Sarasota Opera Announces 2022-2023 Season

Sarasota Opera has announced their 2022-2023 Opera Season which will include works both familiar and beloved, as well as two operas never before performed by the company.

The 2022 Fall Season will feature Cimarosa's The Secret Marriage, along with a production of the Sarasota Youth Opera, Dean Burry's The Secret World of Og. Opening the 2023 Winter Opera Festival on February 18 will be Puccini's Madama Butterfly, followed by Mozart's Don Giovanni, Verdi's Ernani, and Massenet's Thérèse.

"As we hopefully return closer to normal, we are thrilled to present a varied season with some of our favorite works, along with operas that we've never given before," says General Director Richard Russell. "During our 64th season, we look forward to introducing our audience to some important, lesser-known operas, including one that has never before been seen in a U.S. opera house," adds Artistic Director Victor DeRenzi. Casting for the season will be announced at a later date. For more information on the 2022-2023 season, visit SarasotaOpera.org, call (941) 328-1300, or visit the Box Office at 61 N. Pineapple Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34236.

2022 Fall Season

The Fall Season opens on Friday, October 28 with Domenico Cimarosa's The Secret Marriage (Il matrimonio segreto). A social-climbing father wants his eldest daughter to marry an aristocrat and is prepared buy his way in. When the would-be suitor arrives, his eye falls on the younger daughter instead. But she has secretly married her father's clerk. Although not often performed, this delightful comic opera was such a hit at its premiere that the audience insisted on an encore, of the entire opera! Five performances: October 28 and 30(m), November 8, 10, and 12(m). The Secret Marriage is a Sarasota Opera debut.

Sarasota Youth Opera will present Dean Burry's The Secret World of Og. A group of siblings venture into the dark subterranean world of the Ogs to rescue their baby brother and cat. This story has been a favorite with Canadian children since its publication in the 1960s by Canadian children's author Pierre Berton. Two performances: November 5 & 6. The Secret World of Og was last seen in 2016.

2023 Winter Opera Festival

The 2023 Winter Opera Festival will open on Saturday, February 18, 2023, with Giacomo Puccini's Madama Butterfly. A young geisha known affectionately as Madama Butterfly is swept off her feet by an American Naval officer. Left with a promise that he would return one day, Butterfly waits faithfully for three years, but is met with heartbreak in one of opera's most enduring tragedies. Ten performances: February 18, 21, 23, 26(m), and March 1, 4(m), 10, 15, 21(m), and 24, 2023. Madama Butterfly was last seen in 2017.

Don Giovanni by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart's most famous opera is a comic and tragic masterpiece. Set in 17th century Spain, this tale of obsession, betrayal, crime, and retribution centers around the infamous lover Don Juan, who leaves a path of broken hearts wherever he goes. Eight performances: February 25 and 28, March 2, 5(m), 8, 12(m), 18, and 25, 2023. Don Giovanni was last seen in Sarasota in 2011.

Ernani by Giuseppe Verdi. The bandit Ernani has lost his land, wealth, and title, and faces competing suitors, including the king, as he pursues his true love, Elvira. One of the greatest of Verdi's early works encompasses love, honor, and tragedy with passionate choruses, emotional arias, and a stirring score. Six performances: March 11, 14, 16, 18(m), 22, and 26(m), 2023. Ernani was last seen in 1997.

Thérèse by Jules Massenet. A love triangle during the French Revolution is the setting for this rarely heard work. Thérèse is torn between love for her former lover and her affection and duty towards her husband. Moments of lyrical beauty are punctuated by the drama of the "Reign of Terror" in this opera, which will be receiving its U.S. professional premiere. Five performances: March 17, 19(m), 21, 23, and 25(m), 2023. A Sarasota Opera debut.

Ticket Information

Subscriptions for the 2022-2023 Season will be available for renewal March 28, 2022, online at SarasotaOpera.org, by phone at (941) 328-1300, and at the Sarasota Opera Box Office. Subscription purchases completed by May 27 will receive a special early subscriber discount of 15%. Single tickets for the 2022-2023 Season will go on sale online August 1, 2022 and at the Sarasota Opera Box Office on September 1st. For more information on the 2022-2023 Season, visit SarasotaOpera.org, call (941) 328-1300, or visit the Box Office at 61 N. Pineapple Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34236.

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