The Elixir of Love will work its magic beginning February 22nd
Donizetti’s effervescent comedy is a prescription for romance
February 6, 2020
Contact: Lana Mullen, Communications Coordinator
(941) 328-1322
[email protected]
Sarasota, FL – Gaetano Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love opens on Saturday, February 22 at 7:30 pm, the third work in the 2020 Winter Opera Festival. Can a magic love potion lead to happily ever after? This comedy is filled with charming characters, wonderful melodies, and sweet surprises. Beautiful scenery, imaginative costumes, and a “feel good” ending will truly enchant! The Elixir of Love will have seven performances through March 21, 2020. Tickets start at $19. For more information, visit SarasotaOpera.org, call (941) 328-1300, or visit the box office at 61 N. Pineapple Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34236.
Some notable debuts, along with familiar faces, comprise the artistic ensemble
Marco Nisticò, who most recently performed with the company as Rigoletto, is making his Sarasota Opera directing debut with The Elixir of Love. Nemorino — the naive youth who’s in love with Adina, a wealthy landowner — will be played by Sarasota Opera newcomer Geoffrey Agpalo. The lyric tenor who has been featured as one of Opera News’ “up-and-coming singers.” Soprano Adelaide Boedecker will make her role debut as Adina, who won’t give the adoring Nemorino a second glance. Ms. Boedecker has been making a name for herself at numerous regional opera companies, but she got her start as a member of the Sarasota Youth Opera. The traveling salesman who peddles cure-alls for every ailment will be played by bass-baritone Stefano de Peppo, returning to the company after memorable comic turns in The Barber of Seville and Così fan tutte. Sergeant Belcore, who’s competing for the affections of Adina, will be played by baritone Alex DeSocio, making his Sarasota Opera debut. John F. Spencer IV (Carmen) returns to conduct.
Historic background: Gaetano Donizetti composed his first opera at the age of 21, writing a total of more than 70 operas through his 51-year lifetime. The Elixir of Love, which premiered in 1832 at the Teatro della Canobbiana in Milan, features one of opera’s most enduring arias — “Una furtiva lagrima” (A furtive tear) —that has been featured in a number of Hollywood films, including “The Age of Innocence,” Clint Eastwood’s “Hereafter” and Woody Allen’s “Match Point.”
Ticket information
Individual tickets start at only $19 and are available at SarasotaOpera.org and in the Sarasota Opera Box Office. For more information on The Elixir of Love as well as the rest of the 2020 Winter Opera Festival season—Puccini’s La bohème, Gounod’s Romeo & Juliet, and Catalani’s La Wally, (opening March 7)—contact the Sarasota Opera Box Office at (941) 328-1300 or visit in person at 61 N. Pineapple Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34236.
About Sarasota Opera
Sarasota Opera is entering its 61st Season of bringing world-class opera to Florida’s Gulf Coast. The company was launched in 1960, when a touring chamber opera company came to the historic 320-seat Asolo Theater on the grounds of Sarasota’s Ringling Museum of Art. The following year the Asolo Opera Guild was formed to present the season. By 1974 the Asolo Opera was mounting its own productions at the theater. Recognizing the need for a theater more conducive to full-scale opera, the company purchased the former A.B. Edwards Theater which in 1984 (as the Sarasota Opera House) became home to the newly renamed Sarasota Opera. The building underwent a $20 million renovation and rehabilitation in 2007 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 and administrative leadership of Executive Director Richard Russell since 2012. Sarasota Opera has garnered international attention with its Masterwork Revivals Series, which presents neglected works of artistic merit, as well as the Verdi Cycle, completed in 2016, that made Sarasota Opera the only opera company in the world to present all of Verdi’s works. Recognizing the importance of training, Maestro DeRenzi founded the Apprentice and Studio Artists programs. Sarasota Opera also maintains a commitment to education through its Explorations in Opera performances for local schools and the industry-leading Sarasota Youth Opera program.
Sarasota Opera is sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Programs are supported in part by an award from the Tourist Development Tax through the Board of County Commissioners, the Tourist Development Council and the Sarasota County Arts Council. Additional funding is provided by the City of Sarasota and the County of Sarasota.
Sarasota Opera • 61 N. Pineapple Avenue • Sarasota, FL 34236 • (941) 366-8450 www.sarasotaopera.org #End