Sarasota Opera House Cebrates 100th Anniversary and More In 2025-2026 Season

There's much to celebrate next season at Sarasota Opera. After a two-year hiatus, the company is bringing back its Fall opera in October 2025, which will be Così fan tutte, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, followed by Sarasota Youth Opera's production of Hans Krása's Brundibár.

The winter festival will open in February 2026 with Puccini's beloved La bohème. The festival will continue with The Merry Widow by Franz Lehár, Il trovatore by Giuseppe Verdi, and Susannah by Carlisle Floyd. Floyd would have celebrated his 100th birthday along with the Opera House. His Of Mice and Men, presented in 2013, was the most recent American opera performed by the company.

On April 11, 2026, the company will present a gala event celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Sarasota Opera House. The event will include a concert on the stage of the Opera House, followed by a dinner celebration at Michael's on the Bay at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.

Casting for the season will be announced later.

Subscriptions for all five operas and special events will go on sale on March 17, 2025. Tickets to individual operas will be on sale online only on August 1, 2025, and via phone or in person at the Box Office beginning September 2, 2025.

FALL SEASON 2025

The Fall Season opens October 31 with Così fan tutte, an opera buffa in two acts, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It will be sung in Italian.

Literally meaning “All women do this”, Così fan tutte, or The School for Lovers, follows the story of two naive young soldiers who prank their brides-to-be to test their faithfulness.  But the sisters to whom they are betrothed have plans of their own. Find out who ends up schooling who in Mozart's delightful comedy with a masterful score. Così fan tutte will continue the Fall season partnership between Sarasota Opera and the Sarasota Orchestra. Five performances — Oct. 31, Nov. 2 (m), Nov. 11, Nov 13, Nov. 15 (m).

Sarasota Youth Opera will present a revival of their acclaimed production of Brundibár by Hans Krása, libretto by Adolf Hoffmeister, with a prologue by Martha Collins and Jessé Martins.

Written in the 1930s by Jewish Czech composer Hans Krása and originally performed by children at the Theresienstadt concentration camp during WWII, Brundibár is a fairy tale about a sparrow, a cat and a wise dog who help Annette and Little Joe raise money to save their ailing mother, despite the evil plans of the wicked organ grinder Brundibár. A story of resilience, this opera has a history as moving as its story.  There will be two performances — Nov. 8 at 5 p.m. and Nov. 9 at noon.

2026 WINTER OPERA FESTIVAL

The 2026 Winter Opera Festival will open Saturday, Feb. 14, with La bohème, by Giacomo Puccini, libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Glacosa. It will be sung in Italian and have 12 performances.

Puccini's most beloved opera and one of the most beloved in the repertoire, La bohème takes the audience through the streets of the Latin Quarter in 19th century Paris where the poor seamstress Mimì has a fateful chance encounter with the poet Rodolfo. Laugh and cry as four friends struggle and celebrate through the Bohemian lifestyle and experience the heartbreak of a lover's impending demise. Feb. 14, 17, 19, 22 (m), 25, 28 (m), March 3, 6, 11, 20 (m), 26 (m), 28.

Next, The Merry Widow, by Franz Lehár, libretto by Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, will open Saturday, Feb. 21. It will be sung in English and have nine performances.

Wealthy widow Hanna Glawari is descended upon by an array of willing suitors from Parisian society. But plans go awry when Hanna's past paramour enters the ballroom. One of the most successful romantic operettas, The Merry Widow is the perfect blend of comedy, dance and unforgettable music. Feb. 21, 24, 26, March 1 (m), 4, 8 (m), 13, 21, 27 (m).

Il trovatore by Giuseppe Verdi, libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, sung in Italian, will open Saturday, March 7 and have seven performances.

One of Verdi's most popular works, Il trovatore unfolds with the telling of a fiery execution that takes place during Count de Luna's childhood, an event that sets him in vengeful pursuit of the gypsy woman, Azucena. Unrequited love for the noblewoman Leonora and hatred for her lover, the troubadour Manrico, drive him to murderous passions. The story comes full circle, ending with another tragic execution, in this sprawling medieval melodrama. March 7, 12, 15 (m), 18, 21 (m), 24 (m), 29 (m).

Finally, Carlisle Floyd's Susannah, sung in English, will open Saturday, March 14, for six performances.

A re-telling of the Book of Susannah, the story follows a pretty, innocent young woman as she falls under the jealous scrutiny of her rural Appalachian community. When the Reverend Blitch appears at her door offering redemption, tragic events unfold that force Susannah to take a stand for her dignity. Honoring the 100th anniversary of Carlisle Floyd's birth and in the state of its premiere, Susannah is a timeless, gripping tale, and one of the most popular American operas. March 14, 17, 19, 22 (m), 25, 28 (m).

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