THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO Comes to Sarasota Opera

Sarasota Opera will open Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro on Saturday, March 8. Commonly recognized as one of the great achievements of Western music, The Marriage of Figaro is admired by connoisseurs, musicians, and those new to the art form. There will be seven performances of the opera through March 28 at the Sarasota Opera House.

The Marriage of Figaro is based on the second of a trio of plays centered around Figaro by French playwright Pierre Beaumarchais. It takes place after the events of The Barber of Seville — in which the barber Figaro aids Count Almaviva in winning the heart of Rosina — and can be considered its sequel. Now, Count Almaviva's eye has wandered, and his current objective is Susanna, Figaro’s fiancée. The distressed couple, along with Rosina (now the Countess Almaviva), conspire to reveal the count's lechery, despite the many obstacles thrown in their way. 

The music for The Marriage of Figaro contains some of Mozart’s most famous work. The overture is one of opera's greatest and a frequent concert selection. The Countess’ aria “Dove sono” is often performed, as is Figaro's aria “Non più andrai,” Cherubino's “Voi che sapete,” and Susanna's “Deh, vieni non tardar.” The duet “Canzonetta sull'aria” for the Countess and Susanna was famously featured in the movie The Shawshank Redemption.

Mozart's timeless score, coupled with Da Ponte’s witty libretto has made this one of the few operas to have maintained its place in the operatic repertoire. Seeing The Marriage of Figaro offers a perfect combination of beautiful music, engaging storytelling, and historical significance, making it a must-see for both opera lovers and newcomers alike.

Making his Sarasota debut, award-winning Italian bass-baritone Mattia Venni will sing the role of Figaro. He has performed on stages across the globe, most recently at the Teatro Amintore Galli in Italy in the role of Dulcamara in Donizetti's L’elisir d’amore. Venni's performance as Crispino in Ricci's Crispino e la comare was lauded in the New York Times: "his handsome baritone and capacity for self-parody allowed him to evolve from the melodramatic sobs of an almost-suicide scene to the complacent patter of success." 

Michelle Johnson will sing the role of the Countess Almaviva. A soprano of extraordinary talent and acclaim, she has captivated audiences worldwide with her mesmerizing performances. In 2016, she closed Sarasota Opera's Verdi Cycle singing the title role in Aida. As a Grand Prize Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, she has been hailed by critics as "a clear audience favorite," lauded for her impeccable breath control and velvety voice that effortlessly transports listeners into a realm of musical splendor. 

Soprano Virginia Mims, a former apprentice and studio artist with Sarasota Opera, will sing the role of Susanna. She recently sang in Sarasota Opera’s 2024 Fall concert The Music of Giuseppe Verdi and made her Carnegie Hall debut as the soprano soloist in Taylor Scott Davis’ Magnificat.

Baritone Jake Stamatis, who will sing the role of the philandering Count Almaviva, has charmed audiences in such roles as Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Figaro in both The Barber of Seville and The Marriage of Figaro, Leporello in Don Giovanni, and Marcello and Schaunard in La bohème. Stamatis has been a studio artist at Sarasota Opera, a fellow at the Music Academy of the West, an emerging artist at Seagle Music Festival, and an artist in residence with Tri-Cities Opera and Opera Memphis.

Noted by Opera News for his "dark bass and strong dramatic energy," bass Brian Kontes will perform the role of Don Bartolo. Mr. Kontes began this 2023-2024 season at Pittsburgh Opera where he sang the role of Don Basilio in The Barber of Seville. After which, he returned to the Metropolitan Opera in New York to cover the Bonze in Madame Butterfly for the entire season. Kontes made his Sarasota debut in 2019 as Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte.

Praised as “hilarious” and “vocally charming,” Canadian mezzo-soprano Tessa Fackelmann will sing the role of Cherubino. In March, she was a National Semifinalist in the 2024 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition. Fackelmann makes her Sarasota debut this season.

The Marriage of Figaro will be conducted by Louis Lohraseb and directed by Tom Diamond, with set design by J. Michael Wingfield. Costumes were designed by Howard Tsvi Kaplan, hair and makeup are by Sue Schaefer, and lighting by Ken Yunker. It will be sung in Italian, with English supertitles, for 7 performances through March 28. 

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