The 2013-14 Florida Opera Festival Adds Picnic in the Park, Holiday Concert & More

The 2013-2014 Florida Opera Festival presented by Opera Tampa is certain to exhilarate every opera buff and fascinate any curious opera novice. Composers Bizet and Mozart, among others, will be showcased in a magnificent season of passion, intrigue and magic. The season also features L'amour Toujours, a Popera! Concert and options to attend the 2012 Tony Award-winning Best Revival of a Musical, The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess, and a concert by international superstar Andrea Bocelli.

The following events have been added to the 2013-2014 Florida Opera Festival schedule:

Sunday, Nov. 3, 2013 - Picnic in the Park with Opera Tampa at 5 p.m., at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park

Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013 - Happy Holidays Concert at 7:30 p.m., in the TECO Theater

Sunday, Dec. 8, 2013 - Happy Holidays Concert at 2:30 p.m., in the TECO Theater

Thursday, Dec. 12, 2013 - Happy Holidays Concert at 7:30 p.m., at the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg

Thursday, Jan. 16, 2014 - A Dynamic Duet - An Evening with Maestro Daniel Lipton and Richard Gonzmart

at 6:30 p.m., at the Tampa Bay History Center

Jan. 21, 23, 27 & 29, 2014 - Open Rehearsal for The Magic Flute at 6:30 p.m., in the Rehearsal Hall

Friday, Jan. 31, 2014 - An Evening of Fashion, Passion, Intrigue and Magic

at 6 p.m., at Neiman Marcus, International Plaza

Friday, Feb. 7, 2014 - The Magic Flute pre-performance reception at 6:30 p.m., in the riverside tent

Sunday, Feb. 9, 2014 - The Magic Flute pre-performance brunch at noon, in Maestro's Restaurant

Friday, Feb. 21, 2014 - L'amour Toujours, a Popera! Concert pre-performance reception

at 6:30 p.m., in the riverside tent

Feb. 25 & 27 and March 3 & 5, 2014 - Open Rehearsal for Carmen at 6:30 p.m., in the Rehearsal Hall

Saturday, March 8, 2014 - Opera Tampa Gala in Ruth Silbiger Lobby of Carol Morsani Hall

Sunday, March 9, 2014 - Sunday Afternoon at the Movies - A Night at the Opera -

at 2:30 p.m., in the TECO Theater

Friday, March 14, 2014 - Carmen post-performance reception immediately

following the opera, in the riverside tent

The 2013-2014 Florida Opera Festival also includes these previously-announced events:

The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess

Friday, Jan. 17, 2014, at 8 p.m.*

Sunday, Jan. 19, 2014, at 2 p.m.*

(*The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess is presented as part of the Bank of America Best of Broadway Tampa Bay series and plays at the Straz Center Jan. 14-19, 2014.)

Morsani Hall

Set in Charleston's fabled Catfish Row, beautiful Bess struggles to break free from her scandalous past, and the only one who can rescue her is the courageous Porgy. Their deep romance triumphs as one of theater's most exhilarating love stories. Winner of the 2012 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical, The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess features such legendary songs as "Summertime," "It Ain't Necessarily So" and "I Got Plenty of Nothing."

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's

The Magic Flute

Friday, Feb. 7, 2014, at 8 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 9, 2014, at 2 p.m.

Morsani Hall

Follow the whimsical adventures of Prince Tamino and Papageno the Bird Catcher on their heroic quest to rescue the captured Princess Pamina. The Magic Flute blends myth and enchantment, and champions the fight between good and evil, confirming that love conquers all.

The Magic Flute will be sung in German with English translations projected above the stage. Maestro Lipton will lead an international cast along with the Opera Tampa Orchestra and Chorus.

L'amour Toujours, a Popera! Concert

Friday, Feb. 21, 2014, at 8 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014, at 2 p.m.

Ferguson Hall

Opera Tampa's Artistic Director and Conductor Daniel Lipton presents opera's greatest hits -

breath-taking music from favorite operas sung by international artists with a full orchestra.

"Because of the immense popularity of the 2013 season's Popera! offering, we'll continue to present exceptional singers with the most popular hits of opera," said Maestro Lipton.

Georges Bizet's

Carmen

Friday, March 14, 2014, at 8 p.m.

Sunday, March 16, 2014, at 2 p.m.

Morsani Hall

Carmen packs all the sizzle of Spanish culture into a sexy thriller that traces Don José's ill-fated obsession with the seductive gypsy Carmen - the ultimate femme fatale. When the handsome toreador, Escamillo, captures Carmen's affections and Jose is cast aside, his jealousy and vengeance consume him.

Carmen will be sung in French with English translations projected above the stage. Maestro Lipton will lead an international cast along with the Opera Tampa Orchestra and Chorus.

The performances of The Magic Flute, L'amour Toujours, a Popera! Concert and Carmen are presented by the Helen Torres Foundation

Florida Opera Festival presents

Andrea Bocelli in Concert

Saturday, Dec. 14, 2013, at 8 p.m.

Tampa Bay Times Forum

With one of the most recognizable voices in music, Andrea Bocelli is a global icon who continues to defy categorization bringing his music to millions world-wide. The December 2013 tour comes in support of Bocelli's recent release Passione which debuted at No. 2 on the overall Billboard charts, along with a brand new PBS television special Love in Portofino. Passione is a lush collection of Mediterranean love songs featuring duets with global pop stars Jennifer Lopez, Nelly Furtado and the late Edith Piaf. The album reunites Bocelli with 16-time Grammy Award-winning producer David Foster, who produced Bocelli's 2006 release Amore, which sold more than 4.2 million copies.

Accompanied by the Opera Tampa Orchestra and Chorus, Bocelli's concert features music from his platinum-selling catalogue, covering both traditional and romantic crossover repertoire.

THREE-SHOW PACKAGE	The Magic Flute, L'amour Toujours, a Popera! Concert and Carmen
FOUR-SHOW PACKAGE	The Magic Flute, L'amour Toujours, a Popera! Concert, Carmen and The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess

**Andrea Bocelli is not part of either season ticket package.

Premium seating for the three-show package begins at $215. Those interested in purchasing season tickets should call the Straz Center Ticket Office at 813.229.STAR (7827) or outside the Tampa Bay area at 800.955.1045 or visit www.operatampa.org for specific information. Group tickets are now on sale. Individual tickets for all Florida Opera Festival events go on sale Sunday, Nov. 3 at noon.

For more information about the Florida Opera Festival presented by Opera Tampa and its upcoming events, please visit www.operatampa.org.

Events, days, dates, times, performers and prices are subject to change without notice.

The David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts and its programs are funded in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, and the National Endowment for the Arts; the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners; the Tourist Development Council/Hillsborough County; and the City of Tampa.

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