LAST CHANCE TO HEAR ELITE ARTISTS IN A MINI-SEASON PREVIEW
Miami and Fort Lauderdale, FL --- April 18, 2023. The 2022-23 FGO Studio Artists take their final bow with a farewell concert featuring a mini-season preview alongside best-loved arias and ensembles. The Final Sing Concert serves up excerpts from FGO’s 2023-24 season of favorites, including La traviata, I pagliacci, and La bohème. Audiences will also enjoy excerpts from Mozart’s boisterous comedy Cosí fan tutte.
The FGO Studio Artists are a cadre of elite singers chosen from hundreds of applicants across the US in a grueling audition process. They serve as the face of Florida Grand Opera in South Florida, singing mainstage roles at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts and the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, offering concerts throughout Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, and touring local schools with a made-for-children opera and education. They also receive vocal and career coaching, such as recent master classes and career chats with opera stars Morris Robinson, Sherrill Milnes, Maria Zouves, and Elizabeth Caballero.
Final Sing represents the Studio Artists’ last performance of the season. It is an opportunity for them to demonstrate artistic growth to the fans who have been following them since their arrival at FGO in fall 2022, as well as to delight audience members who may be new to their work.
“We are extremely proud of these talented young artists and excited for their fans, old or new, to enjoy the culmination of their work this season,” said Studio Artist Program Manager Neil Nelson. “Final Sing is always one of the best concerts of the season. Not only is the music beautiful, moving, and also fun, but the singers get the chance to really stretch their wings and show what they can do. It’s exciting.”
The concert stars sopranos Ashley Shalna (Nella, Gianni Schicchi and Buoso’s Ghost; Elisetta, El matrimonio secreto) and Page Michels (Lauretta, Gianni Schicchi and Buoso’s Ghost, Carolina, El matrimonio secreto) along with mezzo-soprano Erin Alford (La Ciesca, Gianni Schicchi and Buoso’s Ghost; Fidalma, El matrimonio secreto). They are joined by tenors Charles Calotta (Rinuccio, Gianni Schicchi and Buoso’s Ghost; Spoletta, Tosca) and Joseph McBrayer (Gherardo, Gianni Schicchi and Buoso’s Ghost; Paolino, El matrimonio secreto), baritone Matthew Cossack (Amantio di Nicolao, Gianni Schicchi; A Magistrate, Buoso’s Ghost; Sciarrone, Tosca; Fiorello, The Barber of Seville) and bass-baritone Phi
Final Sing takes place on Saturday, May 13, 7:30 p.m. at the Miracle Theater in Coral Gables, and on Sunday, May 14, 5 p.m. at the Center for Spiritual Living in Oakland Park. Tickets are $10 general admission (free to donors and subscribers) at fgo.org, or by calling 800.741.1010.
ABOUT THE FGO STUDIO
The FGO Studio Artists are managed by Neil Nelson, under the artistic leadership of Director of Artistic Operations Matt Cooksey and General Director and CEO Susan T. Danis. Established in 1984, the FGO Studio enjoys an international reputation as a highly competitive and comprehensive career development program. The young professionals chosen demonstrate extraordinary potential for significant contributions to the field of opera. Alumni of the program include award-winning countertenor Key’Mon Murrah, most recently awarded Finalist and Encouragement award of Placido Domingo’s international Operalia competition; Grammy-winning soprano Jessica E. Jones; Metropolitan Opera mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis; Metropolitan Opera tenor Andrew Bidlack; and Miami’s own mezzo-soprano Amanda Crider, founder and Artistic Director of Illuminarts.
ABOUT FLORIDA GRAND OPERA
FGO was founded in 1941 as Greater Miami Opera and merged with The Opera Guild of Fort Lauderdale, Inc. in 1994. As Florida's premier opera company, it presents standard repertoire, contemporary works, new commissions, and original productions — all featuring projected translations in English and Spanish. The mainstage operas of the season include Domenico Cimarosa’s El matrimonio secreto, sung in Spanish translation (Nov. 12 - 15, 2022), Giacomo Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and Michael Ching’s Buoso’s Ghost (Jan. 28 – Feb.11, 2023), Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca (Mar. 18 - Apr. 15, 2023), and Gioacchino Rossini’s The Barber of Seville (Apr.29 – May 20, 2023).
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Media Contact:
Cindy Sadler
Marketing and Communications Manager
csadler@fgo.org
305.340.2026
fgo.org
WHO: Florida Grand Opera Studio Artists
WHAT: Final Sing Concert
WHEN/WHERE:
May 13, 2023, 7:30 p.m. at the Miracle Theater in Coral Gables
May 14, 5 p.m. at the Center for Spiritual Living in Oakland Park
WHY: It’s the final opportunity of the seaon to hear this elite cadre of talented young opera artists perform a mini-preview of the 2023-24 season, along with other best-loved excerpts from favorite operas.
PHOTOS:
1. L-R Page Michels, Erin Alford, Joseph McBrayer, Ashley Shalna, Phllip Lopez. Floor: Charles Calotta. Not pictured: Matthew Cossack. Photo by Edward Leal.
2. Composite: L-R Erin Alford, Charles Calotta, Matthew Cossack, Phillip Lopez, Joseph McBrayer, Page Michels, Ashley Shalna
FLORIDA GRAND OPERA PRESENTS MEXICAN TENOR SUPERSTAR ARTURO CHACON-CRUZ IN A LIVE SPANISH-LANGUAGE INTERVIEW
Famed author and cultural promoter Gerardo Kleinburg hosts the online chat
MIAMI AND FORT LAUDERDALE, FL --- Monday, April 6, 2023
International singer, recording artist, and star of Florida Grand Opera’s Tosca, Mexican tenor Arturo Chacón-Cruz, will sit down in a live Spanish-language chat with award-winning author, critic, and cultural promoter Gerardo Kleinburg. The two friends and countrymen will discuss Chacón-Cruz’s remarkable career, voice, and upcoming appearance as Cavaradossi in FGO’s upcoming production of Tosca.
“We love our incredibly rich South Florida Spanish-speaking community and our many Spanish-speaking audience members, and we are always looking for ways to highlight the talent and appreciation for great art that exists right here in South Florida,” says Susan T. Danis, FGO General Director and CEO. “We feel incredibly lucky to have an artist like Arturo not only on our stage, but living in our community, and we’re thrilled to have a journalist of Gerardo’s status to interview him.”
Arturo Chacón-Cruz, a native of Sonora, Mexico, is considered one of the top operatic tenors of his generation. He has sung over 60 leading roles in 30 countries, including The Duke in Rigoletto (Houston, Verona, Mexico City, Napoli, Budapest, Hamburg, Strasbourg, Aix en Provence, San Francisco, Verona, Brussels, Los Angeles, Florence), Rodolfo in La bohème (San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Miami, Munich, Stockholm, Graz, Cologne, Hamburg, etc.), and Alfredo in La traviata (Seville, Munich, Valencia, Moscow, Rome, Barcelona, Padova, Mexico City, Washington D.C., Detroit, Los Angeles, Verona, Oman). His appearance in FGO’s Tosca is his second turn as Cavaradossi. He has an extensive discography, including an album of mariachi music, a Christmas album, and a solo recording of Mexican music. Film appearances include Sofia Coppola’s La traviata and Woody Allen’s Gianni Schicchi. Chacón-Cruz is fluent in in Spanish, English, Italian, and French and also speaks German, Portuguese, Russian, and Greek. He lives in Miami with his wife and son.
Gerardo Kleinburg is an award-winning writer, music critic, cultural promoter and biochemist. He was the first non-European and Spanish critic to be awarded the Salzburg Festival International Music Critic Prize, the youngest and longest-running General and Artististic Director of México’s National Opera House, and has been anchor for more than 20 years on Escenarios, México’s only TV program devoted to opera and classical music. He is the only Mexican educator to regularly offerstalks about opera for young audiences in public schools and remote places where opera is practically unknown. “Hablemos de Ópera”, his digital platform to promote and teach opera, has 35,000 followers all around the world and includes numerous lectures, talks and conversations with major international opera stars. Kleinburg’s books include Tríptico (tres actos en una ópera), No honrarás a tu padre and Éxtasis, una novela en siete cápsulas.
The Spanish-language discussion takes place on Friday, March 10, 2023 from 12:00 – 12:45 p.m. via Zoom and will be recorded for later posting on the FGO website. Viewers may submit questions for Chacón-Cruz or Kleinburg in advance by emailing csadler@fgo.org. The chat is free, but participants must register in advance by clicking the banner on the home page at fgo.org.
Chacón-Cruz stars in Puccin’s Tosca with Toni Marie Palmertree and Todd Thomas March 18 – 21 at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts and April 13 and 15 at the Broward Center for Performing Arts. Tickets are available at fgo.org or by calling 800.741.1010.
ABOUT FLORIDA GRAND OPERA
FGO was founded in 1941 as Greater Miami Opera and merged with The Opera Guild of Fort Lauderdale, Inc. in 1994. As Florida's premier opera company, it presents standard repertoire, contemporary works, new commissions, and original productions — all featuring projected translations in English and Spanish. The mainstage operas of the season include Domenico Cimarosa’s El matrimonio secreto, sung in Spanish translation (Nov. 12 - 15, 2022), Giacomo Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and Michael Ching’s Buoso’s Ghost (Jan. 28 – Feb.11, 2023), Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca (Mar. 18 - Apr. 15, 2023), and Gioacchino Rossini’s The Barber of Seville (Apr.29 – May 20, 2023).
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WHO: Florida Grand Opera
WHAT: Free live Spanish-language chat with Mexican tenor Arturo Chacón-Cruz and cultural promoter Gerardo Kleinburg
WHEN: Friday, March 10, 2023 12:00 – 12:45 p.m.
WHERE: Via Zoom. Register at fgo.org.
WHY: Arturo Chacon-Cruz, Mexico and South Florida’s reigning tenor opera star, will discuss his international career and upcoming performance as Cavaradossi in FGO’s Tosca in a special Spanish-language chat with award-winning critic, writer, and cultural promoter Gerardo Kleinburg.
Florida’s Singing Sons “leave no crumbs” in FGO’s staging of the Puccini blockbuster
Fort Lauderdale, FL. March 31 2023 --- The Florida Singing Sons, a 48-year-old Fort Lauderdale institution, is providing the children’s chorus for Florida Grand Opera’s upcoming production of Tosca. Already a hit in Miami, the Sons next come home to Fort Lauderdale to reprise their roles as rambunctious Roman choirboys. For most of this lively troupe of 11-year-old boys (and two high school girls), Tosca is their first opera and their first stage experience.
Children’s choruses are an operatic tradition, and Tosca composer Giacomo Puccini had a fondness for them. In Turandot, he used the innocence of children singing a traditional Chinese melody to contrast with the horror of the Prince of Persia’s execution. Act II of La bohème opens with a raucous Christmas Eve street scene, including a horde of excited children mobbing the toy seller Parpignol. In Tosca, a riot of rowdy choirboys defy the hapless Sacristan and face discipline from the frightening Baron Scarpia before joining in the glorious Te Deum that crowns Act I.
The Singing Sons’ performance has already received rave reviews in Miami, with Lawrence Budmen of the South Florida Classical Review writing, “The Florida Singing Sons boy choir (under Daniel Bates and Malcolm Rogers) provided fresh voices and high spirits for the Act I finale, joining the FGO chorus (under Jared Peroune) in a vigorous and unified, well- coordinated effort that rang the house.”
Singing Sons Artistic Director Daniel Bates, a former FGO Studio Artist who recently appeared as Friar 1 in Buoso’s Ghost, said, “There’s a lot of energy, as you might imagine. They’re so excited to be there. They couldn’t get enough of the orchestra and the high notes. When Arturo (Chacón-Cruz, playing Cavaradossi) had his ‘Vittoria’ moment, they did all the kid things, screaming and wailing. They have this saying: ‘He ate.’ ‘He ate’ means ‘he did very well.’ ‘He ate and left no crumbs’ means that it was phenomenal. So apparently, there were no crumbs left after Arturo sang!”
The Sons work with students throughout Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach Counties. Students as young as 7 are accepted, and many stay with the organization all the way through high school. The organization’s mission is to provide an enriching musical experience for talented children (girls are also welcome), imbuing them with self-discipline, strength of character, and richness of personality, while offering the community a source of pride in the achievement of its youth. The kids study vocal technique, musicianship, and a wide variety of choral literature ranging from rock anthems to sacred music, from Broadway to opera. They tour both domestically and worldwide, and are in demand with South Florida performing arts organizations. They regularly sing with the New World Symphony, Miami Bach Society, Master Chorale of South Florida, New World Symphony, Nova Singers, and the Symphony of the Americas.
“I like to say that we use music as a way to create young men. Now we have some girls, so it’s a way to create young adults,” says Bates. “We take them as children and teach them life lessons along the way, while giving them best friends. We give very high-level experiences like Tosca, but also, while music is our medium, we’re really a safe place for these kids to come, be themselves, meet people with similar interests, and we do a lot more than just music.”
“We are thrilled to have Florida’s Singing Sons with us for Tosca,” says FGO General Director and CEO Susan T. Danis, “ Not only does their presence add a moment of charming levity to a highly dramatic story, but their musical contribution is invaluable. We are lucky to have an organization like the Singing Sons in our community. Their contribution to the arts scene in South Florida and to our production of Tosca is invaluable.”
Along with the Singing Sons, Florida Grand Opera’s Tosca stars Metropolitan Opera soprano Toni Marie Palmertree in the title role, international star tenor and South Florida resident Arturo Chacón-Cruz as Cavaradossi, and FGO favorite baritone Todd Thomas in his signature role as Baron Scarpia.
Tosca plays on April 13 and 15, 2023 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets are available at fgo.org or by calling 800.741.1010.
ABOUT FLORIDA GRAND OPERA
FGO was founded in 1941 as Greater Miami Opera and merged with The Opera Guild of Fort Lauderdale, Inc. in 1994. As Florida's premier opera company, it presents standard repertoire, contemporary works, new commissions, and original productions — all featuring projected translations in English and Spanish. The mainstage operas of the season include Domenico Cimarosa’s El matrimonio secreto, sung in Spanish translation (Nov. 12 - 15, 2022), Giacomo Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and Michael Ching’s Buoso’s Ghost (Jan. 28 – Feb.11, 2023), Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca (Mar. 18 - Apr. 15, 2023), and Gioacchino Rossini’s The Barber of Seville (Apr.29 – May 20, 2023).
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WHO: Florida Grand Opera and the Florida Singing Sons
WHAT: Tosca, opera in 3 acts by Giacomo Puccini with libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa
WHEN/WHERE: April 13 & 15, 2023 in Fort Lauderdale
WHY: The Florida Singing Sons “leave no crumbs” in their operatic debut as a crowd of rambunctious choirboys in Florida Grand Opera’s lavish Tosca.
PHOTOS:
The Singing Sons rehearse their Act I entrance with stage director Jeffery Marc Buchman. Credit: Catherine Largo.
In their dressing room at the Arsht, the Singing Sons prepare for their performance. L-R: Amelia Ostamendy, Carter Crouch, Samuel Prieto-Bueno, Aaron Escobar, Gavin Reynolds, Hassan Jackasal.Credit: Daniel Azoulay
The Singing Sons as exuberant choirboys in Act I of FGO’s Tosca. Credit: Daniel Azoulay
The choir (played by the Florida Singing Sons) and the FGO Chorus accompany Todd Thomas as Baron Scarpia in a triumphant Te Deum. Credit: Daniel Azoulay.
2022-23 SEASON FINALE REUNITES FAVORITE SOUTH FLORIDA ARTISTS IN HAIR-RAISING COMEDY
Miami and Fort Lauderdale, FL, March 30, 2023 --- An exceptional cast of Rossini specialists and South Florida favorites close out FGO’s 2022-23 season in The Barber of Seville, Rossini’s most popular and successful opera of all time. With an overture made famous by Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd, the ubiquitous "Figaro, Figaro, FI-GA-RO" of the work's best-known aria, and nonstop comedic antics, this gem has remained a constant and fresh favorite for over 200 years.
The Spanish Count Almaviva enlists the aid of Seville's favorite factotum, the barber Figaro, to gain access to the home of the elderly lawyer Dr. Bartolo in order to court his ward, Rosina. Rosina is not only beautiful, intelligent, and spirited, but quite wealthy, and Bartolo wishes to take advantage of his legal guardianship to force her into marriage. To ensure that Rosina loves him for himself rather than his title and fortune, Almaviva presents himself to her as "Lindoro," a penniless student. Rosina's love is true. Figaro carries notes between the lovers and helps the Count enter the home under the guises of a drunken soldier with housing orders and a substitute music teacher. Each time, his attempts to escape with Rosina are foiled. Upon discovering these plots, Bartolo convinces Rosina that "Lindoro" is nothing more than a lackey of the wicked Count Almaviva, who is using him to seduce her by proxy. Heartbroken, Rosina agrees to marry Bartolo. Fortunately, Figaro and the Count manage to climb a ladder to her bedroom window, lock Bartolo out, and get the notary to marry Rosina and the Count instead.
The opera is based on 1775's Le barbier de Séville ou la précaution inutile (The Barber of Seville or The Useless Precaution), the first play of the famous trilogy by French polymath Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais. Originally intended as a comic opera, with original music and characters based on stock commedia dell'arte characters, it did not achieve lasting success as an opera until Rossini's version burst onto the scene in 1816. Rossini's rival, Paisello, had composed a previous version that garnered some success, and the jealous Paisello used his influence to ensure that the premiere of the Rossini version was a disaster. However, after an unhappy opening night, Rossini's Barber quickly became a smash hit and has remained one of opera's most popular, beloved, and best-known works ever since.
Fresh from a tour with the Metropolitan Opera Guild, South Korean baritone Young-Kwang Yoo makes his FGO debut as the lovable rascal Figaro, a role he previously sang to great acclaim with Cleveland Opera Theater. The rising star has appeared in opera, oratorio, and televised performances throughout the U.S. and South Korea, including Le Monstre Cathos in the U.S. premiere of Ibert's Persée et Andromède, one of the New York Times' top ten best classical performances of 2016 and numerous productions as Sharpless (Madama Butterfly) and Marcello (La bohème). He has won many awards, including first place in Japan's Osaka International Competition, second place in the Manhattan International Music Competition, and the Grand Prize of the Opera Division in the Metropolitan International Vocal Competition.
Returning as a guest artist after two years in the Studio Program, mezzo-soprano Stephanie Doche brings her brilliant coloratura and charming stage presence to Rosina, having recently performed the role with Gulf Shore Opera. An FGO favorite during her Studio Artist years, Doche won acclaim in the 2022 season as Eunice in A Streetcar Named Desire, Giovanna and Maddalena in Rigoletto, and Narciso in Agrippina. Recent performances have included the title roles of Ariodante, Carmen, La Cenerentola, and Serse, as well as Nicklausse/Muse/Mother in Les contes d'Hoffmann and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in Derrick Wang's Scalia/Ginsburg with Opera Neo, Opéra Louisiane, Opera Memphis, Mobile Opera, and Pacific Opera Project. Named the First Place Vocal Division and Grand Prize Winner of the 2023 Young Texas Artists Music Competition, Doche's work has also been recognized by the Metropolitan Opera National Council, the SAS Performing Arts Company Vocal Competition, the Orpheus Vocal Competition, the Camille Coloratura Awards, and the Beethoven Club of Memphis.
International tenor Michele Angelini returns to FGO as Count Almaviva for the first time since 2013, when he appeared opposite Metropolitan Opera soprano Rachel Gilmore as Elvino in La Sonnambula. In demand as a rare true Rossini tenor and bel canto specialist, Almaviva is one of Angelini's signature roles which he has performed with The Metropolitan Opera, the Edinburgh International Festival, Covent Garden, and The Norwegian Opera, to name a few. His repertoire in leading theaters throughout the world includes Don Ramiro (La Cenerentola), Lindoro (L'italiana in Algeri), Orphée (Orphée et Eurydice), and Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni), among many others. Recent highlights include his debut at Glyndebourne Festival Opera, a return to Staatsoper Berlin for performances of The Barber of Seville; Rossini im Wildbad, performances of Rossini’s Stabat Mater at he Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, and the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra), Teatro Real Madrid (La Cenerentola), the Donizetti Festival in Bergamo (Medea in Corinto), Bayerische Staatsoper (Il turco in Italia), and house debuts at the Bolshoi Theatre Moscow in Il viaggio a Reims and at Teatro Petruzell as Argirio in Tancredi.
Bass-baritone and FGO stalwart Kristopher Irmiter's 115 roles, performed in every state in the U.S. and throughout Canada, have made him one of North America's most recognized low voices. He returns to FGO to make his role debut as Dr. Bartolo. Previous appearances include Athaniel in Thaïs, Monaoh in Szulamit, Scarpia in Tosca, Oscar Hubbard in Regina, and the title role in 2016's Don Pasquale. The Grammy-nominated artist's world premieres include Gianni Schicchi in Michael Ching's Buoso's Ghost, Bishop Dyer in Craig Bohmler's Riders of the Purple Sage, and Harold in Kristin Kuster's A Thousand Acres. He is also known for his many performances of Rucker Lattimore in Carlisle Floyd's Cold Sassy Tree and Olin Blitch in Susannah, as well as appearances opposite Susan Graham as Horace in Regina with Opera Theater of Saint Louis, Scarpia in Tosca with Lyric Opera of Chicago, Escamillo in Carmen with San Francisco Opera, Mephistopheles in Faust with Utah Opera and Baltimore Opera, and the title role in Der Fliegende Hollander with Arizona Opera and Michigan Opera Theater.
Rounding out the cast are former Studio Artist Brazilian bass-baritone Rafael Porto as Don Basilio and soprano Susan Neves as Berta.
Stage director and FGO Director of Artistic Operations Matt Cooksey makes his FGO directing debut. Composer Maestro Anthony Barrese, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of Opera Southwest, who last appeared with FGO in 2018's critically acclaimed Orfeo ed Eurydice, conducts. The New Orleans Opera Association provides the scenery, and costumes come from Sarasota Opera.
“The Barber of Seville is the perfect ender for our 2022-23 season,” says FGO General Director and CEO Susan T. Danis. “It’s like the perfect dessert after an excellent meal --- sweet, light, charming, absolutely delectable, and leaving you satisfied. And although it’s a lot of fun, you’re also getting some serious vocal talent. Michele Angelini is one of the top Rossini tenors in the world right now. Young-Kwang Yoo is a real up-and-coming talent. And we are so excited to have our own Stephanie Doche back as Rosina, a role in which she is already making waves.”
This perennial favorite runs April 29-May 2, 2023 at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami and May 18 and 20 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale.
Tickets for all shows begin at $16 at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts and $21 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts and are available at fgo.org.
ABOUT FLORIDA GRAND OPERA
FGO was founded in 1941 as Greater Miami Opera and merged with The Opera Guild of Fort Lauderdale, Inc. in 1994. As Florida's premier opera company, it presents standard repertoire, contemporary works, new commissions, and original productions — all featuring projected translations in English and Spanish. The mainstage operas of the season include Domenico Cimarosa’s El matrimonio secreto, sung in Spanish translation (Nov. 12 - 15, 2022), Giacomo Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and Michael Ching’s Buoso’s Ghost (Jan. 28 – Feb.11, 2023), Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca (Mar. 18 - Apr. 15, 2023), and Gioacchino Rossini’s The Barber of Seville (Apr.29 – May 20, 2023).
# # # # # #
Media Contact:
Cindy Sadler
Marketing and Communications Manager csadler@fgo.org
305.340.2026
fgo.org
WHO: Florida Grand Opera
WHAT: Rossini’s The Barber of Seville
WHEN/WHERE:
April 29 & 30 and May 2, 2023 at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts
May 18 & 20 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts
WHY: An exceptional cast of Rossini specialists and South Florida favorites close out FGO’s 2022-23 season in The Barber of Seville, Rossini’s most popular and successful opera of all time.
FGO Studio Artists explore how composers “save the best for last” in the final SongFest concert of the season
Miami and Fort Lauderdale, FL, March 2, 2023 --- Florida Grand Opera’s Studio Artists present “Songfest: The Final Act,” highlighting the stunning music that composers often save for the last act of their operas. Featured favorite ensembles include “Che mi frena in un momento,” the famous sextet from Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, the thrilling bass-baritone duet “Suoni la tromba “from Bellini’s I puritani, the lively “Gallop Infernal” from Offenbachs’ Orpheus in the Underworld (known to most of the world as the Can-Can), and “Zitti, zitti, piano, piano,” the escape trio from Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, among many others.
Interspersed with each piece are informative and entertaining live program notes provided by Director of Artistic Operations Matt Cooksey, who also gives the opera’s pre-show lectures. These notes are a signature component of the popular SongFest series.
“We had an especially good time planning this concert, with so many great repertoire suggestions, so I know our audience is going to have a great time as well,” said Neil Nelson, Studio Artist Program Manager. “The artists are very excited about these selections, and it’s always thrilling for our audiences to get to hear all six of these extraordinary voices singing together in these relatively intimate spaces.”
SongFest: The Final Act takes place on Saturday, March 25 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Coral Gables, and on Sunday, March 26 at 3:00 p.m. at The Center for Spiritual Living in Oakland Park. Tickets are $10 general admission at fgo.org and free to donors and subscribers. Call 800.741.1010 for more information.
ABOUT THE FGO STUDIO ARTISTS
The FGO Studio Artists are directed by Neil Nelson, under the artistic leadership of Director of Artistic Operations Matt Cooksey and General Director and CEO Susan T. Danis. Established in 1984, the FGO Studio enjoys an international reputation as a highly competitive and comprehensive career development program. The young professionals chosen demonstrate extraordinary potential for significant contributions to the field of opera. Alumni of the program include award-winning countertenor Key’Mon Murrah, most recently awarded Finalist and Encouragement award of Placido Domingo’s international Operalia competition; Grammy-winning soprano Jessica E. Jones; Metropolitan Opera mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis; Metropolitan Opera tenor Andrew Bidlack; and Miami’s own mezzo-soprano Amanda Crider, founder and Artistic Director of Illuminarts.
ABOUT FLORIDA GRAND OPERA
FGO was founded in 1941 as Greater Miami Opera and merged with The Opera Guild of Fort Lauderdale, Inc. in 1994. As Florida's premier opera company, it presents standard repertoire, contemporary works, new commissions, and original productions — all featuring projected translations in English and Spanish. The mainstage operas of the season include Domenico Cimarosa’s El matrimonio secreto, sung in Spanish translation (Nov. 12 - 15, 2022), Giacomo Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and Michael Ching’s Buoso’s Ghost (Jan. 28 – Feb.11, 2023), Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca (Mar. 18 - Apr. 15, 2023), and Gioacchino Rossini’s The Barber of Seville (Apr.29 – May 20, 2023).
# # # # # #
Media Contact:
Cindy Sadler
Marketing and Communications Manager csadler@fgo.org
305.340.2026
fgo.org
WHO: Florida Grand Opera
WHAT: FGO Studio Artists perform works from the final acts of operas, with commentary from Director of Artistic Operations Matt Cooksey.
WHEN AND WHERE: Saturday, March 25 at 7:30 p.m., St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, 1121 Andalusia Ave, Coral Gables, FL 33134
Sunday, March 26 at 3:00 p.m., The Center for Spiritual Living, 4849 N Dixie Highway, Oakland Park, FL 33334
WHY: This entertaining and informative concert explores how composers often leave the best music for the last act.
PHOTOS:
- FGO Studio Artists (photo by Edward Leal of Magnate Photography)
Michael Ching speaks about his career and compositions while Studio Artists perform
MIAMI AND FORT LAUDERDALE, FL, January 19, 2023 --- On February 18 and 19, South Florida audiences have the rare opportunity to interact with a living composer during FGO’s Meet the Composer Concert. Michael Ching, conductor and composer of the one-act opera Buoso’s Ghost (appearing at FGO January 28- February 11 as the sequel to Puccini’s only comedy, Gianni Schicchi), will discuss his career and compositions, accompanied by performances of his works by the FGO Studio Artists.
The concert will feature Ching’s original compositions and arrangements, often in juxtaposition with pieces that inspired or influenced them; for example, the “Padlock Quintet” from Mozart’s The Magic Flute with “The first time I heard Mozart” from Ching’s opera RSBE (Remove Shoes Before Entering) or Schubert’s “Die Forelle” with Ching’s “DIE, Forelle!” from Speed Dating Tonight. In addition to discussing his current catalogue, Ching will offer some previews of upcoming, as-of-yet unpublished works. FGO Studio Artists Erin Alford, Charles Calotta, Matthew Cossack, Phillip Lopez, Joseph McBrayer, Page Michels, and Ashley Shalna will perform the excerpts.
Michael Ching attended Duke University, where he studied composition with Robert Ward (best known for The Crucible; and also for Minutes Til Midnight, which received its world premiere at FGO in 1982) and Iain Hamilton (a prolific composer of orchestral, chamber, choral and vocal music whose best-known opera is his 1978 Anna Karenina).After prestigious apprenticeships at the National Opera Institute and Houston Grand Opera, where he studied with iconic American composer Carlisle Floyd (Susannah, Cold Sassy Tree, of Mice and Men), Ching kicked off his career on the music staff at FGO, then Greater Miami Opera. “FGO was my first real job,” he said. “I had four very formative years at FGO. There’s a learning curve that all composers go through, and there’s so much you can learn from just being around all the great classics. It’s been a privilege and a learning experience for me to be around them my whole life.” He is primarily known for his large catalogue of operas and writes most of his libretti himself. His best-known works include Buoso’s Ghost, Speed Dating Tonight, and a cappella (voice only) A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He is currently working on A Royal Feast, his sequel to Rossini’s La Cenerentola (Cinderella), inspired by conversations with middle school students who were disappointed in the lack of Disney-type magic in the Rossini work.
“I am so excited that our FGO Studio Artists have this rare and special opportunity to work with a living composer and to perform his music for our audiences in his presence,” says Neil Nelson, Studio Artist Manager. “Maestro Ching brings a quiet confidence, subtle humor, and affable spirit into every rehearsal and I know our audiences will enjoy hearing both his stories and his music in person.”
The concert, part of FGO’s ongoing SongFest series, takes place on February 18 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Miami, and on February 19 at 3 p.m. at the Center for Spiritual Living in Oakland Park. General admission tickets cost $10 and are available at fgo.org or by calling 800. 741.1010.
ABOUT THE FGO STUDIO ARTISTS
The FGO Studio Artists are directed by Neil Nelson, under the artistic leadership of Director of Artistic Operations Matt Cooksey and General Director and CEO Susan T. Danis. Established in 1984, the FGO Studio enjoys an international reputation as a highly competitive and comprehensive career development program. The young professionals chosen demonstrate extraordinary potential for significant contributions to the field of opera. Alumni of the program include award-winning countertenor Key’Mon Murrah, most recently awarded Finalist and Encouragement award of Placido Domingo’s international Operalia competition; Grammy-winning soprano Jessica E. Jones; Metropolitan Opera mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis; Metropolitan Opera tenor Andrew Bidlack; and Miami’s own mezzo-soprano Amanda Crider, founder and Artistic Director of Illuminarts.
ABOUT FLORIDA GRAND OPERA
FGO was founded in 1941 as Greater Miami Opera and merged with The Opera Guild of Fort Lauderdale, Inc. in 1994. As Florida's premier opera company, it presents standard repertoire, contemporary works, new commissions, and original productions — all featuring projected translations in English and Spanish. The mainstage operas of the season include Domenico Cimarosa’s El matrimonio secreto, sung in Spanish translation (Nov. 12 - 15, 2022), Giacomo Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and Michael Ching’s Buoso’s Ghost (Jan. 28 – Feb.11, 2023), Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca (Mar. 18 - Apr. 15, 2023), and Gioacchino Rossini’s The Barber of Seville (Apr.29 – May 20, 2023).
# # # # # #
Media Contact:
Cindy Sadler
Marketing and Communications Manager csadler@fgo.org
305.340.2026
fgo.org
WHO: Florida Grand Opera
WHAT: Composer Michael Ching and the FGO Studio Artists perform and discuss Ching’s career and works
WHEN: February 18 at 7:30 p.m.; February 19 at 3 p.m.
WHERE: February 18: St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, 1121 Andalusia Ave, Coral Gables, FL 33134
February 19: The Center for Spiritual Living, 4849 N Dixie Highway, Oakland Park, FL 33334
WHY: Meet the Composer offers a unique opportunity to hear a living composer discuss his work as it is performed.
PHOTOS:
Michael Ching
FGO Studio Artists (photo by Edward Leal of Magnate Photography)
PUCCINI’S FIERIEST HEROINE LIGHTS UP THE FGO STAGE
Miami and Fort Lauderdale, FL, February 17, 2023 --- March roars in like a lion and Puccini’s epic Tosca roars onto the FGO stage with it, bringing lavish sets and costumes, some of South Florida’s favorite opera stars, and beloved tunes like “E lucevan le stelle” and “Vissi d’arte.” It has been a staple of the repertoire since its 1900 premiere at Rome’s Teatro Constanzi, winning an enduring popularity among opera fans for its dramatic storyline and sweeping, romantic melodies.
Based on the 1887 play La Tosca by Victorien Sardou, with a libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, Tosca is set in the Rome of 1800, where the Bonapartist government has been overthrown by the Kingdom of Naples. The cruel Chief of Police, Baron Scarpia, persecutes enemies of the State with impunity. Suspecting the painter Mario Cavaradossi of hiding escaped political prisoner Angelotti, Scarpia loses no time in hauling him in for interrogation. However, he underestimates the strength and passion of Floria Tosca, renowned opera diva and Cavaradossi’s lover. She agrees to Scarpia’s lecherous advances in order to save Cavaradossi from the firing squad, then stabs him before the ink is dry on the papers of safe passage. Discovering too late that Scarpia has double-crossed her and Cavaradossi is truly dead, Tosca escapes arrest. As Scarpia’s henchmen approach, the diva leaps from the walls of the Castel Sant’Angelo, declaring that she will meet Scarpia before God.
Metropolitan Opera soprano, Toni Marie Palmertree, makes her FGO debut in the title role, having recently debuted as the Voice of Heaven in Don Carlo, and at Palm Beach Opera in the role of Madama Butterfly. She is joined by South Florida resident, the immensely popular Mexican tenor Arturo Chacón-Cruz, as Cavaradossi. Chacón-Cruz has previously appeared at FGO as Rodolfo in La bohème, and is frequently heard on international stages as The Duke in Rigoletto (Houston, Verona, Mexico City, Napoli, Budapest, Hamburg, Strasbourg, Aix en Provence, San Francisco, Verona, Brussels, Los Angeles, Florence), Alfredo in La traviata, (Seville, Munich, Valencia, Moscow, Rome, Barcelona, Padova, Mexico City, Washington D.C., Detroit, Los Angeles, Verona, Oman,) Don José in Carmen (Tel Aviv, Parma, Lyon, Tampere, Palermo, Zurich,) and many other roles. Returning after last season’s triumphant turn as Rigoletto is seminal baritone Todd Thomas in one of his signature roles as Baron Scarpia. Other recent performances include the title roles in Nabucco at Oper Erfurt, Germany, and The Flying Dutchman at Opera Shanghai, China.
Rounding out the cast are FGO favorite and newly-appointed Studio Artist Manager, bass-baritone Neil Nelson as the Sacristan, second-year Studio Artist Charles Calotta as Scarpia’s chief henchman Spoletta, and first-year Studio Artist, bass-baritone Phillip Lopez as the Jailer and Angelotti. Maestro Gregory Buchalter returns to conduct after last season’s A Streetcar Named Desire, teaming once again with Streetcar’s stage director Jeffery Marc Buchman. Both Buchalter and Buchman are FGO stalwarts, acclaimed for their work on the FGO stage and many others.
The production comes from Sarasota Opera, with costumes by Howard Tsvi Kaplan, sets by David P. Gordon, wigs and makeup by Sue Sitko-Schaefer, and lighting by Rick Fisher in his FGO debut. Tosca was last produced at FGO in 2014.
The opera is in 3 acts and will be performed in Italian with English and Spanish supertitles. Performances take place at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts on March 18 at 6:00 p.m., March 19 at 2:00 p.m., and March 21 at 8:00 p.m., and at the Broward Performing Arts Center on April 13 and 15 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $21-$230 and may be purchased at fgo.org or by calling 800.741.1010.
ABOUT FLORIDA GRAND OPERA
FGO was founded in 1941 as Greater Miami Opera and merged with The Opera Guild of Fort Lauderdale, Inc. in 1994. As Florida's premier opera company, it presents standard repertoire, contemporary works, new commissions, and original productions — all featuring projected translations in English and Spanish. The mainstage operas of the season include Domenico Cimarosa’s El matrimonio secreto, sung in Spanish translation (Nov. 12 - 15, 2022), Giacomo Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and Michael Ching’s Buoso’s Ghost (Jan. 28 – Feb.11, 2023), Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca (Mar. 18 - Apr. 15, 2023), and Gioacchino Rossini’s The Barber of Seville (Apr.29 – May 20, 2023).
WHO: Florida Grand Opera
WHAT: Tosca, opera in 3 acts by Giacomo Puccini with libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa
WHEN/WHERE: March 18, 19, and 21, 2023 in Miami
April 13 & 15, 2023 in Fort Lauderdale
WHY: Puccini’s enduring epic Tosca roars onto the FGO stage with lavish sets and costumes, some of South Florida’s favorite opera stars, and beloved tunes like “E lucevan le stelle” and “Vissi d’arte.”
PHOTOS:
366: Kara Shay Thompson as Tosca and Todd Thomas as Scarpia in FGO’s 2014 production. Photo by Justin Namon.
Tosca 9: Kara Shay Thompson as Tosca and Rafael Davila as Cavardossi in fGO’s 2014 production. Photo by Justin Namon.
Viva Zarzuela! and Hearts & Arrows: Opera’s Great Love Songs Make for Evenings of Hypnotic Harmonies and Happy Hearts
MIAMI, FL, January 12, 2022 ---
Florida Grand Opera sends musical Valentines to South Florida with two concerts hot enough to stave off any iguana-freezing weather that February 2023 has up its sleeve.
Miami-based husband and wife, tenor Martín Nusspaumer and mezzo-soprano María Antúnez star in FGO’s popular Viva Zarzuela! Concert. The headliners will be accompanied by Studio Artists Erin Alford, Page Michels, Ashley Shalna, Charles Calotta, Matthew Cossack, Phillip Lopez, and Joseph McBrayer. In this annual concert favorite, the Spanish opera form Zarzuela pairs with other European opera excerpts for an exciting evening. Included are favorite Zarzuela selections from Luisa Fernanda, El barberillo de lavapiés, El guitarrico, La marchenera, La gran vía, and more. The opera side features beloved tunes from Carmen, The Magic Flute, La traviata, and The Elixir of Love, to name a few.
Zarzuela’s roots trace back to seventeenth century Madrid. It is popular in Cuba, Mexico, and other Spanish-speaking countries, each of which puts its own unique twist on the genre. Both song and speech are employed to carry forward plots which range in topic from Greco-Roman mythology, to the lives of the common people, to romance and adventure. It remains especially popular in South Florida and other communities of the Spanish-speaking diaspora.
Uruguayan tenor Martín Nusspaumer, a former FGO Studio Artist, is known for his portrayals of Puccini, Mozart, and Verdi heroes. Frequently appearing with the opera companies of South Florida, he has also performed with the Miami Symphony, the Charleston Symphony, Ankara’s Presidential Symphony Orchestra, the Odessa Philharmonic, Orchestra Firenze, the Philharmonic of Montevideo, and the Istanbul Symphony Orchestra.
Uruguayan mezzo-soprano María Antúnez, a graduate of Washington National Opera’s Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program, has appeared on such important stages as the Kennedy Center, Los Angeles Opera, the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing, Charleston Ópera, Teatro Nacional in Santo Domingo, Teatro Solis in Montevideo and the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. She is known for her diverse repertoire, including the title role of Carmen, Mimi in La bohème, and Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni.
“We are pleased to bring South Florida our third annual Viva Zarzuela! Concert,” said FGO General Director and CEO Susan T. Danis. “We’re especially excited that this year’s concert features South Florida’s own Martín Nusspaumer and María Antúnez singing some of your favorite Zarzuela and opera in our new venue at the historic Cuban Hebrew Congregation on Miami Beach. I’d like to thank the Congregation for this partnership. We look forward to future concerts and events.”
The concert takes place on Sunday, February 5, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. in partnership with the historic Cuban Hebrew Congregation of Miami. It will be held at Temple Beth Shmuel at 1700 Michigan Avenue, Miami Beach FL 33139. Tickets are $25 general admission at fgo.org, or call the Box Office at 800.741.1010.
In Hearts and Arrows: Opera’s Great Love Songs, FGO’s exclusive Studio Artists embrace the romance of opera with a boxful of sweet musical treats. Favorite arias, duets, and ensembles from The Merry Widow, The Student Prince, Rigoletto, The Magic Flute, Don Giovanni, La bohème and more are on the menu, with Broadway delights like “If I Loved You” from Carousel and “Maria” from West Side Story thrown in for good measure.
The Florida Grand Opera Studio is the face of opera in Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Studio Artists spend the full season performing principal and comprimario roles alongside FGO’s roster of acclaimed directors, conductors, and musicians, and in concerts and events throughout Miami-Dade and Broward counties. In the 2022-23 season, fans have already enjoyed Studio Artists Page Michels, Ashley Shalna, Erin Alford, Joseph McBrayer, and Phillip Lopez in FGO’s mainstage production, El matrimonio secreto. In late January and early February, these artists will be joined by their colleagues Charles Calotta and Matthew Cossack for the double bill, Gianni Schicchi and Buoso’s Ghost.
“We’re excited to partner with First Miami Presbyterian Church for the first time,” said Artistic Administration Associate Lauren Frick. “The Hearts and Arrows Concert is a wonderful opportunity for residents of downtown and beyond to experience the superb vocal talents of our artists in this beautiful space.”
Held on Thursday, February 16th at 7:30 p.m. at the First Miami Presbyterian Church (600 Brickell Avenue, Miami, FL 33131), Hearts and Arrows offers approximately 80 minutes of romance (including a 15-minute intermission) for the perfect casual date night. A variety of food trucks are available in the parking lot behind the church. General admission tickets are $25 at fgo.org, or call the Box Office at 800.741.1010.
ABOUT FLORIDA GRAND OPERA
FGO was founded in 1941 as Greater Miami Opera and merged with The Opera Guild of Fort Lauderdale, Inc. in 1994. As Florida's premier opera company, it presents standard repertoire, contemporary works, new commissions, and original productions — all featuring projected translations in English and Spanish. The mainstage operas of the season include Domenico Cimarosa’s El matrimonio secreto, sung in Spanish translation (Nov. 12 - 15, 2022), Giacomo Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and Michael Ching’s Buoso’s Ghost (Jan. 28 – Feb.11, 2023), Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca (Mar. 18 - Apr. 15, 2023), and Gioacchino Rossini’s The Barber of Seville (Apr.29 – May 20, 2023).
# # # # # #
Media Contact:
Cindy Sadler
Marketing and Communications Manager csadler@fgo.org
305.340.2026
fgo.org
WHERE: First Miami Presbyterian Church (600 Brickell Avenue, Miami, FL 33131)
WHY: FGO’s ¡Viva Zarzuela and More! and Hearts & Arrows concerts make for evenings of hypnotic harmonies and happy hearts, with beloved tunes from popular Spanish and Cuban Zarzuela, opera’s greatest hits, and most romantic moments.
PHOTOS:
1.Martín Nusspaumer, tenor, and María Antúnez, mezzo-soprano
2.FGO Studio Artists. Top L-R: Erin Alford, Charles Calotta, Matthew Cossack
Bottom L-R: Phillip Lopez, Joseph McBrayer, Page Michels, Ashley Shalna
CIA names Susan T. Danis its 2023 Champion of the Arts
MIAMI, FL, February 9, 2023 --- Citizens Interested in the Arts (CIA) will honor Florida Grand Opera General Director and CEO Susan T. Danis at their annual Champion of the Arts Awards Luncheon on Sunday, March 5, 2023. Each year, CIA selects an individual who has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to the arts for commendation.
“Susan Danis is one of an outstanding group of men and women who has continuously exhibited by word or deed that commitment (to the arts),” says Meriddy Kotler, CIA President. “Susan has done a wonderful job with FGO. We honor her with this award as it is given to person who has been an asset to the artistic world and to their particular company. “
The luncheon, held at the Hilton Aventura Hotel, includes a sumptuous luncheon, silent auction, gifts- in-kind prizes, and a variety of performances by CIA’s grantees, including artists from Paxy, Inc. and the FGO Studio Artists. The afternoon will culminate with the presentation of the 2023 Champion of the Arts Award to Danis.
CIA, founded in 1997 by a group of friends passionate about supporting the arts, is an all-volunteer 501 (c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to raising money for its grants program. Notable members have included Charlie Cinnamon, famed theatre publicist known as the “Face of South Florida Theatre,” Shelton “Shelley” Berg, an American classical and jazz pianist, Grammy nominee, and Dean of the Frost School of Music, Mitchell Kaplan, founder of Books and Books and co- founder of the Miami Book Fair, and Karen Fuller, concert producer and arts administrator at Florida International University. CIA is currently celebrating its 25th anniversary.
The organization has awarded over a million dollars over its lifetime and makes annual grants to a variety of South Florida nonprofit arts-related organizations. In 2023, the nearly 20 grantees include the Alhambra Orchestra, Boca Raton Art Museum, City Theatre, Dance Now Miami, the Greater Miami Youth Symphony, Master Chorale of South Florida, Miami Jewish Film Festival, and the New World School for the Arts.
Susan T. Danis has served as the General Director and CEO of the Florida Grand Opera (FGO) since October of 2012. During her tenure, FGO has produced internationally acclaimed opera, increased the focus on the presentation of 20th and 21st century work, launched the Made for Miami/Built for Broward Series, developed award winning education and engagement programs, and expanded the size of Studio Artist Program by 30%.
Danis previously served as the Executive Director of Sarasota Opera for twelve years. During her tenure, the company raised $47 million (including legacy gifts) and completed a $20 million renovation of the opera’s 1926 historic theater.
She was awarded the Florida Trust for Historic Preservations Award for Outstanding Achievement in Restoration/Rehabilitation. Prior to Sarasota Opera, she served as the general director of the Lake George Opera Festival (now Opera Saratoga) for eight years.
In January 2012, Ms. Danis was appointed to the South Florida affiliate’s board of directors for Fifth Third Bank. She has served as a panelist for the NEA, and the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs. She also served a six-year term as a member of the Board of Trustees of OPERA America, where she was treasurer for three years. Ms. Danis holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Hartford’s Paris Program and a Bachelor of Science degree from Indiana University.
“It is a great honor to receive this award and be among such a prestigious group of past recipients,” said Susan T. Danis. “CIA has made a tremendous impact on the South Florida arts community. To be acknowledged by such a committed group of women and men on the occasion of their 25th Anniversary is an unforgettable privilege.”
Tickets for the luncheon are $200 per person and are available at cia4arts.org/awardsevent. All proceeds support CIA’s grants program, and 100% of funds raised go to the program.
ABOUT CITIZENS INTERESTED IN THE ARTS
CIA was born in 1997, over lunch among eighteen friends who shared a passion for and devotion to the arts, and deeply desired to make a difference in the South Florida arts and culture scene. Now with a membership numbering in the hundreds, CIA is a 100% volunteer 501 (c)3 nonprofit organization devoted to the singular cause of raising money to support its Grants Program.
ABOUT FLORIDA GRAND OPERA
FGO was founded in 1941 as Greater Miami Opera and merged with The Opera Guild of Fort Lauderdale, Inc. in 1994. As Florida's premier opera company, it presents standard repertoire, contemporary works, new commissions, and original productions — all featuring projected translations in English and Spanish. The mainstage operas of the season include Domenico Cimarosa’s El matrimonio secreto, sung in Spanish translation (Nov. 12 - 15, 2022), Giacomo Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and Michael Ching’s Buoso’s Ghost (Jan. 28 – Feb.11, 2023), Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca (Mar. 18 - Apr. 15, 2023), and Gioacchino Rossini’s The Barber of Seville (Apr.29 – May 20, 2023).
Two Artists/Administrators Bring A Multitude of Talent, Skill, and Experience to the FGO Staff
MIAMI AND FORT LAUDERDALE, FL, January 24 , 2022 --- Two Florida Grand Opera stalwarts are stepping into new spotlights in 2023. Former Studio Artist Manager Matt Cooksey has been named FGO’s new Director of Artistic Operations, while popular South Florida bass-baritone Neil Nelson steps into the Studio Artist Program Manager role.
Cooksey joined the FGO staff in October 2021 as Artist Services Manager, after serving as the Resident Assistant Director at Indianapolis Opera for several years. In summer 2022, he was promoted to the Studio Artist Program Manager. FGO audiences will recognize him as the pre-show lecturer for mainstage performances and for his Matt in a Minute videos introducing FGO’s upcoming operas and concert series. In addition to his arts administration skills, Cooksey is an accomplished stage director, writer/arranger, baritone, and lighting designer. Recently, he made his professional mainstage debut at Indianapolis Opera, where he directed a world premiere double-bill of Brundibár by Hans Krása and Vedem by Lori Laitman featuring the Indianapolis Children’s Choir. He also recently assisted Metropolitan Opera director Paula Suozzi in her production of Falstaff at the Aspen Opera Theater, which featured Bryn Terfel in the title role. He has directed five touring presentations for elementary and middle school audiences, including two original pieces – The Three Sillies and The Tales of Cats and Mice – and his adaptation of Berlioz’s Beatrice and Benedict. Cooksey will make his FGO stage-directing debut this season with The Barber of Seville.
Jamaican-American bass-baritone Neil Nelson’s most recent roles at FGO were as the Emperor Claudius in Agrippina and Count Monterone in Rigoletto during the 2021-2022 season. In his new role as Studio Artist Program Manager, Nelson is responsible for guiding the artistic development of FGO’s exclusive cadre of early-career performers. A graduate of The New England Conservatory of Music with a degree in music performance, Mr. Nelson has performed operatic roles domestically and abroad with prestigious companies such as Tatarstan Opera Theatre and Ballet (Kazan, Russia), Boston Lyric Opera, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Palm Beach Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Orlando Opera, Opera Naples and many others. His musical passions extend to oratorio and concert singing. He has appeared as a soloist in concert with ensembles such as the South Florida Symphony (with whom he made his debut performance as Porgy in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess), the Lynn Conservatory Orchestra, the Ocean City Pops, and the New England Conservatory Orchestra. Nelson’s many South Florida fans need not fear his disappearance from the stage: upcoming engagements include the Dark Angel in Kurt Weill’s Road of Promise with Orchestra Miami, he bass soloist in Bruckner’s Te Deum with the South Florida Symphony, and the Sacristan in FGO’s upcoming production of Tosca.
General Director and CEO Susan Danis said, “This is an amazing team that will help lead the artistic direction of Florida Grand Opera. The breadth and depth of experience and knowledge these two men bring to our company is tremendous. We all are looking forward to great things under their leadership.”
ABOUT THE FGO STUDIO ARTISTS
The FGO Studio Artists are managed by Neil Nelson, under the artistic leadership of Director of Artistic Operations Matt Cooksey and General Director and CEO Susan T. Danis. Established in 1984, the FGO Studio enjoys an international reputation as a highly competitive and comprehensive career development program. The young professionals chosen demonstrate extraordinary potential for significant contributions to the field of opera. Alumni of the program include award-winning countertenor Key’Mon Murrah, most recently awarded Finalist and Encouragement award of Placido Domingo’s international Operalia competition; Grammy-winning soprano Jessica E. Jones; Metropolitan Opera mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis; Metropolitan Opera tenors Russell Thomas and Andrew Bidlack; and bass baritone Christian Van Horn to name but a few.
ABOUT FLORIDA GRAND OPERA
FGO was founded in 1941 as Greater Miami Opera and merged with The Opera Guild of Fort Lauderdale, Inc. in 1994. As Florida's premier opera company, it presents standard repertoire, contemporary works, new commissions, and original productions — all featuring projected translations in English and Spanish. The mainstage operas of the season include Domenico Cimarosa’s El matrimonio secreto, sung in Spanish translation (Nov. 12 - 15, 2022), Giacomo Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and Michael Ching’s Buoso’s Ghost (Jan. 28 – Feb.11, 2023), Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca (Mar. 18 - Apr. 15, 2023), and Gioacchino Rossini’s The Barber of Seville (Apr.29 – May 20, 2023).
# # # # # #
Media Contact:
Cindy Sadler
Marketing and Communications Manager csadler@fgo.org
305.340.2026
fgo.org
WHO: Florida Grand Opera
WHAT: Matt Cooksey and Neil Nelson are appointed to important new positions at FGO
WHEN: Immediately
WHERE: Florida Grand Opera
WHY: FGO is excited to welcome two multi-talented arts administrators into their influential new roles.
Puccini’s only comedy, a rare operatic sequel, and the composer conducting his own work add up to an extraordinary experience in the theater
MIAMI AND FORT LAUDERDALE, FL, December 29, 2022 ---
For the first time since 1953, Gianni Schicchi --- the only comedy Giacomo Puccini ever wrote ---will return to the Florida Grand Opera stage. It’s paired with the Florida professional debut of its contemporary sequel, Buoso’s Ghost by Michael Ching. Ching will conduct both operas, offering a rare opportunity to experience an operatic performance under the baton of its composer.
The traditional production is set in medieval Florence, with sumptuous costumes by Howard Tsvi Kaplan, sets from Chautauqua Opera, and lighting by Mary Ellen Stebbins. Noted Chinese-American stage director Mo Zhou will direct. Both operas are one-acts.
Gianni Schicchi (pronounced Johnny Skee-ky) is based on a true incident involving a trickster and the prominent Florence family, the Donatis. The historic Schicchi was a knight, and the famous writer Dante Alighieri condemned him to the 8th Circle of Hell, reserved for forgers and cheats, in his classic Inferno (possibly because Dante himself was married to a Donati). In the opera, Schicchi is a lawyer and, along with his daughter Lauretta, a newcomer to Florence. Lauretta is in love with Rinuccio Donati, but his family views the Schicchis as upstarts and objects to the relationship. When rich old Uncle Buoso Donati dies and leaves all to the church, his scheming relatives are forced to call on Schicchi for help in altering the will before Buoso’s death is discovered. Schicchi obliges, but in helping the Donatis manages to quite literally help himself.
Buoso’s Ghost begins at the moment Schicchi ends. As Schicchi surveys his newly acquired home, where Buoso’s body still reposes, he discovers that the Donatis poisoned the larder. When the family shows up, planning to beat him, Schicchi facetiously begs for mercy. He secretly tucks a note inside Buoso’s nightshirt. A magistrate arrives and the Donatis loudly accuse Schicchi of murdering Buoso. Again, Schicchi pleads for mercy, managing to whisper to each relative in turn that he knows they poisoned Buoso. They stop their accusations, but the trial proceeds. Just as all seems lost, Schicchi “discovers” the planted note, an erstwhile suicide note written by Buoso himself. Foiled again, the relatives depart, quietly planning to kill Schicchi next. Overhearing, Schicchi blows out the candles and pretends to be Buoso’s vengeful ghost. The terrified relatives flee, and once again, Schicchi is triumphant.
“I think the audience takeaway will be a lot of laughs and how to untangle family feud and drama,” says Zhou. “This double bill is a great marriage between these two works. It’s a night of hysterical laughter, but it also shows the heart of our everyday being, facing hard choices personally and professionally. There’s no black and white in the story.”
“Buoso’s Ghost begins the way Schicchi ends,” says Ching, who also wrote the libretto. “I quote the very last few bars and we just pick up after intermission ends with the same music. I use a fair amount of quotation and paraphrase of various styles. People will recognize pieces from the opera repertoire.”
Both operas feature an ensemble cast, and Ching designed Buoso’s Ghost to use the same voice types and most of the same characters as its predecessor. In the title role, internationally acclaimed baritone Franco Pomponi returns to the FGO stage for the first time since 2017, when he triumphed in the title role of Eugene Onegin. His most recent appearances include Seid in Verdi’s Il corsaro with Opera Festival of Chicago and Voltaire, Dr. Pangloss, Martin, and Cacambo in Bernstein’s Candide with Opéra de Lausanne.
Venerable Metropolitan Opera mezzo-soprano and local favorite Robynne Redmon returns in the role of querulous Aunt Zita. She previously appeared as Madame Larina in 2017’s Eugene Onegin, and has been heard locally as Princess Stella in the world premiere of Michael Dellaira’s The Leopard at the Frost School of Music, where she is on faculty.
Schicchi’s daughter, Lauretta, will be portrayed by second-year Studio Artist, soprano Page Michels, who was seen as Carolina in the Sunday cast of FGO’s season opener, El matrimonio secreto and in the roles of Lucy in Fellow Travelers and A Page in Rigoletto.
Zita’s nephew Rinuccio is played by second-year Studio Artist, tenor Charles Calotta. Calotta appeared in the 2021-22 season as the Young Collector in A Streetcar Named Desire, Borsa in Rigoletto, and Tommy McIntyre in Fellow Travelers.
Bass Anthony Reed makes his FGO debut as the family’s new patriarch, Simone with Eleomar Cuello as his son Marco. Dr. Spinelloccio and Pinellino in Gianni Schicchi are played by Ismael Gonzalez. Jose Vaquez appears as Guccio in Gianni Schicchi and Friar 2 in Buoso’s Ghost, with Daniel Bates as Friar 1.
The remainder of the ensemble cast is filled with Studio Artists, including mezzo-soprano Ashley Shalna as Nella, soprano Erin Alford as La Ciesca, tenor Joseph McBrayer as Gherardo, baritone Matthew Cossack as Amantio di Nicolao, and bass-baritone Phillip Lopez as Betto.
“We couldn’t be more excited to present Gianni Schicchiand Buoso’s Ghost,” says FGO General Director and CEO Susan T. Danis. “Schicchi is a musical and comedic gem that hasn’t appeared on our stage since 1953, and it’s overdue for a revival. Buoso’s Ghost is the perfect complement --- every bit as funny, and the audience will enjoy the many classical and musical theatre references in Michael Ching’s witty musical language. Also, people don’t realize how rare and extraordinary an opportunity it is to experience a living composer conducting one of his own works. For me personally, this is a standout moment in the season and a fun, unique opportunity for opera aficionados and newcomers alike.”
Gianni Schicchi is performed in Italian with English and Spanish supertitles. Buoso’s Ghost is in English with English and Spanish supertitles.
The production plays January 28, 29, and 31 at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts and February 9 & 11 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets begin at $18 and are available at fgo.org or by calling the ticket office at 800.741.1010.
ABOUT FLORIDA GRAND OPERA
FGO was founded in 1941 as Greater Miami Opera and merged with The Opera Guild of Fort Lauderdale, Inc. in 1994. As Florida's premier opera company, it presents standard repertoire, contemporary works, new commissions, and original productions — all featuring projected translations in English and Spanish. The mainstage operas of the season include Domenico Cimarosa’s El matrimonio secreto, sung in Spanish translation (Nov. 12 - 15, 2022), Giacomo Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and Michael Ching’s Buoso’s Ghost (Jan. 28 – Feb.11, 2023), Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca (Mar. 18 - Apr. 15, 2023), and Gioacchino Rossini’s The Barber of Seville (Apr.29 – May 20, 2023).
# # # # # #
Media Contact:
Cindy Sadler
Marketing and Communications Manager csadler@fgo.org
305.340.2026
fgo.org
WHO: Florida Grand Opera
WHAT: Gianni Schicchi by Giacomo Puccini and Giovacchino Forzano; Buoso’s Ghost by Michael Ching
WHEN: January 28, 2023, 7:00 pm
January 29, 2023, 2:00 pm
January 31, 2023, 8:00 pm
WHERE: The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts
WHEN: February 9, 2023, 7:30 p.m.
February 11, 202, 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: The Broward Center for the Performing Arts
WHY: FGO’s double bill of Gianni Schicchi and Buoso’s Ghost offer an extraordinary opportunity to hear Puccini’s one and only comedy, a rare operatic sequel, and the chance to hear a living composer conduct his own work.
81st season opener is a Valentine to the South Florida Latinx community
MIAMI AND FORT LAUDERDALE, FL, 13 October 2022 --- Florida Grand Opera opens its 81st season with a loving tribute to the vibrant South Florida Latin and Hispanic communities, Domenico Cimarosa and Giovanni Bertati’s 1792 comedy El matrimonio secreto (The Secret Marriage). Crystal Manich’s production is updated to 1980s South Beach in the family-run Hotel Paraiso, and performed in “South Floridian Spanish” in a new translation by Darwin Aquino and Benedetta Orsi.
Based on the 1766 play The Clandestine Marriage by George Colman the Elder and David Garrick, the updated plot centers around Geronimo, a successful Cuban businessman who is ready to see his daughters, Elisetta and Carolina, comfortably and prestigiously married. However, Carolina, has been secretly wed to his employee Paolino for two months, and the young couple hasn’t found the courage to confess to Papa. In the hopes of mitigating Geronimo’s inevitable fury, Paolino is frantically attempting to arrange a marriage contract between the wealthy Count Robinson and Elisetta, the older sister. Matters become even more complicated when Geronimo’s widowed sister Fidalma decides Paolino should be her next husband, and Elisetta’s erstwhile suitor Count Robinson prefers Carolina and is willing to discount her dowry by half to get her --- an offer Geronimo can’t refuse. Family drama, hilarious misunderstandings, and an eventual happy resolution ensue.
“I was sitting in this hair salon watching a group of Cuban-American women in a bridal party prepare. They were having some bubbly and a good time --- but the sibling rivalry was apparent. One of the wedding party had a bigger diamond than the bride. At some point, the bride realized that some of the bridal party were perhaps more attractive than she was on her big day. The sibling rivalry just really clued me in to the idea of making Matrimonio a Miami story,” said FGO General Director and CEO, Susan T. Danis, adding, “El matrimonio secreto is really the ultimate ode to Miami. Miami’s fashion and Miami Beach lifestyle are so iconic, and this opera is the personification of the 1980s. This show is a wonderful story about the people of Miami.”
With a six-person ensemble cast and no chorus, Cimarosa’s most famous opera resembles the works of his contemporary, Mozart, in more ways than one. The score could be mistaken for Mozart by the layman. While Il matrimonio segreto (to give its Italian title) is Cimarosa’s only opera to have survived as part of the canon, it was so successful at its 1792 premiere at Vienna’s Imperial Hofburg Theatre before Emperor Leopold II that he ordered dinner to be served and the entire opera repeated immediately thereafter. Today, it is widely considered to be a link between the comic works of Mozart and Rossini or Donizetti.
In the role of Carolina, who has naughtily married behind her father’s back, Metropolitan Opera soprano Vanessa Bercerra makes her house debut. Of Peruvian and Mexican-American descent, this rising star is enjoying a season packed with appearances across the US. Second-year Studio Artist Page Michels, fresh from a concert at the Aspen Music Festival, will assume the role for Sunday matinees. Miami soprano and FGO favorite Catalina Cuervo returns in the role of the witty oldest daughter, Elisetta. Ms. Cuervo, known as “The Fiery Soprano,” last appeared in FGO’s 2022 Zarzuela concert, and to great acclaim in the title role of 2019’s Frida. First-year Studio Artist and native of Wesley Chapel, FL, soprano Ashley Shalna, will make her FGO debut as Elisetta in the Sunday matinee performance. The role of Fidalma, who has her own designs on her niece’s secret husband, will be taken by first-year Studio Artist, mezzo-soprano Erin Alford, at the Sunday matinee. First-year Studio Artist, tenor Joseph McBrayer, makes his debut as the lovestruck Paolino, secret husband of Carolina. Successful Cuban hotelier and doting papa Geronimo is played by baritone Phillip Lopez, a first-year Studio Artist who recently premiered Thumbprint by Kamala Sankaram at Chautauqua Opera. The role of the cocky Count Robinson will be assumed by baritone Michael Pandolfo, who returns to the FGO stage after his 2021-22 season as a Studio Artist.
El matrimonio secreto will be directed by Elena Araoz and conducted by Argentian conductor and composer Darwin Aquino. The new production is by FGO, with set design by Lindsay Fuori, costumes by FGO’s own Darío Almirón, and lighting by Stevie Agnew. The production runs from November 12-15, 2022 at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets begin at $18 and are available at fgo.org or by calling the ticket office at 800.741.1010.
ABOUT FLORIDA GRAND OPERA
FGO was founded in 1941 as Greater Miami Opera and merged with The Opera Guild of Fort Lauderdale, Inc. in 1994. As Florida's premier opera company, it presents standard repertoire, contemporary works, new commissions, and original productions — all featuring projected translations in English and Spanish. The mainstage operas of the season include Domenico Cimarosa’s El matrimonio secreto, sung in Spanish translation (Nov. 12 - 15, 2022), Giacomo Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and Michael Ching’s Buoso’s Ghost (Jan. 28 – Feb.11, 2023), Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca (Mar. 18 - Apr. 15, 2023), and Gioacchino Rossini’s The Barber of Seville (Apr.29 – May 20, 2023).
# # # # # #
Media Contact:
Cindy Sadler
Marketing and Communications Manager
csadler@fgo.org
305.340.2026
fgo.org
WHO: Florida Grand Opera
WHAT: El matrimonio secreto by Domenico Cimarosa
WHEN: November 12, 7:00 pm
November 13, 2:00 pm
November 15, 8:00 pm
WHERE: The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts
WHY: FGO’s updated version of El matrimonio secreto is the ultimate ode to iconic Miam and its people.
FLORIDA GRAND OPERA'S FIRST SING CONCERT OFFERS A FREE SEASON PREVIEW
Elite FGO 2022-23 Studio Artists tease the season in their debut performance
MIAMI AND FORT LAUDERDALE, FL, 26 September 2022 --- South Florida’s hottest young opera stars offer a free sneak peek at Florida Grand Opera’s upcoming season at their annual First Sing Concerts held in October in Miami and Fort Lauderdale. The Studio Artists, who also comprise the Sunday matinee cast of season opener El matrimonio secreto, will perform selections from each of the five works of the 2022-23 season, including the double bill of Gianni Schicchi and its sequel, Buoso’s Ghost, Tosca, and The Barber of Seville. The program also includes a variety of favorite arias and ensembles from Carmen, La finta giardiniera, and more.
FGO’s Studio Artists are an elite cadre of young professional singers, carefully selected via an intensive nationwide audition process. They take up residency in Miami to perform mainstage roles, concertize throughout Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, and serve the community as FGO’s opera ambassadors. This season, the six award-winning stars include sopranos Page Michels and Ashley Shalna, mezzo-soprano Erin Alford, tenors Charles Calotta and Joseph McBray, and baritone Phillip Lopez.
Michels and Calotta return to the Studio after a successful 2021-22 season. Michels appeared as Lucy in Fellow Travelers and A Page in Rigoletto. In 2022, she will open the season in the leading role of secret wife Carolina in the Sunday matinee performance of El matrimonio secreto and essay one of opera’s most famous and beloved arias, “O mio babbino caro,” as Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi. After receiving accolades for his performances last season as The Young Collector in A Streetcar Named Desire, Borsa in Rigoletto, and Tommy McIntyre in Fellow Travelers, Calotta will perform the leading roles of young lover Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi and Buoso’s Ghost and Scarpia’s evil henchman Spoletta in Tosca.
Four singers join the Studio this season. Tampa native and graduate of both the University of Florida and the University of Miami, soprano Ashley Shalna made her FGO debut in 2021 as Clara in Il signor deluso and returns this season in the roles of Elisetta in El matrimonio secreto (Sunday matinee performance) and Nella in Gianni Schicchi and Buoso’s Ghost. Mezzo-soprano Erin Alford, hailing from Long Beach, CA, makes her FGO debut as jealous aunt Fidalma in El matrimonio secreto, La Ciesca in Gianni Schicchi and Buoso’s Ghost. Tenor Joseph McBrayer of Dallas, Georgia will debut in the leading role of secret husband Paolino in El matrimonio secreto and as Gherardo in Gianni Schicchi and Buoso’s Ghost. Baritone Phillip Lopez will debut as the deceived father, Geronimo, in El matrimonio secreto, Betto in Gianni Schicchi and Buoso’s Ghost, and the Jailer in Tosca.
The FGO Studio Artists are directed by stage director Matt Cooksey, under the artistic leadership of Director of Artistic Administration Mitch Roe and General Director and CEO Susan T. Danis. Established in 1984, the FGO Studio enjoys an international reputation as a highly competitive and comprehensive career development program. The young professionals chosen demonstrate extraordinary potential for significant contributions to the field of opera. Alumni of the program include award-winning countertenor Key’Mon Murrah, most recently awarded Finalist and Encouragement award of Placido Domingo’s international Operalia competition; Grammy-winning soprano Jessica E. Jones; Metropolitan Opera mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis; Metropolitan Opera tenor Andrew Bidlack; and Miami’s own mezzo-soprano Amanda Crider, founder and Artistic Director of illuminarts.
First Sing is the Studio Artists’ first public appearance and an opportunity for music lovers to meet these rising stars and hear them at the beginning of their FGO adventures. Many patrons enjoy tracking the young singers’ progress throughout the season. In addition to their mainstage appearances, the Studio Artists engage in a series of performances in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties, including a Zarzuela concert, the SongFest series which explore a variety of themes including contemporary opera, the compositions of Michael Ching (composer and conductor of Buoso’s Ghost), and the gems found in operas’ final acts, and a grand finale concert.
“We are so excited to bring these concerts to Coral Gables and Oakland Park this fall,” said Cooksey. “The Studio this year is made up of some of the best singers from all four corners of the United States: California, Oregon, New York, and even here in Florida. Not only is this concert our first opportunity to showcase the new Studio Artists, but our audience will be able to hear selections from all of the main stage operas as part of this program.”
“It is a great first opportunity to see these exceptional emerging artists before watching them perform some of these full roles on the mainstage,” added Roe.
The First Sing concerts take place on Friday, October 21, 8:00 pm at The Miracle Theater, 280 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables; and on Saturday, October 22 at 7:30 pm, The Center for Spiritual Living, 4849 Dixie Highway, Oakland Park. Each is approximately 75 minutes long. Admission is free, and the open seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Visit fgo.org for more information about First Sing and the 2022-23 concert season.
ABOUT FLORIDA GRAND OPERA
FGO was founded in 1941 as Greater Miami Opera and merged with The Opera Guild of Fort Lauderdale, Inc. in 1994. As Florida's premier opera company, it presents standard repertoire, contemporary works, new commissions, and original productions — all featuring projected translations in English and Spanish. The mainstage operas of the season include Domenico Cimarosa’s El matrimonio secreto, sung in Spanish translation (Nov. 12 - 15, 2022), Giacomo Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and Michael Ching’s Buoso’s Ghost (Jan. 28 – Feb.11, 2023), Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca (Mar. 18 - Apr. 15, 2023), and Gioacchino Rossini’s The Barber of Seville (Apr.29 – May 20, 2023).
# # # # # #
Media Contact:
Cindy Sadler
Marketing and Communications Manager
csadler@fgo.org
305.340.2026
fgo.org
WHO: Florida Grand Opera Studio Artists
WHAT: First Sing Concert/season preview
WHEN/WHERE: Friday, October 21, 8:00 pm at The Miracle Theater, 280 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables and
Saturday, October 22 at 7:30 pm, The Center for Spiritual Living, 4849 Dixie Highway, Oakland Park.
WHY: Florida Grand Opera’s First Sing Concert offers a free season preview and opportunity to meet Florida’s hottest young opera stars in their first South Florida appearance of the season.
Extensive national search brings the best in the US to Miami and Fort Lauderdale stages
MIAMI AND FORT LAUDERDALE, FL. 18 August 2022. --- After an intensive national search and grueling audition process, six award-winning rising stars are arriving in South Florida to form the backbone of Florida Grand Opera’s 2022-23 Season. As members of the prestigious Florida Grand Opera Studio, these young professionals take up residency in Miami to perform mainstage roles, concertize throughout Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, and serve the community as FGO’s opera ambassadors.
Returning after a successful 2021-22 season are soprano Page Michels and tenor Charles Calotta.
Last season, Michels appeared as Lucy in Fellow Travelers and A Page in Rigoletto. In 2022, she will open the season in the leading role of secret wife Carolina in El matrimonio secreto and essay one of opera’s most famous and beloved arias, “O mio babbino caro,” as Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi. After receiving accolades for his performances last season as The Young Collector in A Streetcar Named Desire, Borsa in Rigoletto, and Tommy McIntyre in Fellow Travelers, Calotta will perform the leading roles of Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi and Buoso’s Ghost and Scarpia’s evil henchman Spoletta in Tosca.
Four singers join the Studio this season. Tampa native and graduate of both the University of Florida and the University of Miami, soprano Ashley Shalna made her FGO debut in 2021 as Clara in Il signor deluso and returns this season in the roles of Elisetta in El matrimonio secreto and Nella in Gianni Schicchi and Buoso’s Ghost. Mezzo-soprano Erin Alford, hailing from Long Beach, CA, makes her FGO debut as jealous aunt Fidalma in El matrimonio secreto, La Ciesca in Gianni Schicchi and Buoso’s Ghost. Tenor Joseph McBrayer of Dallas, Georgia will debut in the leading role of secret husband Paolino in El matrimonio secreto and as Gherardo in Gianni Schicchi and Buoso’s Ghost. Baritone Phillip Lopez will debut as the deceived father, Geronimo, in El matrimonio secreto, Betto in Gianni Schicchi and Buoso’s Ghost, and the Jailer in Tosca.
Each of the 2022-23 Studio Artists are winners of prestigious awards. Michels, Shalna, and Lopez are all District Winners of the Metropolitan Opera Competition and recipients of the competition’s special Encouragement Award. Alford is a two-time District Met Winner. Calotta is a recipient of the Delene Laubenheim McClure Prize and the Michelson Collaborative Arts Award. McBrayer ,most recently served as a Resident Artist with Indianopolis Opera.
“I am so excited to have these Studio Artists join us this fall,” said Studio Artist Program Manager Matt Cooksey. “Our group includes well-seasoned artists from all parts of the country and they already have a lot of experience under their belt. We want FGO to be their launch pad into robust main stage careers, and I believe that our full-time and guest staff will help elevate this group of singers to be part of the next generation of great opera!”
As the face of opera in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Studio Artists spend the full season performing principal and comprimario roles alongside FGO’s roster of acclaimed directors, conductors, and musicians. They tour Miami-Dade and Broward counties to offer a variety of concerts such as the beloved “SongFest” series, and a touring outreach opera for young audiences, among other events. The Studio Artists are trained by in-house staff and visiting experts on a broad spectrum, with an emphasis on vocal technique, acting, language, repertoire, and best business practices for working singers. FGO also coordinates opportunities for in-house auditions with agents and General Directors, press interviews, and donor relations to prepare them for a life in the opera industry.
The FGO Studio Artists are directed by stage director Matt Cooksey, under the artistic leadership of Director of Artistic Administration Mitch Roe and General Director and CEO Susan T. Danis. Established in 1984, the FGO Studio enjoys an international reputation as a highly competitive and comprehensive career development program. The young professionals chosen demonstrate extraordinary potential for significant contributions to the field of opera. Alumni of the program include award-winning countertenor Key’Mon Murrah, most recently awarded Finalist and Encouragement award of Placido Domingo’s international Operalia competition; Grammy-winning soprano Jessica E. Jones; Metropolitan Opera mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis; Metropolitan Opera tenor Andrew Bidlack; and Miami’s own mezzo-soprano Amanda Crider, founder and Artistic Director of illuminarts.
ABOUT FLORIDA GRAND OPERA
FGO was founded in 1941 as Greater Miami Opera and merged with The Opera Guild Inc. in 1994. As Florida's premier opera company, it presents standard repertoire, contemporary works, new commissions, and original productions — all featuring projected translations in English and Spanish. The mainstage operas of the season include Domenico Cimarosa’s El matrimonio secreto, sung in Spanish translation (Nov. 12 - 15, 2022), Giacomo Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and Michael Ching’s Buoso’s Ghost (Jan. 28 – Feb.11, 2023), Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca (Mar. 18 - Apr. 25, 2023), and Gioacchino Rossini’s The Barber of Seville (Apr.29 – May 20, 2023).
# # # # # #
Media Contact:
Cindy Sadler
Marketing and Communications Manager csadler@fgo.org
305.340.2026
fgo.org
Starring Christine Lyons, Flora Hawk, and Kenneth Tarver
Sat. May 14 at 7:00 p.m., Sun. May 15 at 2:00 p.m.
Tues. May 17 at 8:00 p.m., and Thurs. May 19 at 8:00 p.m.
At the Scottish Rite Temple, Miami
300-year-old Agrippina Makes Her Florida Grand Opera Debut
A Vibrant Villainess from the History Books Steps onto a 1930s Hollywood Sound Stage in a Regency-era Gown
Miami, FL, April 21, 2022 --- Agrippina, Roman empress turned Hollywood starlet turned scheming Regency-era mother makes her Florida Grand Opera debut this spring in FGO’s final mainstage offering of the 80th Anniversary Season.
Set in 1930s Hollywood, the audience experiences the hustle and bustle of a sound stage as the cast films a Regency-era version of the classic tale, Agrippina. Stage director Jeffrey Buchman found inspiration for his concept in the beautiful 1924-era Miami Scottish Rite Temple where Agrippina will be performed and the elegant cast, led by soprano Christine Lyons in the title role, Flora Hawk as Poppea, Kenneth Tarver as Nero, Neil Neilson as Claudius, and Brennan Hall as Ottone.
“It’s crafted in a way that’s meant to be a really enjoyable pass-through of the setting Handel gives us,” said Buchman. “The audience should come prepared to embrace lightness, humor, and fun.”
George Frideric Handel’s Agrippina is one of his earliest works, and it is based on the true story of the Roman empress who successfully schemed to place Nero, her son by another marriage, on the Roman throne, and later was murdered by him. Despite the grim subject matter, the treatment is light-hearted as Agrippina reels from plot to foiled plot in her efforts to gain power.
In the opera, Agrippina receives news that her husband Claudius has perished in a storm at sea and immediately moves to have her reluctant son Nero (Nerone) declared emperor. Unfortunately for the schemers, Claudius is alive and well, and furthermore, has proclaimed his officer Ottone as heir. For Agrippina, this is merely a temporary setback. Through seductive promises, lies, tricks, and manipulation, she continues her efforts to see Nerone married to the beautiful Poppea and ensconced on the throne. Although her plots are foiled at every turn, somehow Agrippina emerges victorious, reconciled with Claudius, with Nerone at last winning the crown.
Handel composed Agrippina for the 1709-10 Venice Carnival season. Its satirical libretto is by the Cardinal Vincenzo Grimani, and some analysts claim that it reflects Grimani’s rivalry with Pope Clement XI. It is widely considered one of the best libretti Handel ever set. Agrippina premiered on December 16, 1709, to great success, and ran for an unprecedented 27 performances.
The opera score is also acclaimed as one of Handel’s very best. It follows the stylistic conventions of the time, alternating recitative and arias, with the plot advanced mainly during the speechlike recits and character exploration confined to the arias. However, Handel used this form to advantage, breaking or modifying it judiciously to heighten the drama or bring special attention to certain actions. The character of the music itself ranges from the sparkling coloratura of “Bel piacere” one of the opera’s best-known arias, to the powerful “Pensieri, voi mi tormenate and irresistible “Ogni vento ch’al porto lo spinga.” The orchestral brilliance is designed to offer singers an opportunity to show off their virtuosity through original ornamentation, riffing in much the same manner as today’s pop or R&B divas.
Agrippina stars soprano Christine Lyons in the title role, soprano Flora Hawk as the flirtatious Poppea, and tenor Kenneth Tarver as Nerone, all in their Florida Grand Opera and role debuts. Also debuting is conductor Jeri Lynne Johnson. FGO is the proud recipient of an Opera America 2022 Opera Grant for Women Stage Directors and Conductors to help bring Ms. Johnson to the podium. Jeffrey Marc Buchman returns to stage direct; most recently, he directed FGO’s critically acclaimed A Streetcar Named Desire earlier in the season.
Agrippina runs May 14 – 19 at the Scottish Rite Temple in Miami. Tickets are available at www.fgo.org.
CAST
Agrippina – Christine Lyons
Poppea – Flora Hawk
Nerone – Kenneth Tarver
Claudius – Neil Neilson
Ottone: Brennan Hall
Conductor: Jeri Lynne Johnson
Director: Jeffrey Marc Buchman
THE CREATIVE TEAM
Conductor Jeri Lynne Johnson
Director Jeffrey Buchman
Lighting Designer Stevie Agrew
Costume Designer Howard Tsvi Kaplan
Wig and Make- up Designer Sue Sitko
Associate Conductor Marlon Daniel
ABOUT FLORIDA GRAND OPERA
Florida Grand Opera (FGO), the oldest performing arts organization in Florida, celebrates its 80th Season in 2021-22. The mainstage operas of the season include André Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire (Jan. 22-Feb. 5, 2022), Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto (March 12 – April 2), Gregory Spears' Fellow Travelers (Apr. 23-28), and George Frideric Handel's Agrippina (May 14-19).
FGO's Box Office is located at the Doral Opera Center on 8390 NW 25th Street, Miami, FL 33122. It is open from 10 am to 4 pm, Monday through Friday during the season. Tickets may be purchased online at www.FGO.org or by phone at (800) 741- 1010.
FGO was founded in 1941 as Greater Miami Opera and merged with The Opera Guild Inc. in 1994. As Florida's premier opera company, it presents standard repertoire, contemporary works, new commissions, and original productions — all featuring projected translations in English and Spanish.
# # # # # #
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Agrippina
An Opera by George Frideric Handel
Libretto by Cardinal Vicenzo Grimani
Starring Christine Lyons, Flora Hawk, and Kenneth Tarver
Sat. May 14 at 7:00 p.m., Sun. May 15 at 2:00 p.m.
Tues. May 17 at 8:00 p.m., and Thurs. May 19 at 8:00 p.m.
At the Scottish Rite Temple, Miami
300-year-old Agrippina Makes Her Florida Grand Opera Debut
A Vibrant Villainess from the History Books Steps onto a 1930s Hollywood Sound Stage in a Regency-era Gown
Miami, FL, April 21, 2022 --- Agrippina, Roman empress turned Hollywood starlet turned scheming Regency-era mother makes her Florida Grand Opera debut this spring in FGO’s final mainstage offering of the 80th Anniversary Season.
Set in 1930s Hollywood, the audience experiences the hustle and bustle of a sound stage as the cast films a Regency-era version of the classic tale, Agrippina. Stage director Jeffrey Buchman found inspiration for his concept in the beautiful 1924-era Miami Scottish Rite Temple where Agrippina will be performed and the elegant cast, led by soprano Christine Lyons in the title role, Flora Hawk as Poppea, Kenneth Tarver as Nero, Neil Neilson as Claudius, and Brennan Hall as Ottone.
“It’s crafted in a way that’s meant to be a really enjoyable pass-through of the setting Handel gives us,” said Buchman. “The audience should come prepared to embrace lightness, humor, and fun.”
George Frideric Handel’s Agrippina is one of his earliest works, and it is based on the true story of the Roman empress who successfully schemed to place Nero, her son by another marriage, on the Roman throne, and later was murdered by him. Despite the grim subject matter, the treatment is light-hearted as Agrippina reels from plot to foiled plot in her efforts to gain power.
In the opera, Agrippina receives news that her husband Claudius has perished in a storm at sea and immediately moves to have her reluctant son Nero (Nerone) declared emperor. Unfortunately for the schemers, Claudius is alive and well, and furthermore, has proclaimed his officer Ottone as heir. For Agrippina, this is merely a temporary setback. Through seductive promises, lies, tricks, and manipulation, she continues her efforts to see Nerone married to the beautiful Poppea and ensconced on the throne. Although her plots are foiled at every turn, somehow Agrippina emerges victorious, reconciled with Claudius, with Nerone at last winning the crown.
Handel composed Agrippina for the 1709-10 Venice Carnival season. Its satirical libretto is by the Cardinal Vincenzo Grimani, and some analysts claim that it reflects Grimani’s rivalry with Pope Clement XI. It is widely considered one of the best libretti Handel ever set. Agrippina premiered on December 16, 1709, to great success, and ran for an unprecedented 27 performances.
The opera score is also acclaimed as one of Handel’s very best. It follows the stylistic conventions of the time, alternating recitative and arias, with the plot advanced mainly during the speechlike recits and character exploration confined to the arias. However, Handel used this form to advantage, breaking or modifying it judiciously to heighten the drama or bring special attention to certain actions. The character of the music itself ranges from the sparkling coloratura of “Bel piacere” one of the opera’s best-known arias, to the powerful “Pensieri, voi mi tormenate and irresistible “Ogni vento ch’al porto lo spinga.” The orchestral brilliance is designed to offer singers an opportunity to show off their virtuosity through original ornamentation, riffing in much the same manner as today’s pop or R&B divas.
Agrippina stars soprano Christine Lyons in the title role, soprano Flora Hawk as the flirtatious Poppea, and tenor Kenneth Tarver as Nerone, all in their Florida Grand Opera and role debuts. Also debuting is conductor Jeri Lynne Johnson. FGO is the proud recipient of an Opera America 2022 Opera Grant for Women Stage Directors and Conductors to help bring Ms. Johnson to the podium. Jeffrey Marc Buchman returns to stage direct; most recently, he directed FGO’s critically acclaimed A Streetcar Named Desire earlier in the season.
Agrippina runs May 14 – 19 at the Scottish Rite Temple in Miami. Tickets are available at www.fgo.org.
CAST
Agrippina – Christine Lyons
Poppea – Flora Hawk
Nerone – Kenneth Tarver
Claudius – Neil Neilson
Ottone: Brennan Hall
Conductor: Jeri Lynne Johnson
Director: Jeffrey Marc Buchman
THE CREATIVE TEAM
Conductor Jeri Lynne Johnson
Director Jeffrey Buchman
Lighting Designer Stevie Agrew
Costume Designer Howard Tsvi Kaplan
Wig and Make- up Designer Sue Sitko
Associate Conductor Marlon Daniel
ABOUT FLORIDA GRAND OPERA
Florida Grand Opera (FGO), the oldest performing arts organization in Florida, celebrates its 80th Season in 2021-22. The mainstage operas of the season include André Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire (Jan. 22-Feb. 5, 2022), Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto (March 12 – April 2), Gregory Spears' Fellow Travelers (Apr. 23-28), and George Frideric Handel's Agrippina (May 14-19).
FGO's Box Office is located at the Doral Opera Center on 8390 NW 25th Street, Miami, FL 33122. It is open from 10 am to 4 pm, Monday through Friday during the season. Tickets may be purchased online at www.FGO.org or by phone at (800) 741- 1010.
FGO was founded in 1941 as Greater Miami Opera and merged with The Opera Guild Inc. in 1994. As Florida's premier opera company, it presents standard repertoire, contemporary works, new commissions, and original productions — all featuring projected translations in English and Spanish.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Agrippina
An Opera by George Frideric Handel
Libretto by Cardinal Vicenzo Grimani
Starring Christine Lyons, Flora Hawk, and Kenneth Tarver
Sat. May 14 at 7:00 p.m., Sun. May 15 at 2:00 p.m.
Tues. May 17 at 8:00 p.m., and Thurs. May 19 at 8:00 p.m.
At the Scottish Rite Temple, Miami
300-year-old Agrippina Makes Her Florida Grand Opera Debut
A Vibrant Villainess from the History Books Steps onto a 1930s Hollywood Sound Stage in a Regency-era Gown
Miami, FL, April 21, 2022 --- Agrippina, Roman empress turned Hollywood starlet turned scheming Regency-era mother makes her Florida Grand Opera debut this spring in FGO’s final mainstage offering of the 80th Anniversary Season.
Set in 1930s Hollywood, the audience experiences the hustle and bustle of a sound stage as the cast films a Regency-era version of the classic tale, Agrippina. Stage director Jeffrey Buchman found inspiration for his concept in the beautiful 1924-era Miami Scottish Rite Temple where Agrippina will be performed and the elegant cast, led by soprano Christine Lyons in the title role, Flora Hawk as Poppea, Kenneth Tarver as Nero, Neil Neilson as Claudius, and Brennan Hall as Ottone.
“It’s crafted in a way that’s meant to be a really enjoyable pass-through of the setting Handel gives us,” said Buchman. “The audience should come prepared to embrace lightness, humor, and fun.”
George Frideric Handel’s Agrippina is one of his earliest works, and it is based on the true story of the Roman empress who successfully schemed to place Nero, her son by another marriage, on the Roman throne, and later was murdered by him. Despite the grim subject matter, the treatment is light-hearted as Agrippina reels from plot to foiled plot in her efforts to gain power.
In the opera, Agrippina receives news that her husband Claudius has perished in a storm at sea and immediately moves to have her reluctant son Nero (Nerone) declared emperor. Unfortunately for the schemers, Claudius is alive and well, and furthermore, has proclaimed his officer Ottone as heir. For Agrippina, this is merely a temporary setback. Through seductive promises, lies, tricks, and manipulation, she continues her efforts to see Nerone married to the beautiful Poppea and ensconced on the throne. Although her plots are foiled at every turn, somehow Agrippina emerges victorious, reconciled with Claudius, with Nerone at last winning the crown.
Handel composed Agrippina for the 1709-10 Venice Carnival season. Its satirical libretto is by the Cardinal Vincenzo Grimani, and some analysts claim that it reflects Grimani’s rivalry with Pope Clement XI. It is widely considered one of the best libretti Handel ever set. Agrippina premiered on December 16, 1709, to great success, and ran for an unprecedented 27 performances.
The opera score is also acclaimed as one of Handel’s very best. It follows the stylistic conventions of the time, alternating recitative and arias, with the plot advanced mainly during the speechlike recits and character exploration confined to the arias. However, Handel used this form to advantage, breaking or modifying it judiciously to heighten the drama or bring special attention to certain actions. The character of the music itself ranges from the sparkling coloratura of “Bel piacere” one of the opera’s best-known arias, to the powerful “Pensieri, voi mi tormenate and irresistible “Ogni vento ch’al porto lo spinga.” The orchestral brilliance is designed to offer singers an opportunity to show off their virtuosity through original ornamentation, riffing in much the same manner as today’s pop or R&B divas.
Agrippina stars soprano Christine Lyons in the title role, soprano Flora Hawk as the flirtatious Poppea, and tenor Kenneth Tarver as Nerone, all in their Florida Grand Opera and role debuts. Also debuting is conductor Jeri Lynne Johnson. FGO is the proud recipient of an Opera America 2022 Opera Grant for Women Stage Directors and Conductors to help bring Ms. Johnson to the podium. Jeffrey Marc Buchman returns to stage direct; most recently, he directed FGO’s critically acclaimed A Streetcar Named Desire earlier in the season.
Agrippina runs May 14 – 19 at the Scottish Rite Temple in Miami. Tickets are available at www.fgo.org.
CAST
Agrippina – Christine Lyons
Poppea – Flora Hawk
Nerone – Kenneth Tarver
Claudius – Neil Neilson
Ottone: Brennan Hall
Conductor: Jeri Lynne Johnson
Director: Jeffrey Marc Buchman
THE CREATIVE TEAM
Conductor Jeri Lynne Johnson
Director Jeffrey Buchman
Lighting Designer Stevie Agrew
Costume Designer Howard Tsvi Kaplan
Wig and Make- up Designer Sue Sitko
Associate Conductor Marlon Daniel
ABOUT FLORIDA GRAND OPERA
Florida Grand Opera (FGO), the oldest performing arts organization in Florida, celebrates its 80th Season in 2021-22. The mainstage operas of the season include André Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire (Jan. 22-Feb. 5, 2022), Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto (March 12 – April 2), Gregory Spears' Fellow Travelers (Apr. 23-28), and George Frideric Handel's Agrippina (May 14-19).
FGO's Box Office is located at the Doral Opera Center on 8390 NW 25th Street, Miami, FL 33122. It is open from 10 am to 4 pm, Monday through Friday during the season. Tickets may be purchased online at www.FGO.org or by phone at (800) 741- 1010.
FGO was founded in 1941 as Greater Miami Opera and merged with The Opera Guild Inc. in 1994. As Florida's premier opera company, it presents standard repertoire, contemporary works, new commissions, and original productions — all featuring projected translations in English and Spanish.
FLORIDA GRAND OPERA WELCOMES RISING OPERA STARS TO SOUTH FLORIDA
Extensive national search brings the best in the US to Miami and Fort Lauderdale stages
MIAMI AND FORT LAUDERDALE, FL. 18 August 2022. After an intensive national search and grueling audition process, six award-winning rising stars are arriving in South Florida to form the backbone of Florida Grand Opera’s 2022-23 Season. As members of the prestigious Florida Grand Opera Studio, these young professionals take up residency in Miami to perform mainstage roles, concertize throughout Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, and serve the community as FGO’s opera ambassadors.
Returning after a successful 2021-22 season are soprano Page Michels and tenor Charles Calotta.
Last season, Michels appeared as Lucy in Fellow Travelers and A Page in Rigoletto. In 2022, she will open the season in the leading role of secret wife Carolina in El matrimonio secreto and essay one of opera’s most famous and beloved arias, “O mio babbino caro,” as Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi. After receiving accolades for his performances last season as The Young Collector in A Streetcar Named Desire, Borsa in Rigoletto, and Tommy McIntyre in Fellow Travelers, Calotta will perform the leading roles of Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi and Buoso’s Ghost and Scarpia’s evil henchman Spoletta in Tosca.
Four singers join the Studio this season. Tampa native and graduate of both the University of Florida and the University of Miami, soprano Ashley Shalna made her FGO debut in 2021 as Clara in Il signor deluso and returns this season in the roles of Elisetta in El matrimonio secreto and Nella in Gianni Schicchi and Buoso’s Ghost. Mezzo-soprano Erin Alford, hailing from Long Beach, CA,, makes her FGO debut as jealous aunt Fidalma in El matrimonio secreto, La Ciesca in Gianni Schicchi and Buoso’s Ghost. Tenor Joseph McBrayer of Dallas, Georgia will debut in the leading role of secret husband Paolino in El matrimonio secreto and as Gherardo in Gianni Schicchi and Buoso’s Ghost. Baritone Phillip Lopez will debut as the deceived father, Geronimo, in El matrimonio secreto, Betto in Gianni Schicchi and Buoso’s Ghost, and the Jailer in Tosca.
Each of the 2022-23 Studio Artists are winners of prestigious awards. Michels, Shalna, and Lopez are all District Winners of the Metropolitan Opera Competition and recipients of the competition’s special Encouragement Award. Alford is a two-time District Met Winner. Calotta is a recipient of the Delene Laubenheim McClure Prize and the Michelson Collaborative Arts Award. McBrayer ,most recently served as a Resident Artist with Indianaopolis Opera.
“I am so excited to have these Studio Artists join us this fall,” said Studio Artist Program Manager Matt Cooksey. “Our group includes well-seasoned artists from all parts of the country and they already have a lot of experience under their belt. We want FGO to be their launch pad into robust main stage careers, and I believe that our full-time and guest staff will help elevate this group of singers to be part of the next generation of great opera!”
As the face of opera in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Studio Artists spend the full season performing principal and comprimario roles alongside FGO’s roster of acclaimed directors, conductors, and musicians. They tour Miami-Dade and Broward counties to offer a variety of concerts such as the beloved “SongFest” series, and a touring outreach opera for young audiences, among other events. The Studio Artists are trained by in-house staff and visiting experts on a broad spectrum, with an emphasis on vocal technique, acting, language, repertoire, and best business practices for working singers. FGO also coordinates opportunities for in-house auditions with agents and General Directors, press interviews, and donor relations to prepare them for a life in the opera industry.
The FGO Studio Artists are directed by stage director Matt Cooksey, under the artistic leadership of Director of Artistic Administration Mitch Roe and General Director and CEO Susan T. Danis. Established in 1984, the FGO Studio enjoys an international reputation as a highly competitive and comprehensive career development program. The young professionals chosen demonstrate extraordinary potential for significant contributions to the field of opera. Alumni of the program include award-winning countertenor Key’Mon Murrah, most recently awarded Finalist and Encouragement award of Placido Domingo’s international Operalia competition; Grammy-winning soprano Jessica E. Jones; Metropolitan Opera mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis; Metropolitan Opera tenor Andrew Bidlack; and Miami’s own mezzo-soprano Amanda Crider, founder and Artistic Director of illuminarts.
ABOUT FLORIDA GRAND OPERA
FGO was founded in 1941 as Greater Miami Opera and merged with The Opera Guild Inc. in 1994. As Florida's premier opera company, it presents standard repertoire, contemporary works, new commissions, and original productions — all featuring projected translations in English and Spanish. The mainstage operas of the season include Domenico Cimarosa’s El matrimonio secreto, sung in Spanish translation (Nov. 12 - 15, 2022), Giacomo Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and Michael Ching’s Buoso’s Ghost (Jan. 28 – Feb.11, 2023), Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca (Mar. 18 - Apr. 25, 2023), and Gioacchino Rossini’s The Barber of Seville (Apr.29 – May 20, 2023).
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Media Contact:
Cindy Sadler
Marketing and Communications Manager csadler@fgo.org
305.340.2026
fgo.org
World-famous soprano and master teacher receives the Founder's Award
Fort Lauderdale, FL, DATE --- The Opera Society, an affiliate organization of Florida Grand Opera, will honor international opera star and award-winning master teacher Diana Soviero with the Dr. Arturo di Filippi Founder's Award at the Coral Ridge Yacht Club in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday, March 19. Ms. Soviero served as Director of FGO's distinguished Young Artists' Program in the 1990s and from 2017-18. She also appeared with FGO many times, undertaking leading roles in thers.
"We are honored to have Diana as an important part of the FGO family," said FGO CEO and General Director Susan T. Danis. "Her impact on our company and the next generation of opera singers is immense. This award is indeed a fitting tribute to her amazing artistry. "
The program includes lunch, live harp music, and performances by FGO Studio Artist, soprano Page Michels, and Miami soprano Chelsea Bonagura, a student of Ms. Soviero. Three sculptures created and donated by Dr. Stanley Goodman will be raffled, with all proceeds benefitting Florida Grand Opera. As a highlight of the afternoon, Ms. Soviero will speak about her extraordinary life in opera.
One of the most recognized American opera singers of the twentieth century, Ms. Soviero appeared in leading roles at the world's most famous opera houses, including The Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, Vienna Staatsoper, Opéra national de Paris, Opéra de Paris Bastille, Hamburg Staatsoper, Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, Chicago Lyric Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and San Francisco Opera. Opera Magazine called her "One of the world's greatest singing actresses." Over her forty-year career span, Ms. Soviero was particularly renowned for her interpretation of Puccini heroines such as Cio-Cio San in Madama Butterfly, Mimì, and Musetta in La bohème, Liù in Turandot, and the title roles in Tosca, Manon Lescaut, and Suor Angelica. She is also esteemed for her work in the French repertoire, including Marquerite in Faust, Juliette in Roméo et Juliette, and the title role in Manon. Other critically acclaimed leading roles include Violetta in La traviata, Nedda in I pagliacci, and Margherita in Mefistofele. Her final stage appearance was as Mrs. De Rocher in Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking at Baltimore Opera. Her discography includes recordings on the Analekta, Telarc, and Chandos labels.
In the last decade, Ms. Soviero has dedicated herself to teaching singers. In addition to her large private vocal studio in New York City, she is a member of the voice faculty at the Mannes School of Music and gives masterclasses across the country.
Ms. Soviero has received many accolades for her work as a master teacher. These include the VERA (Voice Education Research Award) Award from The Voice Foundation, Lifetime Achievement Awards from The Giulio Gari and Gerda Lissner Foundations, and the Anton Coppola Excellence in Arts Award. In November 2018, Eurostampa published a biography of her life, entitled "Diana Soviero: the artistry and beyond," written by Professor Alina D. Zamfir. In January 2019, Opera Index, Inc. honored her at its Annual Distinguished Achievement Award Dinner.
"The Opera Society's members are looking forward with much anticipation to Ms. Soviero sharing memories of her distinguished life in opera," said Claire Crawford, President of the Opera Society and Chair of the Diva Luncheon.
The luncheon is open to all and takes place on Saturday, March 19, 2022, 11:30 am, at the Coral Ridge Yacht Club in Fort Lauderdale. All proceeds benefit Florida Grand Opera, a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization. Tickets are available for $100 per person. Contact Maria Salgado at mariasalgado@me.com or visit https://www.theoperasociety.org/ for reservations.
ABOUT THE OPERA SOCIETY
The Opera Society, an affiliate of Florida Grand Opera, is one of the oldest cultural organizations in Fort Lauderdale. A membership organization consisting of 150 opera lovers, it was established in 1978 to support opera in Broward County. and continues to do so today with "glamour and fun." Through a variety of social events and gatherings, The Opera Society offers members captivating entertainment, as well as educational and enrichment opportunities. The mission is to stimulate interest in opera and generate financial support for the presentation of grand opera by Florida Grand Opera in Broward County. For more information, see www.theoperasociety.org.
ABOUT FLORIDA GRAND OPERA
Florida Grand Opera (FGO), the oldest performing arts organization in Florida, celebrates its 80th Season in 2021-22. The mainstage operas of the season include André Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire (Jan. 22-Feb. 5, 2022), Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto (March 12 – April 2), Gregory Spears' Fellow Travelers (Apr. 23-28), and George Frideric Handel's Agrippina (May 14-19).
FGO's Box Office is located at the Doral Opera Center on 8390 NW 25th Street, Miami, FL 33122. It is open from 10 am to 4 pm, Monday through Friday during the season. Tickets may be purchased online at www.FGO.org or by phone at (800) 741- 1010.
FGO was founded in 1941 as Greater Miami Opera and merged with The Opera Guild Inc. in 1994. As Florida's premier opera company, it presents standard repertoire, contemporary works, new commissions, and original productions — all featuring projected translations in English and Spanish.
Based on the 2007 novel "Fellow Travelers" by Thomas Mallon
Commissioned by Cincinnati Opera and G. Sterling Zinsmeyer
Starring Andres Acosta, Hadleigh Adams, and Adelaide Boedecker
Sat. April 23 at 7:30 p.m., Sun. April 24 at 2:00 p.m.
Tues. April 26 at 7:30 p.m., and Thurs. April 28 at 7:30 p.m.
At Lauderhill Performing Arts Center
FGO TRAVELS TO THE MCCARTHY ERA FOR ROMANCE AND POLITICAL INTRIGUE
Gregory Spears’ Fellow Travelers makes its Florida premiere at FGO
Fort Lauderdale, FL, March 17, 2022 --- Florida Grand Opera is traveling back in time to the not-so-distant past for its upcoming production of Gregory Spears’ Fellow Travelers. Based on the best-selling novel by Thomas Mallon, it is set during the Lavender Scare, a lesser-known but longer-lasting byproduct of Senator Joseph McCarthy’s Red Scare.
In 1953, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed Executive Order 10450, prohibiting homosexuals from holding government positions. Encouraged by McCarthy, who said, “The pervert is easy prey to the blackmailer,” the policy subjected hundreds of suspected gay and lesbian government employees to investigation, interrogation, persecution, resignations, and firings. Between 5,000 and 10,000 gays and lesbians quietly resigned or were fired. Many others managed to stay closeted, but curtailed their professional ambitions in order to stay under the radar. Some killed themselves. The policy remained in place until 1995, when President Bill Clinton rescinded it by executive order.
Fellow Travelers explores the romance and heartbreak between two men during this fraught era. Cuban-American tenor Andres Acosta, a Miami native, is young college graduate Timothy Laughlin, who takes his first job working in a senator’s office after a chance meeting with State Department official Hawkins Fuller. “Hawk” is played by New Zealand baritone Hadleigh Adams, returning to the FGO stage after his triumphant turn as Stanley Kowalski in January’s A Streetcar Named Desire. Metropolitan Opera soprano Adelaide Boedecker makes her FGO debut as Hawk’s assistant and best friend, Mary Johnson. Part love story and part political thriller, the plot follows Tim and Hawk’s budding romance and their efforts to avoid detection and persecution during the Lavender Scare.
The opera was co-commissioned by Cincinnati Opera and film/theatrical producer G. Sterling Zinsmeyer. It premiered at Cincinnati Opera in 2016 and since has been staged at Chicago Lyric Opera, Minnesota Opera, and Boston Lyric Opera. FGO’s production will be the Florida premiere of the piece.
“We are proud to stage this important and moving piece of contemporary opera,” says FGO CEO and General Director Susan T. Danis. “Via the medium of the musical human voice and the stories of these men, we revisit a critical time in American history with new eyes and understanding.”
Bas
s-baritone Neil Neilson stars as Senator Charles Potter. The FGO Studio Artists fill out the cast, with soprano Amanda Olea as Miss Lightfoot, soprano Page Michels as Lucy, baritone Michael Pandolfo as Senator Joseph McCarthy, and tenor Charles Calotta as Tommy McIntyre.
CAST
Hawkins Fuller – Hadleigh Adams
Timothy Laughlin – Andres Acosta
Mary Johnson – Adelaide Boedecker
Miss Lightfoot – Amanda Olea
Senator Joseph McCarthy – Michael Pandolfo
Lucy – Page Michels
Tommy McIntyre – Charles Calotta
Senator Charles Potter – TBA
Conductor: Emily Senturia
Director: Peter Rothstein
THE CREATIVE TEAM
Set Design: Sara Brown
Lighting Design: Mary Shabatura
Costumes: Trevor Brown
Wigs and Makeup: Sue Sittko
Production: Minnesota Opera
ABOUT FLORIDA GRAND OPERA
Florida Grand Opera (FGO), the oldest performing arts organization in Florida, celebrates its 80th Season in 2021-22. The mainstage operas of the season include André Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire (Jan. 22-Feb. 5, 2022), Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto (March 12 – April 2), Gregory Spears' Fellow Travelers (Apr. 23-28), and George Frideric Handel's Agrippina (May 14-19).
FGO's Box Office is located at the Doral Opera Center on 8390 NW 25th Street, Miami, FL 33122. It is open from 10 am to 4 pm, Monday through Friday during the season. Tickets may be purchased online at www.FGO.org or by phone at (800) 741- 1010.
FGO was founded in 1941 as Greater Miami Opera and merged with The Opera Guild Inc. in 1994. As Florida's premier opera company, it presents standard repertoire, contemporary works, new commissions, and original productions — all featuring projected translations in English and Spanish.
Starring Todd Thomas, Sharleen Joynt, and Jose Simerilla Romero
At the Adrienne Arsht Center:
Saturday, Mar 12, 2022, 6:00PM
Sunday, Mar 13, 2022, 2:00PM
Tuesday, Mar 15, 2022, 8:00PM
Thursday, Mar 17, 2022, 8:00PM
At the Broward Center for the Performing Arts:
Thursday, Mar 31, 2022, 7:30PM
Saturday, Apr 2, 2022, 7:30PM
These performances are held in strict accordance with CDC guidelines . Face masks are required to be worn over the mouth and nose at all times.
Verdi’s Rigoletto Returns to the FGO Stage with Veteran Todd Thomas in the Title Role
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Miami and Fort Lauderdale, FL, February 16, 2022 --- Love, innocence betrayed, curses, revenge, and memorable melodies --- Florida Grand Opera serves up the heady mix with Giuseppe Verdi's masterpiece Rigoletto. Acclaimed American baritone Todd Thomas returns in the title role, a signature part he has performed more than thirty times. Canadian soprano Sharleen Joynt makes her house debut as Rigoletto's daughter Gilda. The Argentinian-Spanish-American tenor Jose Simerilla Romero also makes his house debut as the womanizing Duke of Mantua.
The second offering of the 80th Anniversary Season, Rigoletto is based on the Victor Hugo play Le roi s'amuse (The King Amuses Himself), set in 16th century Italy. It tells the story of a deformed court jester whose mean-spirited jokes win him no friends in the court of the lascivious Duke. After mocking a condemned nobleman whose daughter the Duke has despoiled, he is cursed. When the Duke seduces Rigoletto's own daughter, it's no joke --- the jester hires a hitman. Yet the curse plays out, and the innocent Gilda pays the price.
Verdi's score is filled with memorable tunes, including "La donna è mobile," the Duke's merrily hypocritical ode to the faithlessness of women, "Caro nome," Gilda's crystalline musings on love, and Rigoletto's rage aria, "Cortigiani." Lush music, high drama, and sumptuous sets and costumes combine in this grandest of grand opera.
Bass Matt Boehler makes his house debut as the assassin Sparafucile, while FGO Studio Artist Stephanie Doche doubles up as his sister, Maddalena, and Gilda's untrustworthy companion, Giovanna. The cast is rounded out by Studio Artists Charles Calotta (Borsa), Erik Danielson (Count Ceprano), Darren Drone (Monterone), Amanda Olea (Countess Ceprano), and Michael Pandolfo (Marullo).
Pacien Mazzagatti conducts, and Kathleen Belcher directs. The set design is by Lawrence Shafer, lighting design by Ron Vodicka, with costumes by Howard Tsvi Kaplan.
Echoing the luxury of the Duke’s court, opening night commences with the annual Opera Gala, “A Night in Mantua.” Cocktails precede the opera, followed by a catered dinner and dancing. The Gala celebrates Florida Grand Opera’s 80th season. For more information or to purchase Gala tickets, contact Victor Kendall at vkendall@fgo.org or 305-403-3306. For opera tickets, please see www.fgo.org or call 1-800-741-1010.
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
MIAMI
Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County / Ziff Ballet Opera House
March 12, 2022, at 6:00pm
March 13, 2022, at 2:00pm
March 15, 2022, at 8:00pm
March 17, 2022, at 8:00 pm
FORT LAUDERDALE
Broward Center for the Performing Arts / Au-Rene Theater
March 31, 2022, at 7:30pm
April 2, 2022, at 7:30 pm
ABOUT FLORIDA GRAND OPERA
Florida Grand Opera (FGO), the oldest performing arts organization in Florida, celebrates its 80th Season in 2021-22. The mainstage operas of the season include André Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire (Jan. 22-Feb. 5, 2022), Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto (March 12 – April 2), Gregory Spears' Fellow Travelers (Apr. 23-28), and George Frideric Handel's Agrippina (May 14-19).
FGO's Box Office is located at the Doral Opera Center on 8390 NW 25th Street, Miami, FL 33122. It is open from 10 am to 4 pm, Monday through Friday during the season. Tickets may be purchased online at www.FGO.org or by phone at (800) 741- 1010.
FGO was founded in 1941 as Greater Miami Opera and merged with The Opera Guild Inc. in 1994. As Florida's premier opera company, it presents standard repertoire, contemporary works, new commissions, and original productions — all featuring projected translations in English and Spanish.
Opera America's Grant Helps Jeri Lynne Johnson makes her FGO Conducting Debut
Miami, FL, February 1, 2022 --- Florida Grand Opera has been awarded an Opera America 2022 Opera Grant for Women Stage Directors and Conductors. A part of Opera America's initiative to encourage the hiring of women in key artistic roles, the award will support conductor Jeri Lynne Johnson's house debut at the helm of FGO's production of Handel's Agrippina in May.
A survey of recent opera seasons revealed that women make up fewer than 30 percent of the stage directors and fewer than 15 percent of the conductors working on American opera productions. Organizational members of Opera America, the national opera advocacy nonprofit, may apply for up to 50% of the cost of bringing in a female stage director or conductor, up to an award of $10,000. FGO is one of nine 2022 grantees.
“FGO is extremely excited to welcome Jeri Lynne Johnson to our podium, and immensely gratified to receive this important support from Opera America,” says FGO General Director and CEO, Susan T. Danis. “We are committed to enriching our audience’s experience and FGO’s infrastructure through continuing to celebrate and center the work of women, BIPOC/AAPI, LGBTQ, and other communities.”
Jeri Lynne Johnson is a barrier-breaking conductor, founder, and director of Philadelphia's Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra. She is the first Black woman to win an international conducting prize, the 2005 Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship., and has frequently claimed a historic spot as the first Black woman to take the podium at many orchestras. She has conducted the Philadelphia Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (U.K.), and Weimar Staatskapelle (Germany).
“I’m deeply honored to be the recipient of this grant to support the expansion of diversity and inclusion in creative leadership positions in the opera world,” says Johnson. “As a creative artist, embracing new experiences is critical to longevity in one’s career, and to be able to engage with Baroque opera when most of my opera experience is with contemporary works is super exciting to me."
Johnson arrives in Miami in May to conduct George Frideric Handel's Agrippina, a 300-year-old opera based on the true story of a powerful and ambitious Roman queen who stopped at nothing to put her son on the throne.
"It's especially inspiring to have a woman shape and lead the musical story of a fierce female protagonist," says Danis. "We look forward to many more of these collaborations,”
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
Rigoletto (Miami - March 10; Broward – March 31)
Fellow Travelers (Broward only – April 21 – mature content)
Agrippina (Miami only – May 12)
Tickets pina are available at www.fgo.org.
ABOUT FGO
Florida Grand Opera (FGO), the oldest performing arts organization in Florida, celebrates its 80th Season in 2021-22. The mainstage operas of the season include André Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire (Jan. 22-Feb. 5, 2022), Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto (March 12 – April 2), Gregory Spears' Fellow Travelers (Apr. 23-28), and George Frideric Handel's Agrippina (May 14-19).
FGO's Box Office is located at the Doral Opera Center on 8390 NW 25th Street, Miami, FL 33122. It is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday during the season. Tickets may be purchased online at www.FGO.org or by phone at (800) 741- 1010.
FGO was founded in 1941 as Greater Miami Opera and merged with The Opera Guild Inc. in 1994. As Florida's premier opera company, it presents standard repertoire, contemporary works, new commissions, and original productions — all featuring projected translations in English and Spanish.
Florida Grand Opera Welcomes Hadleigh Adams to the Cast of A Streetcar Named Desire
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Miami and Fort Lauderdale, FL, January 11, 2021 --- New Zealand baritone Hadleigh Adams is taking over the key role of Stanley Kowalski in Florida Grand Opera’s upcoming performance of A Streetcar Named Desire. Adams replaces baritone Steven LaBrie, who was invited to tour with opera quartet Il Divo following the death of member Carlos Marin due to complications from COVID-19.
“These decisions are not easy to make, and ultimately, everyone has to do what is right for them,” says FGO General Director and CEO Susan T. Danis. “We wish Steven the very best. The silver lining is that we get to see Hadleigh months earlier than we anticipated.”
Adams is scheduled to appear as Hawkins Fuller in April’s production of Fellow Travelers. He is making his debut in the role of Stanley with a little more than a week’s notice, a practice in opera known as an Einspringer or “jump-in.”
“Hadleigh is an excellent musician, a quick study, and an impeccable artist,” Danis said. “We know he will be a formidable Stanley and can’t wait to see what he does with the role.”
Hadleigh’s critically acclaimed work includes included Lou Harrison’s Young Caesar (Nicomedes), Annie Gosfield’s War of the Worlds (General Lansing), and Bernstein’s Mass (baritone soloist) with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gregory Spears’ Fellow Travelers (Hawkins Fuller) at Minnesota Opera, and the London Philharmonia Orchestra in Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex (Creon/Tiresias).
For more information, please see www.fgo.org.
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
MIAMI
Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County / Ziff Ballet Opera House
Jan 22, 2022, at 7:00pm
Jan 23, 2022, at 2:00pm
Jan 25, 2022, at 8:00pm
FORT LAUDERDALE
Broward Center for the Performing Arts / Au-Rene Theater
Feb 3 & 5, 2022, at 7:30pm
ABOUT FLORIDA GRAND OPERA
Florida Grand Opera (FGO), the oldest performing arts organization in Florida, celebrates its 80th Season in 2021-22. The mainstage operas of the season include André Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire (Jan. 22-Feb. 5, 2022), Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto (March 12 – April 2), Gregory Spears’ Fellow Travelers (Apr. 23-28), and George Frideric Handel's Agrippina (May 14-19).
FGO's Box Office is located at the Doral Opera Center on 8390 NW 25th Street, Miami, FL 33122. It is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday during the season. Tickets may be purchased online at www.FGO.org or by phone at (800) 741- 1010.
FGO was founded in 1941 as Greater Miami Opera and merged with The Opera Guild Inc. in 1994. As Florida's premier opera company, it presents standard repertoire, contemporary works, new commissions, and original productions — all featuring projected translations in English and Spanish.
FLORIDA GRAND OPERA BOARDS A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE FOR OPENING NIGHT OF THE 80TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON
Miami and Fort Lauderdale, FL, December 30, 2021 --- Florida Grand Opera opens its 80th Anniversary Season with the new American classic based on the most operatic of quintessential American plays --- Tennessee Williams’ and André Previn’s A Streetcar Named Desire.
Making its Florida premiere on Saturday, January 22, 2022, A Streetcar Named Desire features Miami’s own international opera star, Cuban-American soprano Elizabeth Caballero, in the iconic role of Blanche DuBois. Rising soprano Rebecca Krynski Cox makes her house debut as her hapless sister Stella and audience favorite, baritone Steven LaBrie, returns as the brutal Stanley Kowalski. Former FGO Studio Artist Nicholas Huff returns in the role of Harold “Mitch” Mitchell, while current Studio Artists Amanda Olea, Katherine Holobinko, Stephanie Doche, Charles Calotta, and Eric Danielson fill the supporting roles. Gregory Buchalter conducts, with stage direction by Jeffrey Buchman. The production is from New Orleans Opera Association, with costumes by Howard Tsvi Kaplan, set by Steven C. Kemp, and lighting by Don Darnutzer.
The story begins with fading Southern belle Blanche DuBois, who arrives at her sister Stella’s shabby New Orleans tenement with a trunk filled with feathered finery and deeply closeted skeletons. Desperate to avoid facing reality, Blanche quickly clashes with Stella’s working-class husband, Stanley, who unravels her secrets and, in an act of stunning brutality, destroys what is left of her slipping sanity.
Stage director Jeffrey Buchman says that the story is challenging, but perhaps not in the way people think. “Throughout A Streetcar Named Desire, Williams defies us to define his characters as either good or bad, admirable or despicable, whole or broken,” he says. “They are all deeply flawed, and like onions, we peel back the layers on their world as the show progresses … And with a greater empathy for the circumstances that may have created or brought out these flaws in each of them, we are faced with the challenge of how we will judge them.”
Previn’s jazz-flavored, cinematic score only heightens Williams’ taut psychological drama. “You can hear the streetcar in the music,” says conductor Gregory Buchalter, adding that the opera follows the play almost exactly. “In the opening chords, you can hear the streetcar’s horn. The score is influenced by Previn’s work as a film composer and as a great jazz pianist and arranger. There’s a special jazz component that frequently plays independently of the orchestra for dramatic effect. Previn sometimes deliberately creates dissonance in dramatic moments. There are other places where it’s so tonal, almost Puccini-esque. He creates the music very well in terms of the characters.”
The transformation of the iconic play to an equally iconic opera is an interesting one. Over the years, many critics have noted the operatic quality of A Streetcar Named Desire’s drama. It has been adapted into several ballets and a musical. However, Williams was resistant to operatic treatments of his works. He was approached many times over the years but only opened his catalogue twice during his lifetime: once, for his one-act Lord Byron’s Love Letter, and once to the composer Lee Hoiby, who chose to set Summer and Smoke. After several years of negotiation, Williams’ estate granted rights for A Streetcar Named Desire to San Francisco Opera, where the work premiered to great acclaim in 1998. André Previn, a renowned classical musician, conductor, and composer equally acclaimed as a film composer, jazz pianist and arranger, undertook what might be considered less an adaptation than a grand expansion of the original play. From the ever-present rinky-dink blues piano to the increasingly sinister “Varsouviana” folk dance that repeats in Blanche’s head, the music is critical to the play, almost a character in itself. It’s as if Williams imagined a cinematic underscoring, and years later, Prévin delivered.
A Streetcar Named Desire also has an unusual connection to Miami. In 1956, less than ten years after his play made its debut and won the Pulitzer Prize, Tennessee Williams staged a revival at the Coconut Grove Playhouse (then the Coconut Grove Theatre), under the direction of Herbert Machiz and starring Talullah Bankhead, the actor for whom Blanche DuBois was written. However, Williams and his cast --- especially the tumultuous Ms. Bankhead --- soon clashed, and he removed to Key West, one of his favorite retreats. The play ran for one month and then returned to New York for additional dates. No word on whether Williams accompanied the troupe; however, the experience did not sour him on South Florida. Williams frequently changed locations in order to stimulate his writing, but he often returned to South Florida. He was known to hang out in Coconut Grove among other artists and free spirits who espoused a bohemian lifestyle, and in recent years, local art museums have hosted showings of his little-known paintings.
“We are proud to begin our 80th Anniversary Season with an offering that is both an American classic and a contemporary treasure,” says Susan T. Danis, Florida Grand Opera’s General Director and CEO, who is coincidentally celebrating her own 10th anniversary at the company’s helm. “It aligns with our mission to produce diverse, culturally engaging experiences both in the theatre and the community. Anyone can, and is invited to, enjoy a work like A Streetcar Named Desire, and we hope they will.”
For more information, please see www.fgo.org.
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
MIAMI
Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County / Ziff Ballet Opera House
Jan 22, 2022, at 7:00pm
Jan 23, 2022, at 2:00pm
Jan 25, 2022, at 8:00pm
FORT LAUDERDALE
Broward Center for the Performing Arts / Au-Rene Theater
Feb 3 & 5, 2022, at 7:30pm
ABOUT FLORIDA GRAND OPERA
Florida Grand Opera (FGO), the oldest performing arts organization in Florida, celebrates its 80th Season in 2021-22. The mainstage operas of the season include André Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire (Jan. 22-Feb. 5, 2022), Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto (March 12 – April 2), Gregory Spears’ Fellow Travelers (Apr. 23-28), and George Frideric Handel's Agrippina (May 14-19).
FGO's Box Office is located at the Doral Opera Center on 8390 NW 25th Street, Miami, FL 33122. It is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday during the season. Tickets may be purchased online at www.FGO.org or by phone at (800) 741- 1010.
FGO was founded in 1941 as Greater Miami Opera and merged with The Opera Guild Inc. in 1994. As Florida's premier opera company, it presents standard repertoire, contemporary works, new commissions, and original productions — all featuring projected translations in English and Spanish.
FLORIDA GRAND OPERA STUDIO ARTISTS PLAY MUSICAL SANTA IN THE HOLIDAY POPS CONCERT
Family-friendly holiday fun is a tuneful gift of the season for all
MIAMI, FL, November 13, 2021 --- At the Florida Grand Opera’s annual Holiday Pops Concert, the Studio Artists celebrate the season with musical gifts and high-spirited, family-friendly fun. All are welcome to revel in festive favorites mixed with popular opera arias and a sing-a-long of holiday hits. Visitors will also enjoy a brief magical tour with exclusive behind-the-scenes looks at the FGO costume and scenes shops.
FGO's Studio Artists consists of seven exclusive singers selected from hundreds of applicants nationwide in a competition that amounts to the classical version of shows like “America's Got Talent”. Tenor Charles Calotta, mezzo-soprano Stephanie Doche, sopranos Katherine Holobinko and Amanda Olea, and baritone Michael Pandolfo will entertain with selections by Leonard Bernstein, Richard Rodgers, John Kander, Irving Berlin, and many more. The program includes Christmas, Hanukkah, Broadway, opera, and non-denominational holiday favorites.
"The last few years haven't felt the same without being able to get together and make music during the holidays," says Studio Artist tenor Charles Calotta. "I don't think I've ever been more excited for a holiday concert, knowing that the music we're preparing is something that everyone will instantly connect with. I'm singing the classic Christmas song that opens with 'Chestnuts roasting on an open fire,' and to me, as a New Yorker, it's more like 'Chestnuts warming at a hot dog stand.' Nevertheless, that song always reminds me of home during the holidays, and I can't wait to share it."
The musical celebration takes place at the Doral Opera Center, 8390 NW 25th Street, Miami, FL 33122, on Saturday, December 4, 2021, at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $25 per person for general admission seating and may be purchased at www.fgo.org or at the door.
ABOUT THE FGO STUDIO
The FGO Studio was established in 1984 to help emerging artists transition from journeymen to full-fledged professional opera singers. Members live in Miami from October through May, committing to an intense and individualized program of study and performance, including special training in singing, movement, and languages, while learning on their feet in various performance opportunities. They sing major and supporting roles in mainstage productions, where they work with world-renowned singers, directors, and conductors. They also perform concerts, recitals, and educational outreach events in numerous venues across Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Residencies typically last up to two years. The 2021-22 Studio Artists will perform mainstage roles in A Streetcar Named Desire, Rigoletto, the Florida premiere of Fellow Travelers, and Agrippina.
July 8, 2021 – Florida Grand Opera (FGO) announced today their upcoming, landmark, 80th Anniversary Season. In 1942, FGO (then the Greater Miami Opera) presented its first performance of Pagliacci on Valentine’s Day at the Miami Senior High School Auditorium. The company has gone on to present the finest opera singers from around the world in productions representing the work of more than sixty composers
March 11, 2021 – Florida Grand Opera announces its final part of chamber operas highlighting Modern American Composers this season with the Double Bill of Trouble in Tahiti by Leonard Bernstein and Signor Deluso by Thomas Pasatieri.
Verdi's score is filled with memorable tunes, including "La donna è mobile," the Duke's merrily hypocritical ode to the faithlessness of women, "Caro nome," Gilda's crystalline musings on love, and Rigoletto's rage aria, "Cortigiani." Lush music, high drama, and sumptuous sets and costumes combine in this grandest of grand opera. 
Jeri Lynne Johnson is a barrier-breaking conductor, founder, and director of Philadelphia's Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra. She is the first Black woman to win an international conducting prize, the 2005 Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship., and has frequently claimed a historic spot as the first Black woman to take the podium at many orchestras. She has conducted the Philadelphia Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (U.K.), and Weimar Staatskapelle (Germany). 
FLORIDA GRAND OPERA STUDIO ARTISTS PLAY MUSICAL SANTA IN THE HOLIDAY POPS CONCERT
