Opera Tampa Announces 2017-18 Season

The 2017-2018 Opera Tampa season engages the senses with powerhouse operas designed to thrill opera lovers and our growing fanbase of newcomers to the form. The glorious series, featuring the work of Rossini, Mozart and Verdi, promises big plans, bold choices and bloody consequences.

"With all the thrilling successes we've seen for Opera Tampa in the last few seasons, we decided to roll out the big guns this year for our new fans and our dedicated audience of opera aficionados," says Straz Center President and Opera Tampa General Director Judy Lisi. "Our mainstage operas include Rossini's The Barber of Seville followed by the sequel, The Marriage of Figaro, which Mozart actually wrote first. But, having them back-to-back gives audiences the complete story in all its madcap glory. They are great tales with truly exceptional music. Then, we offer Verdi's Macbeth, which is so psychologically complex, so musically complex, that it creates a perfect balance for an extraordinary opera season."

In his sixth season as artistic director and conductor, Daniel Lipton will again bring his vast experience on international stages, captivating personality and love of music to Opera Tampa. Lipton's fresh ideas and individual sound have made him a Tampa Bay favorite.

"Opera is about emotion. In this season, we are delivering some of the greatest composers ever to have written opera: Rossini, Mozart and Verdi," said Lipton. "For the first time, Tampa audiences will see us perform Verdi's Macbeth, which is a deeply emotional story, demanding so much from the singers and orchestra. I am so pleased to give audiences an opera they may never have seen before even though they may be quite familiar with Verdi's other works. It's going to be a very unique season."

The 2017-2018 Opera Tampa season includes:

Rossini's

The Barber of Seville

Friday, Feb. 2, 2018, at 8 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018, at 2 p.m.

Morsani Hall

The race for Rosina's love is on-but how can Count Almaviva get her from Dr. Bartolo's clutches? Almaviva needs the man about town who can make things happen, and that man is Figaro, the barber of Seville. Shave and a haircut, two wits: but Bartolo is no match for Figaro's madcap series of subterfuges that gets Almaviva en vivo with Rosina. Gioachino Rossini's hilarious comic opera contains some of the most recognizable arias of all time, and this bright, bold music paired with laugh-out-loud situation comedy will have you humming figaro all the way home.

The Barber of Seville will be sung in Italian with English translations projected above the stage. Maestro Lipton will lead an international cast along with the Opera Tampa Orchestra and Chorus.

Mozart's

The Marriage of Figaro

Friday, March 2, 2018, at 8 p.m.

Sunday, March 4, 2018, at 2 p.m.

Ferguson Hall

No one can do barely controlled chaos better than Mozart, and this uproarious sequel to The Barber of Seville features Almaviva, Figaro, Bartolo, and Rosina in a new adventure-complete with a true love for Figaro, an unexpected visit from his long-lost parents and a dizzying spiral of plot twists thanks to Almaviva's keen interest in extramarital activities. From the first jaunty run of the famous overture to the emotional grandeur Mozart mastered in music, The Marriage of Figaro exhibits Mozart's subversive comic genius at the height of its power.

The Marriage of Figaro will be sung in Italian with English translations projected above the stage. Maestro Lipton will lead an international cast along with the Opera Tampa Orchestra and Chorus.

Verdi's

Macbeth

Friday, April 13, 2018, at 8 p.m.

Sunday, April 15, 2018, at 2 p.m.

Morsani Hall

Scottish heath? Check. Toil, trouble? Double check.

Macbeth, commander of the Scottish army, meets a trio of witches on his way home from work and everything goes downhill from there-taking king and country in a slow descent of ambition, murder and madness. As chilling today as it was 100 years ago, Shakespeare's haunting and haunted "Scottish play" blooms into fully-realized glory in Giuseppe Verdi's sumptuously-scored adaptation. Punctuated with towering arias from the scheming, unraveling Lady Macbeth and demanding an unbelievable emotional range from Macbeth's baritone, Verdi's masterwork is a spine-tingling event that leaves an unforgettable, indelible mark.

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

In addition to the three mainstage performances, the Opera Tampa season also incorporates a variety of special events including pre- and post-performance receptions, the popular open rehearsals, the informative Discover Opera programs and the elegant Opera Tampa Gala.

Those interested in acquiring season tickets or group tickets should call the Straz Center Ticket Sales Office at 813.229.STAR (7827) or outside the Tampa Bay area at 800.955.1045 or visit www.operatampa.org for specific on-sale information. Renewing season ticket holders, Opera Tampa League donors and Straz Center annual donors receive priority seating for season tickets and seating upgrade requests. Priority increases according to giving level. Individual opera tickets will go on sale at a later date.

For more information about Opera Tampa and its upcoming events, please visit www.operatampa.org.