SARASOTA OPERA CELEBRATING 51ST SEASON WITH GALA
Sarasota Opera will celebrate its 51st season with the Opening Night Gala. The evening begins Feb. 6 at 5 p.m. as the 2010 Winter Festival opens with the double bill of "Cavalleria rusticana" by Pietro Mascagni and "Pagliacci" by Ruggero Leoncavallo, performed on the stage of the William E. Schmidt Opera Theater in the historic 1926 Sarasota Opera House. Directed by Stephanie Sundine, it will feature sets designed by David P. Gordon and costumes by Howard Tsvi Kaplan. Artistic Director Victor DeRenzi will conduct. Kara Shay Thomson, who received rave reviews here last season for her portrayal of Tosca, will sing the role of Santuzza in "Cavalleria rusticana." Gustavo López Manzitti, praised by critics for his performance in the title role in the Sarasota Opera production of "Don Carlos," returns in the roles of Turiddu in "Cavalleria rusticana" and Canio in "Pagliacci." Longtime Sarasota Opera principal artist Michael Corvino, who has sung Rabbi David in "L’amico Fritz" and "Rigoletto," among others, will sing the roles of Alfio in "Cavalleria rusticana" and Tonio in "Pagliacci." Finally, making her Sarasota Opera debut is Aundi Marie Moore, who will sing the role of Nedda in "Pagliacci." Moore’s past roles include Donna Elvira in "Don Giovanni" with L’Opéra de Monte Carlo and Serena in "Porgy and Bess" with Virginia Opera. After the curtain comes down, patrons who have tickets to the Gala will adjourn to the grand tent behind the Opera House. The event will be chaired by Suzanne and Hank Foster. Catered by Michael’s On East, the gala will begin with cocktails and continue with a three-course gourmet meal. The Cigar City Big Band will provide music for dancing. Tickets for the opening performance of "Cavalleria rusticana"/"Pagliacci" are still available and start at $19. There will be an additional nine performances through March 21. Reservations for the Opening Gala Dinner, which do not include the performance, are $200 per person. Special packages which include both the performance at the Gala Dinner are available starting at $250 per person. Tickets are available now at the Box Office in the Deane Allyn Pavilion of the Sarasota Opera House, by phone at 366-8450, ext. 1, or online at www.sarasotaopera.org. The box office is open seven days a week 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and through the first intermission on performance evenings.
PRESTAGE TO PERFORM AT 'MOON OVER MYAKKA'
Ben Prestage, the legendary banjo-playing, drum-stomping, singing song-writer, will perform in the season’s second "Moon Over Myakka" concert at Myakka River State Park’s South Pavilion on Friday, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m.
Prestage’s heritage is rich with music. His grandfather was a Mississippi sharecropper who turned him onto the sounds and culture of blues. "When I was growing up there was only one kind of music in the house." It was blues.
On the other hand, Ben’s great grandmother was a vaudeville musician who toured with Al Jolson in medicine shows and her daughter was a very talented boogie pianist. So with that kind of background it’s no wonder that Prestage entered into a successful musical career. Recently one writer said that "Ben will make you live and breathe steamy and raw black water bayou Mississippi Blues."
Tickets are $8 per person. For more information, call 361-6511 or 373-7839.
ASOLO REP PRESENTS 'RAGS TO RICHES TO RAGS'
The Asolo Rep Theatre Guild, Bryan Torfeh and friends are presenting a fundraiser Feb. 8: Rags to Riches to Rags – The Comedy Roller-Coaster from 2007-2010.
"This original theatrical piece is devised and performed by Asolo Rep actors and guarantees to make your financial spirits soar!" – Bryan Torfeh
Have we forgotten the lessons of the 1930s? Money is a communal invention that affects us all. Come hear what writers say about it through the ages.
This eclectic revue includes scenes ranging from George Bernard Shaw, Tom Stoppard, Jay Leno, Abbott and Costello, to this month’s topical comedy…. songs from the Andrews Sisters to Sondheim… original sketches…not to mention a few new lyrics written by Tom Lehrer just for this show.
Cast: Bryan Torfeh, Sharon Spelman, Ann Morrison, Carolyn Michel, Stephen Johnson, Kris Danford, Sam Osheroff, Dick Pell and FSU Conservatory students Hannah Goalstone, Ghafir Akbar.
Staging and devising by Jimmy Hoskins and Brad Wallace. Material compiled from George Bernard Shaw, Mark Twain, Larry Gelbart, Stephen Sondheim, E.Y. Harburg, Harold Arlen and more.
Tickets for Feb. 8 are $15. For reservations call Joe Grande, 358-0769, or fourjogran@yahoo.com.(checks and credit cards accepted).
SARASOTA OPERA ASSOCIATION TO PRESENT EROICA TRIO
Whether playing the great standards of the piano trio repertoire or daring contemporary works, the three young women who make up the celebrated Eroica Trio electrify the concert stage with their performances of depth and precision. At this Sarasota Concert Association presentation, the ensemble will perform a program that includes works by Beethoven, Joan Tower and Brahms, Feb. 15, at 8 p.m., at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall.
Tickets are $50, $45 and $40. Pro-rated subscriptions for the Sarasota Concert Association’s remaining four concerts are available at prices of $120, $140 and $160. Subscriptions and single tickets are available by calling 955-0040. For more information, visit www.sarasotaconcertassociation.org.
One of the first all-female chamber ensembles to reach the top echelon of its field, the Eroica Trio is helping to break an age-old gender barrier. "The Trio took its name from Beethoven’s passionate ‘Third Symphony.’" according to John Goodman. "Italian for ‘heroic,’ is ‘eroica,’ a word that aptly reflects the ensemble’s approach to music."
LOSEY AND TRABA IN MUNCHTIME MUSICALE
The Sarasota Concert Association is pleased to present Cheryl Losey on harp and Betsy Hudson Traba on flute in a Munchtime Musicales performance, Feb. 17, noon, at David Cohen Hall inside the Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center, 709 N. Tamiami Trail. The concerts are free and open to the public. For more information about Munchtime Musicales, call 351-7467, or visit www.sarasotaconcertassociation.org.
Betsy Hudson Traba has served as the principal flutist of the Sarasota Orchestra and the Sarasota Wind Quintet since 1993. She is the former principal flutist of the Hofer Symphoniker in Hof, Germany, where she performed as a featured soloist on nine concerts during a two-year period. Traba has been heard frequently as a soloist throughout West Central Florida, including guest artist performances with the La Musica International Chamber Music Festival, Artist’s Series of Sarasota, and the Charlotte Symphony.
Cheryl Losey has earned distinction as one of America’s leading young harpists, receiving national and international awards, and performing in diverse settings around the world. She was a first prize winner and Grandjany Prize winner in the American Harp Society’s National Solo Competition, and first prize winner in the American String Teacher’s Association National Solo Competition. She was also a winner of the Cleveland Institute of Music’s Concerto Competition, and a prize winner in the Corpus Christi International Young Artists Competition, both open to all instrumentalists.
SAY 'I LOVE YOU' WITH A SONG
The award-winning Sarasota Chorus of the Keys knows the perfect way to tell your Valentine exactly what he or she wants to hear. For a $50 donation (just $40 before 5 p.m.), a barbershop quartet will arrive at your sweetheart’s door with flowers, chocolates, a card bearing your name, and a serenade.
Call now to schedule your special delivery for Feb. 12, 13, or 14. Proceeds benefit the Sarasota Chorus of the Keys community support programs and scholarships. To schedule a singing valentine call Dave Richards at 371-6644 or e-mail richards70@msn.com.
Say ‘I love you’ with a song
The award-winning Sarasota Chorus of the Keys knows the perfect way to tell your Valentine exactly what he or she wants to hear. For a $50 donation (just $40 before 5 p.m.), a barbershop quartet will arrive at your sweetheart’s door with flowers, chocolates, a card bearing your name, and a serenade.
Call now to schedule your special delivery for Feb. 12, 13, or 14. Proceeds benefit the Sarasota Chorus of the Keys community support programs and scholarships. To schedule a singing valentine call Dave Richards at 371-6644 or e-mail richards70@msn.com.
February 4th 2010 - 7:23PM