Sarasota Opera Single Tickets for the 2011-2012 Season Now on Sale in the Box Office

Sarasota, FL, September 04, 2011 --(PR.com)-- The 2011 Fall season will offer Puccini’s tragic love story Madama Butterfly which runs from October 28 through November 15, 2011. Performances of this beautiful Sarasota Opera production, last seen in 2007, will begin at 1:30 p.m. for weekend and weekday matinees and 8 p.m. for evening performances.

The 2012 Winter Festival will bring the original opéra-comique version of Bizet’s fiery Carmen with the spoken dialogue, Donizetti’s tragic Lucia di Lammermoor, the Sarasota Opera premiere of Verdi’s masterpiece Otello, and Samuel Barber’s intensely beautiful Vanessa, a continuation of the new American Classics series. The four productions will run in repertory February 11 through March 25, 2012. Evening performances of Carmen will begin at 7:30 p.m. and all others will begin at 8 p.m. All weekend and weekday matinee performances will begin at 1:30 p.m.

Due to the overwhelming popularity of their weekend matinees, the 2011-2012 Season will mark the return of weekDAY matinee performances offering their patrons yet another option to enjoy the operas they love. Patrons can also choose from three Opera Lovers Weekends, March 9-11, March 16-18, or March 23-25 where they can enjoy all four operas in three days. Subscription packages are still available for purchase in four and five show packages through the Box Office.

As of September 1, the Sarasota Opera Box Office will be open from 10am – 4pm Monday through Friday and is located at 61 North Pineapple Avenue in the pavilion building under the green awning, just to the left of the Opera House. You can also call the Box Office directly at 941-328-1300 or purchase tickets online at www.sarasotaopera.org.

All performances at the Sarasota Opera House at 61 N. Pineapple Avenue, Sarasota, FL

Madama Butterfly
Music by Giacomo Puccini
Libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa
Sung in Italian with English supertitles
6 Performances: October 28, 30m, November 2, 5m, 9m, 15

Carmen (original opéra-comique version)
Music by Georges Bizet
Words by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halevy
Sung in French with English supertitles
11 Performances: February 11, 14, 19m, 22, 24, March 4m, 8, 11, 16, 20, 24

Lucia di Lammermoor
Music by Gaetano Donizetti
Poetry by Salvadore Cammarano
Sung in Italian with English supertitles
9 Performances: February 18, 21, 23, 26m, March 2, 7, 9m, 17m, 23

Otello
Music by Giuseppe Verdi
Verses by Arrigo Boito
Sung in Italian with English supertitles
Sarasota Opera Premiere
7 Performances: March 3, 6, 11m, 14, 17, 22, 25m

Vanessa
Music by Samuel Barber
Libretto by Gian Carlo Menotti
Sung in English with English supertitles
Sarasota Opera Premiere
March 10, 13, 15, 18m, 21, 24

**Free pre-performance introductions 45 minutes before curtain in Felding Hall

About Sarasota Opera
Based in Florida’s beautiful Gulf Coast, 2011-2012 will mark Sarasota Opera’s 53rd season. Subscriptions and single tickets are on sale by calling (941) 328-1300 or visiting the Sarasota Opera Box Office. Visit in-person at 61 N. Pineapple Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34236, in the building next to the Opera House, entrance under the green awning, or go online to www.sarasotaopera.org. 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 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.

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