Sarasota Opera Announces 2017 HD AT THE OPERA HOUSE Series

Sarasota Opera is pleased to announce the line-up for the 2017 season of "HD at the Opera House". This weekly Sunday afternoon series of filmed performances, which debuted in 2014, has allowed Sarasota Opera to expand its programming from the fall and winter season to year-around. In addition to Opera, the 2017 series will include presentations of Ballet and Theater from some of the world's most famous venues, including the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in London; the Paris Opera; Teatro alla Scala in Milan; the Salzburg Festival; and the San Franscico Opera. All screenings will occur in the William E. Schmidt Opera Theatre at the Sarasota Opera House.

"The popularity of this series has increased each season," says Executive Director Richard Russell. "We look forward to offering another season of exciting selections that will appeal and intrigue arts lovers across the board."

Highlights of the HD at the Opera House season includes the ballet and operatic versions of Shakespeare's Macbeth from the Stratford Festival, the original 1904 La Scala version of Puccini's Madama Butterfly from Milan's Teatro alla Scala, and the popular musical Show Boat by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein, captured live at the San Francisco Opera.

HD at the Opera House

Select presentations will be preceded by a 15 minute welcome and pre-show introduction.

Un ballo in maschera

Giuseppe Verdi

Production from the Munich National Theater
Starring Piotr Beczala and Anja Harteros

Sunday, May 21st at 1:30pm

Jewels

Production from the Royal Ballet, London

Sunday, May 28th at 1:30pm

The Marriage of Figaro

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Production from Teatro alla Scala, Milan
Starring Diana Damrau, conducted by Franz Welser-Möst

Sunday, June 4th at 1:30pm

Tristan and Isolde

by Richard Wagner

Production from Teatro dell'Opera, Rome
Conducted by Daniele Gatti

Sunday, June 11th at 1:30pm

La forza del destino

Giuseppe Verdi

Production from the National Theater, Munich
Starring Jonas Kaufmann and Anja Harteros

Sunday, June 18th at 1:30pm

The Dream

Symphonic Variations

Marguerite and Armand

Production from the Royal Ballet, London

Sunday, June 25th at 1:30pm

Macbeth (play)

William Shakespeare

Production from the Stratford Festival, Canada

Sunday, July 2nd at 1:30pm

Macbeth (opera)

Giuseppe Verdi

Production from Gran Teatro de Liceu, Barcelona
Starring Ludovic Tezier and Martina Serafin

Sunday, July 9th at 1:30pm

Madama Butterfly

Giacomo Puccini

Production from the Teatro Alla Scala, Milan
Original 1904 version
Starring Maria José Siri, conducted by Riccardo Chailly

Sunday, July 10th at 1:30pm

Show Boat

Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein

San Francisco Opera
Starring Patricia Racette and Morris Robinson

Sunday, July 23rd at 1:30pm

Love's Labours Lost

William Shakespeare

Production from the Stratford Festival, Canada
Sunday, July 30th at 1:30pm

Otello

Giuseppe Verdi

Production from the Royal Opera, London
Starring Jonas Kaufmann, conducted by Antonio Pappano
Sunday, August 6th at 1:30pm

Swan Lake

Production from the Opera de Paris

Sunday, August 13th at 1:30pm

Cavalleria Rusticana

Pietro Mascagni

Pagliacci

Ruggero Leoncavallo

Production from the Salzburg Festival, Austria
Starring Jonas Kaufmann

Sunday, August 20th at 1:30pm

Faust

Charles Gounod
Production from the Teatro Regio, Turin
Starring Charles Castronovo and Ildar Abdrazakov
Sunday, August 27 at 1:30 p.m.

Additional screenings in September to be announced.

Tickets are $18 for current Sarasota Opera subscribers (a 10% discount) and $20 for single ticket buyers. All seating is general admission. Information and tickets can be found online at www.sarasotaopera.org or by calling (941) 328-1300. You can also visit the Sarasota Opera Box Office at 61 N. Pineapple Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34236.

Sarasota Opera Subscribers who wish to receive the 10% discount must contact the Sarasota Opera Box Office directly.

Subscriptions for the 2017/18 Sarasota Opera Festival Season are now available for purchase online at www.sarasotaopera.org, by phone t (941) 328-1300 or in person at the Sarasota Opera Box Office. Subscriptions must be purchased before Sunday, April 15th to enjoy the deepest discounts. Single tickets go on-sale exclusively online Tuesday, August 1, 2017 and in the box office Friday, September 1, 2017.

Sarasota Opera was awarded grants in 2014 from the William and Marie Selby Foundation and the Gulf Coast Community Foundation to purchase film projection equipment for the Opera House, and an additional "Building Opera Audiences" grant from Opera America to support marketing.

ABOUT SARASOTA OPERA

Based on Florida's beautiful Gulf Coast, Sarasota Opera recently completed its internationally acclaimed Verdi Cycle making it the only company in the world to have performed every work of Giuseppe Verdi.

In 1960, the company began presenting chamber-sized repertoire in the historic 320-seat Asolo Theater on the grounds of Sarasota's Ringling Museum of Art. Recognizing the need for a theater more conducive to opera, the company purchased the former A.B. Edwards Theater in downtown Sarasota in 1979 and first performing in it in 1984 as the Sarasota Opera House. The theater has just undergone a $20 million renovation and rehabilitation enhancing audience amenities, while updating the technical facilities including increasing the size of the orchestra pit. The theater, which reopened in March 2008, has been called "one of America's finest venues for opera" by Musical America.

Since 1983, the company has been under the artistic leadership of Victor DeRenzi and administrative leadership of Executive Director Richard Russell since 2012. The company has garnered international attention with its Masterwork Revivals Series, which presents neglected works of artistic merit, as well as the Verdi Cycle producing the complete works of Giuseppe Verdi. Recognizing the importance of training, Maestro DeRenzi founded the Apprentice Artist and Studio Artist programs. Sarasota Opera also maintains a commitment to education through its Invitation to Opera performances for local schools and the unique Sarasota Youth Opera program.

Sarasota Opera is sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Programs are supported in part by an award the Tourist Development Tax through the Board of County Commissioners, the Tourist Development Council and the Sarasota County Arts Council. Additional funding is provided by the City of Sarasota and the County of Sarasota.