SARASOTA OPERA ANNOUNCES CAST FOR 2022-2023 FALL AND WINTER SEASONS
Sarasota, FL— Victor DeRenzi, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor, and Richard Russell, General Director, are pleased to announce casting for the 2022-2023 Fall and Winter Seasons at Sarasota Opera. We are eager to welcome back returning artists, as well as new artists making their company debuts, to the opera stage.
2022 FALL FESTIVAL
Sarasota Opera will begin the 2022 Fall Season with Richard Strauss’ comedy The Secret Marriage (Il matrimonio segreto), which has never been performed at Sarasota Opera. This production will feature six returning Sarasota Opera artists, five of whom were featured in our Winter 2022 season. Principal soprano Hanna Brammer, who sang Leïla in Les Pêcheurs de perles, will be reappearing on the Sarasota Opera stage as Carolina, the youngest of two daughters living under their father’s care. Her older sister, Elisetta, will be played by soprano Brenna Markey, who made her Sarasota Opera debut this past winter as a studio artist. The sisters’ aunt, Fidalma, will be played by Lisa Chavez, who has most recently appeared as La Marquise de Berkenfield in last season’s production of La Fille du régiment. Carolina and Elisetta’s father, Geronimo, will be played by Italian bass-baritone Stefano de Peppo, last heard here as The Sacristan in Tosca and Leone in Attila. Baritone Filippo Fontana, last seen as Lescaut in Manon Lescaut in the Winter 2018 and as Marcello in the Winter 2020 production of La bohème, will play Count Robinson.
Victor DeRenzi will conduct The Secret Marriage with Stephanie Sundine as the Stage Director. The Secret Marriage will have five performances throughout the fall season, which opens on October 28th.
The Fall 2022 Season will also include Sarasota Youth Opera’s performances of The Secret World of Og by Canadian composer Dean Burry. The orchestration for this work was commissioned specifically for Sarasota Youth Opera and was premiered here in 2016. The story of The Secret World of Og, adapted from the popular children’s book by Canadian author Pierre Berton, follows a group of siblings who venture into the subterranean world of the Og’s to rescue their baby brother and cat. This story has been a favorite with Canadian children since it was first introduced in the 1960’s. All roles will be sung by members of the Sarasota Youth Opera Program. Director of Education, Martha Collins, will direct The Secret World of Og with Sarasota Youth Opera Music Director Jesse Martins conducting. The Secret World of Og will have 2 performances during the fall season on November 5 and 6.
2023 WINTER OPERA FESTIVAL
The 2023 Winter Opera Festival at Sarasota Opera will open on February 18, 2023 with one of Giacomo Puccini’s most popular operas, Madama Butterfly. A Sarasota Opera audience favorite since 1968, the story follows Cio-Cio San, a young geisha often called Madama Butterfly, who marries an American naval officer, B.F. Pinkerton. Making her Sarasota Opera debut in the title role will be soprano Raquel Gonzáles, who was recently heard in Harvey Milk at Opera Theatre of St. Louis and as Mimì in La bohème at Virginia Opera. She is a former Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist at Washington National Opera. Also making his Sarasota Opera debut will be tenor Christopher Oglesby, who will sing the role of Pinkerton. Mr. Oglesby was an Adler Fellow at San Francisco Opera where among his roles were Jacquino in Fidelio and Edmondo in Manon Lescaut. He also performed the role of Boris in Janacek’s Kát’a Kabanová at West Edge Opera in San Francisco. Butterfly’s faithful maid, Suzuki, will be played by Heather Johnson, whose past roles with Sarasota Opera include Maddalena in Rigoletto, Angelina in La Cenerentola, and Elizabeth Proctor in The Crucible. Also a returning artist, Italian baritone Filippo Fontana will sing the role of Sharpless, the US Consul. Mr. Fontana has previously sung on international stages, including famed opera houses La Scala and Teatro dell’Opera di Roma.
Stephanie Sundine returns to direct and Victor DeRenzi will conduct. This production will feature sets designed by David P. Gordon. Madama Butterfly will have ten performances throughout the winter season from February 18 through March 24, 2023.
Mozart’s comedy, Don Giovanni, will be the second opera offered in the 2023 Winter Festival. This story follows a licentious nobleman, Don Giovanni, who will be played by bass-baritone David Weigel. Mr. Weigel made his Sarasota Opera debut last winter singing Angelotti in Tosca and Nourabad in Les Pêcheurs de perles. Bass Stefano de Peppo will play Don Giovanni’s complicit side-kick, Leporello. Longtime audience favorite Young Bok Kim returns after his Winter 2022 role as Attila to play the role of Il Commendatore. Making her Sarasota Opera debut in the role of Donna Anna will be Erica Petrocelli. Ms. Petrocelli has previously sung in opera houses such as the LA Opera, Opernhaus Zürich, and the Opera Theatre of St. Louis. Singing the role of Don Ottavio, will be Brian Vu. Mr. Vu will likewise make his Sarasota Opera debut in this role, having sung most recently at Minnesota Opera, Atlanta Opera, and the Metropolitan Opera. Caitlin Crabill, who recently starred as Tosca in winter of 2022, will play Donna Elvira, another of Don Giovanni’s conquests. Zerlina, another one of Don Giovanni’s attempted seductions, will be played by soprano Anna Mandina. Ms. Mandina was heard at Sarasota Opera as Liù in Turandot in 2019, and has most recently appeared as Mimì in La bohème during the Winter 2022 festival. With eight performances between February 25 and March 25, Marcello Cormio will return to conduct Don Giovanni, with Mark Freiman as the stage director. David P. Gordon will be the scenic designer.
Verdi’s Ernani, last seen at Sarasota Opera in 1997, will be the third offering in the Winter Opera Festival. Rafael Davila, longtime favorite of Sarasota Opera audiences, will sing the title role of outlawed bandit Ernani. Mr. Davila has previously performed leading roles with the Metropolitan Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, Washington National Opera, Teatro San Carlo, and other international companies. The three remaining principal artists will all be making their Sarasota Opera debuts this season. Canadian-Italian soprano Aviva Fortunata will play the role of Elvira, a young noblewoman who is the object of three men’s attention. Ms. Fortunata has recently performed with Pacific Opera Victoria and l’Orchestra symphonique de Québec and sang the title role in Bellini’s Norma with Dallas Opera. Don Carlo, the King of Spain, will be sung by baritone Ricardo José Rivera, who has recently sung with the Chicago Symphony (Un ballo in maschera), Houston Grand Opera, and Opera de Puerto Rico. Playing the role of Elvira’s elderly uncle and fiancée, Don Ruy Gomez de Silva, will be bass Mariano Buccino. Mr. Buccino has sung in numerous opera houses internationally and will make his US debut at our Winter 2023 Festival. Martha Collins, who had directed many early Verdi operas for Sarasota Opera, will return as stage director, with Maestro DeRenzi conducting. Also returning is Steven C. Kemp, who was the scenic designer for La Wally and Tiefland. Ernani will have six performances throughout the winter season from March 11-26, 2023.
The final production of the 2023 Winter Festival will bring a Sarasota Opera premiere and a rarely heard work: Jules Massenet’s Thérèse. Mezzo-soprano Lisa Chavez will return to the Sarasota Opera stage as Thérèse. Ms. Chavez has sung a principal role in numerous Sarasota Opera productions, also making headlines across the country in roles such as Maggie in New York City Opera’s premiere of Stonewall. Nobleman Armand de Clerval will be played by Andrew Surrena, who most recently sang the role of Nadir in Les Pêcheurs de perles. Frequent visitor to Sarasota Opera, baritone Sean Anderson will sing the role of André Morel. He was last heard in as Germano in La scala di seta and was recently Count Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro with Opera Delaware. With five performances between March 17 and 25, Thérèse will be conducted by Louis Lohraseb, who will be making his Sarasota Opera debut. Mr. Lohraseb has conducted internationally with the Komische Oper, Berlin, Semperoper Dresden, as well as with LA Opera and Indiana University Opera Theatre. Katherine Carter, who directed The Pearl Fishers at Sarasota Opera last season, is returning to direct with Ryan Howell making his debut as scenic designer.
Additional casting
All productions for the 2022-2023 Season will feature Howard Tsvi Kaplan as costume designer, with Ken Yunker as lighting designer, and Kellen Eason as hair and makeup designer.
SARASOTA OPERA 2022-23 SEASON
The Secret Marriage (Il matrimonio segreto) by Richard Strauss
Sung in Italian with English translations above the stage
October 28, 30m, 2022
November 8, 10, 12m, 2022
Evening performances begin at 7:30 pm and matinee performances begin at 1:30 pm.
Artists:
Carolina: Hanna Brammer
Elisetta: Brenna Markey
Fidalma: Lisa Chavez
Paolino: Levi Hamlin
Geronimo: Stefano de Peppo
Count Robinson: Filippo Fontana
Conductor: Victor DeRenzi
Stage Director: Stephanie Sundine
Costume Designer: Howard Tsvi Kaplan
Lighting Designer: Ken Yunker
Hair & Make-Up Designer: Kellen Eason
The Secret World of Og by Dean Burry
Sung in English with English text above the stage
November 5, 6m, 2022
Evening performances begin at 7:30 pm and matinee performances begin at 1:30 pm.
Artists:
Sarasota Youth Opera members
Conductor: Jesse Martins
Stage Director: Martha Collins
Costume Designer: Alison White
Costume Coordinator: Howard Tsvi Kaplan
Lighting Designer: Ken Yunker
Hair & Make-Up Designer: Kellen Eason
Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini
Sung in Italian with English translations above the stage
Feburuary 18, 21, 23, 26m, 2023
March 1, 4m, 10, 15, 21, 24, 2023
Evening performances begin at 7:30 pm and matinee performances begin at 1:30 pm.
Artists:
Cio Cio San: Raquel Gonzales
Suzuki: Heather Johnson
B.F. Pinkerton: Christopher Oglesby
Sharpless: Filippo Fontana
The Bonze: Young Bok Kim
Conductor: Victor DeRenzi
Stage Director: Stephanie Sundine
Scenic Designer: David P. Gordon
Costume Designer: Howard Tsvi Kaplan
Lighting Designer: Ken Yunker
Hair & Make-Up Designer: Kellen Eason
Don Giovanni by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Sung in Italian with English translations above the stage
February 25, 28, 2023
March 2, 5m, 8, 12m, 18, 25, 2023
Evening performances begin at 7:30 pm and matinee performances begin at 1:30 pm.
Artists:
Don Giovanni: David Weigel
Il Commendatore: Young Bok Kim
Donna Anna: Erica Petrocelli
Don Ottavio: Brian Vu
Donna Elvira: Caitlin Crabill
Leporello: Stefano de Peppo
Zerlina: Anna Mandina
Conductor: Marcello Cormio
Stage Director: Mark Freiman
Scenic Designer: David P. Gordon
Costume Designer: Howard Tsvi Kaplan
Lighting Designer: Ken Yunker
Hair & Make-Up Designer: Kellen Eason
Ernani by Guiseppe Verdi
Sung in Italian with English translations above the stage
March 11, 14, 16, 18m, 22, 26m, 2023
Evening performances begin at 7:30 pm and matinee performances begin at 1:30 pm.
Artists:
Ernani: Rafael Davila
Elvira: Aviva Fortunata
Don Carlo: Ricardo José Rivera
Don Ruy Gomez de Silva: Mariano Buccino
Conductor: Victor DeRenzi
Stage Director: Martha Collins
Scenic Designer: Steven C. Kemp
Costume Designer: Howard Tsvi Kaplan
Lighting Designer: Ken Yunker
Hair & Make-Up Designer: Kellen Eason
Thérèse by Richard Strauss
Sung in French with English translations above the stage
March 17, 19m, 21, 23, 25m, 2023
Evening performances begin at 7:30 pm and matinee performances begin at 1:30 pm.
Artists:
Thérèse: L isa Chavez
Armand de Clerval: Andrew Surrena
Morel: Sean Anderson
Conductor: Louis Lohraseb
Stage Director: Katherine Carter
Scenic Designer: Ryan Howell
Costume Designer: Howard Tsvi Kaplan
Lighting Designer: Ken Yunker
Hair & Make-Up Designer: Kellen Eason
ABOUT SARASOTA OPERA
Sarasota Opera is entering its 64th Season of bringing world-class opera to Florida’s Gulf Coast. The company was launched in 1960 in the historic 320-seat Asolo Theater on the grounds of Sarasota’s Ringling Museum of Art. In 1984 the company moved into the former A.B. Edwards Theater—now the Sarasota Opera House. Since then, the company has gained an international reputation as one of the leading regional opera companies in the U.S. through initiatives such as the Masterworks Revival Series and the Verdi Cycle. The company’s Sarasota Youth Opera is the most comprehensive Youth Program in the U.S. The Sarasota Opera House, which underwent a $20 million renovation and rehabilitation in 2007, 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 General Director Richard Russell since 2012. Sarasota Opera is sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture and the National Endowment for the Arts. Programs are paid for in part by Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax revenues.
Sarasota Opera • 61 N. Pineapple Avenue • Sarasota, FL 34236 • (941) 366-8450
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