiting, awaits her lover, a troubadour. She tells the story of a tournament, at which she crowned an unknown knight who vanished after winning every contest and winning her heart. Sometime later he returned, his serenades rekindling her love. After she leaves, Count De Luna, in love with Leonora, enters, hoping to see her. The troubadour is heard singing, and Leonora comes out to meet him. The knight identifies himself as Manrico, whom the Count recognizes as an Urgel supporter and an outlaw. The two men prepare to fight a duel.

PART II - THE GYPSY

SCENE 1

A ruined hut on the slopes of the Biscay mountains

In a Gypsy camp, Azucena is seen with her son, Manrico. As the Gypsies work at their anvils, the fire awakens Azucena's memories. She sings, describing the scene of a women’s death. The Gypsies depart, leaving Manrico and Azucena. Manrico learns it was his grandmother who was burned. Azucena tells how she attended the execution with her infant in her arms. As her mother, bound to the stake, cried, "Avenge me," Azucena decided to kidnap the old count's son. Returning to the fire, she threw a child into the embers. But it was not the count’s son as she discovered when she came to her senses: it was her own child. Manrico asks if he is not her son. Azucena, distraught, says she was raving. The Gypsy reminds him that he spared the fallen De Luna in the duel over Leonora. Manrico describes how a mysterious force stayed his hand. A messenger arrives with news that Leonora, believing Manrico dead in battle, plans to enter a convent that night. Manrico leaves to prevent her from doing so.

SCENE 2

The cloister of a monastery near Castellor

The Count, who also knows of Leonora's decision to take religious vows, plans to abduct her. The chant of nuns is heard. As the Count moves to seize Leonora, Manrico suddenly appears. Leonora, spurning the convent, leaves with Manrico.

INTERMISSION

PART III - THE GYPSY'S SON

SCENE 1

An encampment

De Luna and his men have surrounded Castellor, which they mean to capture from their enemies. Azucena is discovered by De Luna's scouts. She has penetrated enemy lines searching for Manrico. Azucena is recognized by Ferrando and condemned to death by the Count.

SCENE 2

A room adjoining the chapel of Castellor

In Castellor, Manrico and Leonora are to be wed. Ruiz enters and reports that Azucena is being dragged to the stake in full view of the castle. Manrico tells Leonora his first duty is to his mother and rushes off with his men to save her.

PART IV - THE TORTURE

SCENE 1

A wing of the Aliferia palace

Manrico's rescue of Azucena has failed and they are both imprisoned. Leonora arrives outside the prison tower, hoping to save Manrico. The Count appears and orders the execution of Manrico and Azucena. As he speaks of Leonora, she steps from the shadows to confront him. Leonora offers herself to De Luna for Manrico's life. As the Count accepts her proposal, Leonora secretly sips poison from her ring.

SCENE 2

A horrid prison

Azucena is terrified by her impending death. Manrico calms her, and she falls asleep. When Leonora enters, Manrico's joy turns to scorn when he learns the price she had paid to free him. However, Manrico's unjust suspicions are dispelled as he realizes Leonora is dying. The Count enters, sees that Leonora has deceived him, and furiously sends Manrico to the block. As he is led away, Azucena awakens. She cries out that the Count has executed his own brother, and she has avenged her mother.

World Premiere: at the Teatro Apollo, Rome, January 19, 1853

IL TROVATORE BACKGROUND

BBetween 1840 and 1853, Giuseppe Verdi was remarkably prolific, composing nearly one opera per year during what he called his “years in the galley.” This intense period of labor brought him both artistic acclaim and financial success. The final three operas of this era—Rigoletto (1851), Il trovatore (1853), and La traviata (1853)—cemented his status as the most performed composer in the world.

Verdi was intrigued by the drama El Trovador by Garcia Gutierrez, the foremost Spanish dramatist, and proposed it to the experienced librettist Salvadore Cammarano, who had written the librettos for Lucia di Lammermoor and Luisa Miller, among others, and with whom he’d discussed his ultimately unfulfilled dream of a King Lear opera. Cammarano hesitated, and Verdi became frustrated. "Does he like it or doesn’t he?" Verdi wrote to a mutual friend. When Cammarano finally responded, he was full of reservations, to which Verdi tried to respond, even offering to consider a different subject.

Work on Il trovatore began in 1850 but proceeded slowly. Verdi first focused on a commission for Venice which became Rigoletto. He was also increasingly occupied with managing his estate at Sant’Agata. Despite these distractions—including a battle with the censors—Rigoletto was a triumph and Verdi was ready to work on Il trovatore

Rigoletto had been a break with many of the 19th-century operatic conventions. “I conceived Rigoletto almost without arias, without finales, but only an unending series of duets...” he wrote to a friend. He hoped for something similar with Il trovatore To Cammarano he wrote: "If in opera there were neither cavatinas, duets, trios, choruses, finales, et cetera, and the whole work consisted, let’s say of a single number, I should find that all the more right and proper. For this reason, I would say that if you could avoid beginning with an opening chorus (all operas begin with a chorus!) and start straightaway with the troubadour’s song and run the first two acts into one it would be a good thing... "

To Verdi’s disappointment, the libretto that Cammarano delivered had all of the elements that Verdi had hoped to avoid. It began with a chorus and then a solo for the soprano and it had all the set pieces that were traditional to Italian opera. Verdi complained to the librettist but eventually decided to move forward, a move complicated by the death of Cammarano in July 1852. It was a deep personal and professional loss for Verdi.

With final touches to the libretto by Leone Bardare, Il trovatore premiered in Rome in January 1853 and was a triumph. It quickly made the rounds of the European theaters, with first performances in New York and London in 1855.

Although Il trovatore remains popular to day, the story has become one ripe for censure and parody (one of these is H.M.S. Pinafore). Some feel the story requires qualification or even apology.

Giuseppe Verdi

One wonders why. One element that is often cited is Azucena’s actions prior to the start of the opera. Yet are her actions that unbelievable?

A woman, mentally unstable, stricken with the grief of having seen her mother burned at the stake and bent on fulfilling her mother’s wish to be avenged, loses control and commits an unspeakable act. There have been similarly horrible tragedies in the news in recent years, and half of what Hollywood produces these days is more implausible.

The difficulty of Il trovatore’s libretto lies in the fact that most of the action takes place before opera or off stage, with the principals left to recount what has already occurred Yet, Verdi has used this opportunity to create some of his most wonderfully descriptive music. Azucena, the character who most intrigued Verdi, also spurred his musical imagination to considerable heights. Her initial song ("Stride la vampa") contains musical and instrumental devices that vividly illustrate the funeral pyre in her mind’s eye. “Condotta ell’era in ceppi,” the scene in which she describes the terrible events of that fateful night, is a unique musical narrative, unlike anything in Verdi’s output to that point. Even the most conventional operatic structures in Il trovatore, Leonora’s “Tacea la notte” for instance, inspired Verdi’s creativity to write one of the greatest soprano cavatinas in the repertoire.

What is unequivocal is that it is Il trovatore’s music that has captured the opera lover’s imagination. The score is rich with moments that challenge even the best operatic voices, making the achievement of surmounting these obstacles even more exciting to audiences. Tenors dread and enthusiasts clamor for the extraneous but now mostly obligatory high C in “Di quella pira” The other roles offer similar challenges to even the most accomplished artists. Caruso once claimed that to produce Il trovatore you needed "the four greatest singers in the world."

During Verdi’s lifetime Il trovatore was the most popular of his works. Writing to a friend, Verdi said that “in the heart of Africa or the Indies you will always hear trovatore.”

Richard Russell is Sarasota Opera's General Director.

MARCH 14, 17, 19, 22 (M), 25, 28 (M)

Woman standing with a dog on the porch of a log cabin Photo

Susannah

A musical drama in two acts, ten scenes

Libretto and Music by Carlisle Floyd

Sung in English

Conductor

Stage Director

Scenic Designer

Costume Designer

Lighting Designer

Hair & Makeup Designer

Chorus Master

Assistant Conductors

Surtitle Supplier

Surtitle Designer

CAST

Susannah Polk

Sam Polk, her brother

Olin Blitch, an evangelist

Little Bat McLean

Elder McLean

Elder Gleaton

Elder Hayes

Elder Ott

Mrs. McLean

Mrs. Gleaton

Mrs. Hayes

Mrs. Ott

Sarasota Opera Orchestra

Chorus: Sarasota Opera Apprentice Artists

Jessé Martins

Martha Collins

R. Keith Brumley

Howard Tsvi Kaplan

Ken Yunker

Sue Schaeffer

Artyom Pak

Andrew Downs, Pierre-Nicolas Colombat

Words For Music

Victor DeRenzi

Hanna Brammer

Jeremy Brauner

Jason Zacher

Dylan Schang *

Brian Kontes

David Freides *

Nathaniel Catasca *

Drew Comer *

Lindsey Polcyn *

Krista Renée Pape *

Mary Burke Barber *

Gabrielle Barkidjija *

*Studio Artist

**Apprentice Artist

First performed by Sarasota Opera on February 1, 1971 Production sponsored by an Anonymous Donor

The Recent Past, New Hope, Tennessee