Florida Grand Opera Reveals 2023 – 2024 Concert Season

Florida Grand Opera's 2023 – 2024 concert season will reach every corner of Miami-Dade and Broward Counties with eclectic offerings designed to dazzle and delight South Florida audiences. Starring the talented young artists of the Florida Grand Opera Studio and special guests, the concerts offer an exciting mixture of opera, Broadway, zarzuela, reggae, and more.

Tradition and innovation combine in the 2023 – 2024 concert season. "We are breaking out of the box and exploring a lot of new things," says Director of Artistic Operations Matt Cooksey. "Even though we have great traditional operas at the big houses, this season is about challenging ourselves to prepare innovative vocal concerts in South Florida that celebrate the diverse cultural makeup in our community and create the next wave of opera fans."

FIRST SING/FINAL SING

Florida Grand Opera's renowned  2023 – 2024 Studio Artists will burst onto the South Florida scene with First Sing. The Florida Grand Opera Studio Artists are a cadre of specially selected early-career professionals who compete in a national audition for one of the coveted positions. They serve as the face of opera in Miami and Fort Lauderdale and spend the full season performing principal and comprimario roles alongside FGO's roster of acclaimed directors, conductors, and musicians. They tour Miami-Dade and Broward counties to offer a variety of concerts such as the beloved SongFest series, and a touring outreach opera for young audiences, among other events. The 2023 – 2024 Studio consists of returning tenor Joseph McBrayer and the following first-year artists: soprano Sara Kennedy, mezzo-soprano Taylor-Alexis DuPont, baritone Joseph Canuto Leon, and bass-baritone Keith Klein.

The First Sing concert introduces these fresh faces and voices to South Florida audiences with popular operatic repertoire and an exciting season preview. The concerts take place on Friday, October 20 in Coral Gables and Saturday, October 21 in Oakland Park. Admission is free, but seating is limited and reservations are encouraged.

In the concert season's spectacular grand finale, FGO sends its Studio Artists to the next stop on their operatic journeys. At Final Sing, the elite artists will demonstrate a season's worth of professional growth in an intimate, no-holds-barred musical showcase of operatic favorites. The concerts take place on Sunday, May 12 in Coral Gables and Friday, May 10 in Oakland Park. Admission is free, but seating is limited and reservations are encouraged.

SONGFEST

Scandals and Scoundrels: Opera's Contemptible Characters and Sordid Situations is the first  2023 – 2024 offering in FGO's popular SongFest series. Villains take center stage in this concert of arias and ensembles exploring opera's deliciously dark side, presented by the Florida Grand Opera Studio Artists. There are two dates: Friday, November 17, in Miami and Sunday, November 19 in Fort Lauderdale. Tickets are $15; free to donors and subscribers.

Next in the series is From the Page to the Stage: Great Literary Works Reimagined for the Operatic Stage, on Friday, February 16 in Miami and Sunday, February 18 in Fort Lauderdale. Composers and librettists frequently take inspiration from great works of literature, bringing them to larger-than-life adaptations for the operatic stage. The Florida Grand Opera Studio Artists perform excerpts from some of the best musical interpretations of the world's most celebrated authors and demonstrate first-hand how great music can enhance great storytelling. Tickets are $15; free to donors and subscribers.

The final concert of the SongFest Series, Drop the Mic! Broadway Musicals Without Microphones, revisits the Golden Age of Broadway when stars belted their best without the use of microphones. The Florida Grand Opera Studio Artists serenade with classic Broadway songs and scenes as they were intended to be heard --- unamplified, unaugmented, and unbelievably beautiful. The concerts take place Friday, March 15 in Miami and Sunday, March 17 in Fort Lauderdale. Tickets are $15; free to donors and subscribers.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Back by popular demand, FGO's ¡Viva Zarzuela! series offers two exciting concerts this season. Cuba en zarzuela y canción celebrates the vibrant rhythms and stories of Cuban zarzuela and popular song. Curated by legendary local voice teacher and artistic consultant Manny Perez, this festive concert features special guest stars to be announced at a later date. The single performance takes place on Sunday, February 25 at the Cuban Hebrew Congregation in Miami Beach. Tickets are $25.

Zarzuela por el mundo explores Spanish and Latin American zarzuela traditions, along with opera and a few surprises. The single performance takes place on Sunday, April 14 at the Cuban Hebrew Congregation in Miami Beach and stars the Studio Artists and special guests to be announced at a later date. Tickets are $25.

Florida Grand Opera teams up with PNC Arts Alive, the Rhythm Foundation, and the City of Miami Beach to present the Opera Reggae Concert, a fun, family-friendly event at the Miami Beach Bandshell on Sunday, March 3. This lighthearted exploration of common themes between the two genres and will include traditional reggae, opera, and a playful blend of the two styles. Tickets are available at miamibeachbandshell.com.

The Zip CODE (Community Opera Delivered Equitably) Tour is a special new initiative designed to bring vibrant opera performances to nontraditional venues in a wide range of zip codes throughout Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. Times, dates, and locations will be listed at fgo.org as they become available. Admission is free.

"This concert season is especially exciting due to the range of repertoire and the many new venues we're reaching," says Samuel M. Townsend Studio Artist Program Manager Neil Nelson. "We know that opera enriches lives, so we're bringing it directly into familiar community gathering places like libraries, schools, synagogues, churches, and parks, where it is accessible and enjoyable for everyone."

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