Tenor Heath Huberg to Open the Baltimore Orioles' 2013 Spring Training Season, 2/23

A great Sarasota baseball tradition continues as Sarasota Opera will help open the 2013 Baltimore Oriole's Spring Training Season with the singing of the National Anthem on Saturday, February 23rd, at the opening game against the Minnesota Twins. Tenor Heath Huberg, who is currently singing the role of Nadir in Sarasota Opera's 2013 production of The Pearl Fishers, has been selected to sing.

Mr. Huberg is no stranger to the game of baseball. He explains he spent almost as much time in the practice room as he did on the baseball field growing up. "In my youth I was in little league and other organized baseball leagues through school. I played on area all-star teams in tournaments and went to many different collegiate and professional camps."

Eventually, music won out for Mr. Huberg. But that did not extinguish his love for the game. "Along with my interest in playing the sport, I am also a huge fan of it", explains Mr. Huberg. "When the major league baseball season ends, I am always looking forward to the first pitch of spring training. I am very excited to be able to honor America for the first spring training game of the 2013 season for the Baltimore Orioles. Go O's!"

Heath Huberg as Nadir in Sarasota Opera's production of the The Pearl Fishers. Photo by Rod Millington/Sarasota Opera (right).

Mr. Huberg has been a mainstay at Sarasota Opera since 2010 when he made his debut as Beppe in Pagliacci. Since then, he has been seen as both Delil and the Prior of Milan in Verdi's rarely seen Giovanna d'Arco and I Lombardi alla prima crociata, and Giles Corey in The Crucible. As a last minute stand in, he sang performances of Don Ottavio in the 2011 production of Mozart's Don Giovanni, where he "won long and rapturous applause" (Palm Beach Arts Paper) for his performances. Last season, Mr. Huberg was seen as Cassio in Verdi's Otello and Remendado in Bizet's Carmen.

Don't miss your chance to see tenor Heath Huberg on stage! Performances of Bizet's The Pearl Fishers will continue through March 22nd. Tickets are available online at www.sarasotaopera.org or by calling the Sarasota Opera Box Office at (941) 328-1300.

Based in Florida's beautiful Gulf Coast, Sarasota Opera is approaching its 54th 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 Winter Season opened on February 9, 2012 with Puccini's Turandot followed by Bizet's The Pearl Fishers, Verdi's A King for a Day and Carlisle Floyd's Of Mice and Men. Subscriptions and single tickets for the 2012 - 2013 Winter Season are now on sale online at www.sarasotaopera.org or calling the Sarasota Opera Box Office at (941) 328-1300.