Florida Grand Opera Will Embark on South Florida Tours This Winter

Florida Grand Opera will embark on tour throughout February and March in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. The popular SongFest  and ¡Viva Zarzuela! concert series are set to kick off this month.

SONGFEST: FROM THE PAGE TO THE STAGE

Great music and storytelling unite in Florida Grand Opera’s Songfest: From the Page to the Stage: Great Literary Works Reimagined on the Operatic Stage. Featuring the FGO Studio Artists, the second concert of the SongFest series takes place on Friday, February 16, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. at Riviera Presbyterian Church in Coral Gables and Sunday, February 18, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. at the Center for Spiritual Living in Oakland Park. Tickets are $15, free to donors and subscribers, and available at fgo.org.

Drawing from the works of authors like William Shakespeare, Alexander Pushkin, and Sir Walter Scott and composers like Charles Gounod, Pytor Illich Tchaikovsky, and Gaetano Donizetti, the concert demonstrates how compelling music enhances skillful storytelling. Repertoire includes selections from The Marriage of Figaro, Carmen, Lucia di Lammermoor, Eugene Onegin, Romeo et Juliette, and more.

“’From the Page to the Stage’ is a fun and entertaining opportunity to see a story or a character you already know from your favorite classic books get a soundtrack,” says Neil Nelson, the Samuel M. Townsend Studio Manager. “These characters come off the page and come alive right before your eyes as the Studio Artists interpret them. There’s nothing like being feet away from one of these young, talented opera artists singing their hearts out for you. It’s a really special experience.”

ZARZUELA: CUBA EN ZARZUELA Y CANCIÓN

Florida Grand Opera’s immensely popular zarzuela concert series is back with Zarzuela: Cuba en zarzuela y canción (Cuba in Zarzuela and Song), an afternoon of favorites celebrating Cuban musical tradition. The concert takes place on February 25, 2024 at 3 p.m. at the Cuban Hebrew Congregation in Miami Beach.

Curated by internationally renowned voice teacher and zarzuela champion Manny Perez, the concert will team artists such as Cuban-American Metropolitan Opera soprano Eglise Gutiérrez, Yetzabel Arias, Megan Barrera, Marinel Cruz, Laura DeMare, Ray Gonzalez, Mabel Ledo, Armando Naranjo, Gerardo Ortega, Maria Aleida Rodriguez Reyes, Felix Spengler, and members of the elite Florida Grand Opera Studio Artist Program and Studio Faculty Coach/Pianist Jared Peroune at the keyboard. Repertoire includes popular songs and selections from works like Maria La O, María Belén Chacón, Cecilia Valdés, Amalia Battista, Lola Cruz, and more. Tickets are $25, and available at fgo.org.

SONGFEST: DROP THE MIC! BROADWAY MUSICALS WITHOUT MICROPHONES

Florida Grand Opera Studio Artists will serenade audiences with classic songs and scenes from Broadway’s Golden Age in Drop the Mic! Broadway Musicals Without Microphones. The concerts take place Friday, March 15, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. at Riviera Presbyterian Church in Coral Gables and Sunday, March 17, 2024, at 3:00 p.m. at the Center for Spiritual Living in Oakland Park. Tickets are $15, free to donors and subscribers, and available at fgo.org.

This final concert of the 2023-2024 SongFest Series revisits a time when stars belted their best without amplification and features classics like “The Impossible Dream” from Man of La Mancha and “I’m in Love with a Wonderful Guy” from South Pacific. “It’s the best of Golden Age Broadway as it was meant to be heard,” says Nelson, “The unamplified voice creates an almost magical intimacy, and you’ll hear these familiar and beloved tunes in whole new way.” Tickets for “From the Page to the Stage” are $15 or free to subscribers and donors. Purchase tickets or register for free seats at fgo.org.

The Florida Grand Opera Studio Artists are soprano Sara Kennedy, soprano Hayley Lipke, mezzo-soprano Taylor-Alexis DuPont, tenor Joseph McBrayer, baritone Joseph Canuto Leon, and bass-baritone Keith Klein. These early-career artists come from all over the nation to serve as the face of opera in Miami and Fort Lauderdale. They appear in both leading and supporting roles in mainstage performances and tour Miami-Dade and Broward counties in a wide variety of appearances, including outreach to young audiences and public concerts. Faculty Coach Jared Peroune serves as the collaborative pianist for the Studio.

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