2013 Sarasota Youth Opera Camp Set for Sarasota Opera House, 6/10-28

Enrollment is now open for young people ages 8 -18 for Sarasota Youth Opera's 2013 Summer Camp to be held June 10 - June 28, 2013. The annual three-week program will run Monday thru Friday from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. each day at the Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Avenue, Sarasota.

The Summer Camp promotes hands-on exploration of all aspects of opera in a structured, but informal atmosphere, offering classes in music, voice, acting, opera appreciation, design, and technical production. Opportunities are also provided for campers to experience the magic of opera outside the Opera House through field trips and arts group collaborations. The final day will showcase the participants' work during the program in an on-stage demonstration featuring all campers. Campers will bring their own lunches, but a daily snack will be provided.

"Our camp's hands-on approach with not only singing, but all aspects of opera provides a phenomenal opportunity for young performers to really explore" says Youth Opera Coordinator Ben Plocher. "We are committed to placing our campers in active learning situations with established professionals in the industry: singers, instrumentalists, stage directors, costume designers, set builders, and many others. It's really more than a camp; it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience!"

This year's camp curriculum will focus on the upcoming Sarasota Youth Opera fall production of Benjamin Britten's opera The Little Sweep which will be performed in conjunction with the 100 year anniversary of the composer's birth. Youth Opera campers will learn excerpts from the opera and perform them at the closing concert the last day of camp.

No audition is necessary to participate. Tuition for the program is $300 per child and scholarships are available. The deadline for registration is Friday, May 10, 2013. Before and after camp care is available at no additional charge.

For more information or to register, call Ben Plocher, Youth Opera Coordinator, at (941) 366-8450, ext. 249.

Based in Florida's beautiful Gulf Coast, Sarasota Opera is approaching its 53rd consecutive season. In 1960, the company began presenting chamber-sized repertoire in the historic 320-seat Asolo Theater on the grounds of Sarasota's Ringling Museum of Art. Recognizing the need for a theater more conducive to opera, the company purchased the former A.B. Edwards Theater in downtown Sarasota in 1979 and first performing in it in 1984 as the Sarasota Opera House. The theater has just undergone a $20-million renovation and rehabilitation enhancing audience amenities, while updating the technical facilities including increasing the size of the orchestra pit. The theater, which reopened in March 2008, 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. Since then the company has garnered international attention with its Masterwork Revivals Series, which presents neglected works of artistic merit, as well as the Verdi Cycle producing the complete works of Giuseppe Verdi. Recognizing the importance of training, Maestro DeRenzi founded the Apprentice Artist and Studio Artist programs. Sarasota Opera also maintains a commitment to education through its Invitation to Opera performances for local schools and the unique Sarasota Youth Opera program.

The 2013 Fall Season will feature Johann Strauss, Jr,'s Die Fledermaus followed by the Sarasota Youth Opera production of Britten's The Little Sweep. The 2014 Winter Festival will include Verdi's Il trovatore, Rossini's The Barber of Seville, Wagner's The Flying Dutchman, and Verdi's Jérusalem. Subscriptions for the 2013-2014 season are now on sale by calling (941) 328-1300 or visiting the Sarasota Opera Box Office. Single tickets will go on sale August 1st online (www.sarasotaopera.org) and September 3rd in the box office.

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