Sarasota Opera Presents the 2020 Opera Gala
"The Colors of Love"
Saturday, February 1, 2020
February 2, 2020
Contact: Lana Mullen, Communications Coordinator
(941) 328-1322
[email protected]
Sarasota, FL – On Saturday, February 1, Sarasota Opera presents the 2020 Opera Gala “The Colors of Love.” The elegant black-tie evening at the Ritz Carlton-Sarasota will begin with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, during which a silent auction will take place, featuring irresistible items for everyone, including local and distant travel, extraordinary fine jewelry, local dining certificates, sports packages, and gifts. After the cocktail hour, there will be a performance by Sarasota Opera principal artists, followed by a three-course dinner created by the Ritz Carlton culinary team. The ballroom will be decorated in dramatically lit colored ribbons. After dinner, guests will light up the dance floor to the music of the Scott Blum Band. Suggested dress: Black Tie with a colorful twist. Tickets for the event are $350 per person or $1500 per Prelude Sponsor (sponsorship includes 2 tickets). All proceeds benefit Sarasota Opera.
Gala committee members are Barb Archbold, Katherine Benoit, Lynn Blackledge, Bonny Heet, Carla Koeffler, Annette Lloyd, and Susan Straus. The corporate sponsors for the event are Allegiant Private Advisors, and the law firm of Williams, Parker, Harrison, Dietz & Getzen. The media sponsors are Sarasota SCENE Magazine and Sarasota Observer.
Event Timeline
6:30-7:15 pm Cocktail hour and Silent Auction
Photographers: please plan to complete all ballroom décor and tabletop shots by 7 pm
7:15-7:30 pm Seating of guests
7:30-7:40 pm Speakers
Artistic Director Victor DeRenzi & Executive Director Richard Russell
Syble DiGirolamo, Chair, Board of Trustees
7:45-8:00 pm Artists’ Performance
Matthew Hanscom, baritone - Toreador Song - Carmen, Bizet
Adelaide Boedecker, soprano – “O mio babbino caro” - Gianni Schicchi, Puccini
Geoffrey Agpalo, tenor – “Dein ist mein ganzes Herz” - The Land of Smiles, Lehár
Maestro Tessa Hartle, piano
8pm Dinner
Music ‘for your dining pleasure’ by the Scott Blum Band
Menu
Salad: Watercress & Arugula Salad, Roasted Beets, Heirloom Tomatoes, Goat Cheese, in a Citrus Vinaigrette
Entrée: Grilled Beef Tenderloin, Mushroom & Fingerling Potato Ragout, Baby Green Beans & Sweet Peppers, Bordelaise Sauce
Dessert: Orange Yogurt Cake with Key Lime Mousse & Passionfruit Gelée, Vanilla Chantilly Cream, Raspberry, Dark Chocolate Ribbon
2020 Winter Opera Festival
Sarasota Opera’s 2020 Winter Festival opens Saturday, February 8, 2020 with Puccini’s La bohème, and is followed by Gounod’s Romeo & Juliet (opening February 15), Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love (opening February 22), and Catalani’s La Wally (opening March 7). For more information, visit SarasotaOpera.org, contact the Sarasota Opera Box Office at (941) 328-1300 or visit the box office 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