Sarasota Opera Launches New Student Season Pass Program

Sarasota Opera has announced the launch of the new Student Season Pass program for the 2014 Winter Festival Season. For only $25, current full time students under the age of 22 can purchase the Student Season Pass and attend unlimited performances at Sarasota Opera during the 2014 Winter Festival Season.

"We know finances for students can be tight and even a $19 ticket can seem like an extravagance", says Richard Russell, Executive Director of Sarasota Opera. "Our hope through this program is to create yet another opportunity to engage the many students in the Sarasota/Manatee area and invite them to experience the art form of opera at a reasonable cost to them. With over 50 performances to choose from between February 8th and March 23rd, Student Season Pass holders will certainly get their money's worth."

Student Season Passes are currently available for purchase at the Sarasota Opera Box Office located at 61 N. Pineapple Avenue, Sarasota, FL. Students must be able to present a valid student I.D. at the time of purchase. The Student Season Pass can be redeemed for one student rush ticket per performance 30 minutes before curtain. Seating is subject to availability.

Based in Florida's beautiful Gulf Coast, Sarasota Opera is celebrating its 55th consecutive season. 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. Since then 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.

The 2013 Fall Season featured Johann Strauss, Jr,'s Die Fledermaus and was followed by the Sarasota Youth Opera production of Britten's The Little Sweep. The 2014 Winter Festival will include Verdi's Il trovatore, Rossini's The Barber of Seville, Wagner's The Flying Dutchman, and Verdi's Jérusalem. Subscriptions and single tickets for the 2014 Winter Season are now on sale by calling (941) 328-1300 or visiting the Sarasota Opera Box Office.

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.

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