Sarasota Opera to Host HOMAGE TO VERDI Exhibit from Rome Opera, 3/8-25

Sarasota Opera has announced it will be host to an exhibition from the Rome Opera House entitled "Homage to Giuseppe Verdi; Celebrating the Bicentennial of his Birth" March 8 - March 25, 2014. The exhibition, underwritten by Piero and Rachele Rivolta, tells the story of the most famous performances of Verdi's operas, and of the great performers, singers, set designers, and costume designers who have kept the legend of Giuseppe Verdi alive.

On display will be selected scenic and costume sketches from productions designed by some of the greatest opera names of the 20th century including Luchino Visconti, Franco Zeffirelli, Pierluigi Pizzi, Danilo Donati, Nicola Benois, and others. The exhibit also includes 18 actual costumes dating back to 1916 worn by artists such as Beniamino Gigli, Renata Scotto, and Angela Gheorghiu , and a video collage of Verdi operas performed at the Rome Opera House.

"Sarasota Opera patrons have become passionate about Verdi's music and we are glad to be able to bring a piece of Italy's rich operatic history to Sarasota," says Maestro Victor DeRenzi. "I want to thank the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma and the Italian Foreign Ministry for allowing this exhibit to come to Sarasota as well as Piero and Rachele Rivolta for their help in making this possible. We are happy to join the many cities in Italy and around the world that can claim a close connection with Verdi."

The exhibition originated as a joint effort between the Rome Opera House and the Italian Foreign Ministry to promote Italian music and Opera around the world. Since its debut in 2011, the exhibit has been seen in locations such as Korea, New York City, Brazil, Russia, and Lebanon among many others.

The exhibition will be housed in the Jonas Kamlet Library in the pavilion building of the Sarasota Opera House. The exhibit will be free and open to the public Tuesday through Sunday from 12pm to 4pm and will be open until 8pm on performance evenings. There is no ticket required for the exhibit.

"Legacy of Verdi" Panel Discussion
The official opening of the exhibition on Saturday, March 8 will be preceded by a panel discussion in the opera house at 11am on the legacy of Verdi as illustrated through this exhibit and the Sarasota Opera Verdi Cycle. The panel will include Victor DeRenzi, Artistic Director of Sarasota Opera; Dr. Francesco Izzo, Director of the American Institute for Verdi Studies; Martha Collins, stage director of Verdi's Jérusalem; and Francesco Reggiani, Director of Historical Archives at the Rome Opera House. Executive Director Richard Russell will moderate. In attendance to help us officially open the exhibit will be Adolfo Barattolo, Italian Consul General in Miami.

This event will be free and open to the public but a reservation is required. To reserve your complimentary ticket to the panel discussion, please call the Sarasota Opera Box Office at (941) 328-1300.