Sarasota Opera to Close Verdi Cycle with VERDI FESTIVAL WEEK, Today

Sarasota, FL - Sarasota Opera's 2016 Winter Opera Festival season, a landmark in the company's 57 year history, will mark the final year of the Verdi Cycle, a 28-season initiative to perform the complete works of Giuseppe Verdi. The season will culminate in a Verdi Festival Week March 15 - 20 which will include performances of Verdi's Aida and The Battle of Legnano, two concerts of Verdi's music, a retrospective exhibit on the Verdi Cycle, an International Verdi Conference, and many more commemorative events. At the conclusion of the Verdi Cycle, Sarasota Opera will be theonly company in the world to have performed every work of Giuseppe Verdi.

"I am certain the Verdi Cycle could not have happened in any other community than Sarasota," saysMaestro Victor DeRenzi. "We invite anyone who has been touched by Verdi's music to be part of our Verdi Festival. Join Sarasota Opera in celebrating this historic achievement of being the first opera company in the world to have performed all of his works."

"This is a milestone year for Sarasota Opera," says Richard Russell, Executive Director. "The Verdi Cycle has been the defining initiative for Sarasota Opera for more than a quarter of a century. We are proud that the support of our audience and patrons has made this possible."

The Verdi Exhibit: Verdi in Sarasota - A Retrospective

March 4 - 20, 2016 10am daily

Jonas Kamlet Library

Sarasota Opera House

FREE admission, no ticket required

An exhibit exploring 28 years of Verdi performances at Sarasota Opera including costumes, set designs, scenic models, and video.

The Young Verdi
March 17, 2016, 7:30pm

The William E. Schmidt Opera Theatre

Sarasota Opera House

He is known as the preeminent opera composer of the 19th century, and regarded by many as the reigning master of opera of all time. But before all the fame, the young composer was a talented man with his own dreams and aspirations. Meet the young Verdi in this concert of music composed before his first opera, Oberto.

Verdi Conference: The Score and Beyond: Performing, Staging, and Experiencing Verdi

March 18 - 19, 2016

Sarasota Opera House

Free admission, no ticket required
With the collaboration of the American Institute for Verdi Studies, Sarasota Opera will host a two day international conference on the music and life of Giuseppe Verdi March 18 - 19, 2016. The conference is being organized and led by Dr. Francesco Izzo, co-director of the American Institute for Verdi Studies and Head of Music at the University of Southampton. In addition to Dr. Izzo, 14 scholars and opera professionals from the United States and Europe will present papers and participate in panel discussions focused on the music and life of Giuseppe Verdi. See below for full conference details and a list of participants.

The Verdi Cycle Grand Finale Celebration

March 20, 2016,

7:00pm Verdi Concert

William E. Schmidt Opera Theatre

Sarasota Opera House

Experience opera history being made as Sarasota Opera performs one of Verdi's final works - theTe Deum, and a duet from Oberto, conte di San Bonifacio, last heard in the 1840's. Relive some of the highlights of our 28-year journey through the works of Verdi with favorite arias, ensembles and choruses from his great operas. The Sarasota Opera Orchestra and Chorus will be joined by principal artists from the 2016 Winter Festival Season. This concert will mark Maestro DeRenzi's 700th performance with Sarasota Opera.

Sarasota Opera opened the 2016 Winter Opera Festival, the largest and one of the most important in the company's 57-year history, on January 30th with the company premiere of Verdi's Aida. The season also features Verdi's rarely seen The Battle of Legnano, opening February 27th, which will mark the final operatic installment of the Verdi Cycle. In addition, Sarasota Opera re-mounted its critically acclaimed production of Mozart's comedy Cosi fan tutte and will premiere a new production of Beethoven's only opera Fidelio.

Sarasota Opera launched a new website, http://www.verdicycle.org/, dedicated to the company's 28-year Verdi Cycle. Features of the website include listings of all of Verdi's operatic and non-operatic music performed by Sarasota Opera, including production information and photos;testimonial pages from, artists who performed in Verdi Cycle productions, as well as audience members who saw Verdi Cycle operas, scholarly resources for Verdi enthusiasts; and even a countdown clock tracking the time left to the completion of the Verdi Cycle.

Sarasota Opera was honored by the City of Sarasota on January 30th by renaming the block of Pineapple Avenue stretching from 1st street to Main Street "Verdi Place" in honor of the company's completion of the Verdi Cycle. The ceremony began with a brass fanfare from the balcony of the opera house which was followed by the unveiling of the new street sign by Maestro DeRenzi and City of Sarasota officials.

For more information and to purchase tickets for the current season, visit www.sarasotaopera.org or call the Sarasota Opera Box Office at (941) 328-1300.

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