At 82 years old, Florida Grand Opera has the distinction of being Florida’s oldest performing arts organization in Florida. It was formed in 1994 by the merger of Greater Miami Opera, founded in 1941, and The Opera Guild Inc. of Fort Lauderdale, founded in 1945. Nicknamed “The Met South” by the many distinguished artists who have graced its stage, FGO continues a tradition of presenting the best rising and undiscovered talent that opera has to offer alongside a harmonious blend of traditional masterpieces and innovative contemporary works. Our internationally recognized Studio Artists Program offers emerging artists the opportunity to perform principal and comprimario roles alongside FGO’s roster of acclaimed directors, conductors, and musicians. They also give concerts and a touring children’s opera throughout Miami-Dade and Broward counties. We also offer a wide variety of educational and outreach programs, including dress rehearsal visits for schoolchildren. FGO is a resident company of the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in the Ziff Ballet Opera House. Fort Lauderdale performances are held at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts Au Rene Theater.
FGO FACTS
The great tenor, Luciano Pavarotti famously made his American debut here in 1965 in Lucia di Lammermoor, opposite his future frequent stage partner, soprano Joan Sutherland.
FGO’s world premieres include David Carlson’s Anna Karenina, with libretto by Colin Graham, in 2007;. 1997’s Balseros, by Robert Ashley with libretto by world-renowned Cuban writer María Irene Fornés and Robert Ward’s Minutes Till Midnight in 1982.
US premieres include Gioacchino Rossini’s Bianca e Falliero and the final revised version of Alberto Franchetti’s Cristoforo Colombo.
Under the leadership of General Director and CEO Susan T. Danis, FGO’s “Made for Miami” series presents works designed to connect with South Florida’s rich and diverse communities. Company premieres in this series include Mieczyslaw Weinberg’s The Passenger, Jorge Martín’s Before Night Falls, Daniel Catán’s Florencia en el Amazonas, and Robert Xavier Rodriguez’s Frida. In 2022-23, we present a specially commissioned Spanish translation of Dominco Cimarosa’s El matrimonio secreto, set in 1980s Miami Beach.
The many internationally acclaimed artists who have appeared at FGO include: Robert Merrill, Dorothy Kirsten, Richard Tucker, Renata Tebaldi, Roberta Peters, Franco Corelli, Renata Scotto, Montserrat Caballé, Jon Vickers, Sherrill Milnes, Nicolai Gedda, Birgit Nilsson, Anna Moffo, Plácido Domingo, Beverly Sills, Joan Sutherland, Evelyn Lear, James Morris, Thomas Stewart, Diana Soviero, Justino Diaz, Simon Estes, Elizabeth Futral, Helen Donath, Deborah Voigt, Lauren Flanigan, and Fernando de la Mora.
FGO’s 2023–23 Season includes La traviata by Giuseppe Verdi, I pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo, and La bohème by Giacomo Puccini, along with our popular SongFest Concert Series, Zarzuela concerts, Opera & Reggae Concert, and more.
Journalist and News Media Inquiries:
pr@fgo.org
