- November 23, 2024
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In a time when a career change every few years is commonplace, it’s rare to see longevity in the workplace. This year, five Sarasota Opera employees are celebrating their 20th anniversary with the arts organization. For the last two decades, these employees have worked behind the scenes to bring the art of opera alive onstage.
House Engineer
Eden Francois is standing outside the Sarasota Opera House. He’s dressed impeccably in a handsome suit and sporting a cheerful smile as he sweeps leaves and debris off the sidewalk. He couldn’t be happier.
“I’m absolutely in love with this building,” he says. “I know it better than anyone else. I open it and close it every day. If an alarm goes off at 3 a.m., I’m the first one here.”
His introduction to the Sarasota Opera came in 1996. A Haitian immigrant, Francois was working for a construction company undertaking the historic building’s renovations. Each day, Susan Danis watched Francois from her third-floor window, admiring his work ethic. She called a meeting and told him that when the job was complete, she wanted him to come work for her.
The pride Francois takes, both in the opera house and in his work, is evident. Painting, mopping, maintenance — even staying overnight to keep his eye on a sump pump during a flooding — no task is too much to preserve the building’s beauty.
“If there’s even a spot of dust, I don’t want someone to lean on it in their tuxedo,” he says. “This is a beautiful building and beautiful art. I want people to be able to enjoy it.”
Director of Patron Services
When describing the Sarasota Opera, the first word that comes to Susan Ashcraft’s mind is family.
She first came to the company looking for a change after a career as a mortgage lender. She started working in the box office, as assistant manager, then became manager and now is director of patron services.
When she first got the job, she admits her husband was more excited than she was.
“He was the type of person who would listen to opera on CD,” she says. “He loved it, so he was thrilled. I enjoyed opera, but I had only seen a few before I started. Working here has made me appreciate it that much more.”
Perhaps the biggest perk of the job, she says, is the opportunity to sit in on rehearsals and attend performances — especially ones in which her husband was involved as a supernumerary (which is the opera’s equivalent of an extra).
She says being able to watch a production evolve and come into its own throughout the process has made her feel personally invested in the Sarasota Opera.
“You get to the point where you really care about the business,” she says. “It’s art, but it’s still a business. What you see onstage — the final product — takes everyone in this building, from the person who vacuums the floor to the person designing costumes to the singer onstage. It really is a family.”
Resident Costume Designer
When Maestro Victor DeRenzi interviewed Howard Tsvi Kaplan, he had one major concern for whoever would fill the position: The singers needed to be able to move during the operas.
Coming from a circus background, Kaplan was up for the challenge.
“That was something he was focused on,” says Kaplan. “I told him, ‘Well, sir, I work for the circus, and we throw men like you over a wall with a Russian swing and land them on another man’s shoulders, so it shouldn’t be a problem.’ He seemed impressed by that.”
He says working in opera afforded him opportunities he never had in the circus. Working in period design, he found himself able to dive deep into the history of different cultures and periods of history to design the costumes.
“I’ve done Inca costumes, Turkish soldiers, sailors, Egyptians — you name it,” he says. “You don’t really get many of those opportunities anywhere else.”
It’s tedious, precise work, but Kaplan wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I love it all,” he says. “The camaraderie of working together; the final product; researching and finding the right fabric. Seeing something evolve from a sketch to being onstage opening night is a wonderful feeling.”
Apprentice Artist Program and Music Director; Chorus Master
To Roger Bingaman, the Sarasota Opera is a community all its own. When he first joined the company 20 years ago, he says a few things stood out. First, the company owned its own opera house, which was a huge plus in his book. More importantly, he saw a shared mindset with Maestro Victor DeRenzi.
“I noticed right away his distinct vision for the Sarasota Opera,” he says. “He has a very authentic vision. If you see an opera here, it will be as close as possible to the way it was when it debuted. He hosts an aesthetics class before each opera, where he discusses how he envisions things. The first one I attended, I sighed and thought, ‘OK, I’m home.’”
In his role, Bingaman works with the chorus members and apprentices to cast and prepare them for the performance, as well as with DeRenzi and Director of Artistic Administration Greg Trupiano to coordinate rehearsal schedules.
For him, seeing singers grow throughout rehearsals is the most satisfying part of the job. He recalls last year’s production of “Aida.”
“The chorus was huge,” he says. “Standing in front of a group that size, hearing them sing, was incredible. This company really is a community. We work together; fix problems together; cry and laugh together — everything. And that’s part of a larger artistic community that Sarasota is incredibly lucky to have.”
Head Cashier
David Sorrells takes pride in his people skills. He’s found he can strike up a rapport with just about anyone. It’s no wonder, then, that some of the Sarasota Opera patrons ask for him by name at the box office.
“Some of the other employees tease me. They’ll tell me there’s a customer here, but they only want to talk to Dave,” says Sorrells, dragging out his name in a singsong voice.
In his 20 years at the opera, Sorrells has seen his fair share of change, including three executive directors and a digital overhaul of the ticketing system.
“Tickets were still in pigeonholes when I started, if you can believe that,” he says with a laugh. “That made for an interesting time.”
Sorrells is the first to admit he never thought he would stay in the career this long. When he first began, he asked his coworker how long he’d worked there.
“Twenty years,” the man told him.
It was a daunting number, and Sorrells recalls wondering how anyone could do it. Now, on the other side of the proverbial table, he has a few ideas.
He says he loves being surrounded by music, and that few jobs offer perks like being able to stop and listen to a maestro rehearsing on piano.
“It fuels you,” he says. “I’ve always loved music. Getting to work with and form friendships with the public who appreciates it is great. It brings joy into people’s lives, and it makes you feel like you’re part of this family.”
