Mozart, Verdi on tap in upcoming season for Sarasota Opera

The upcoming fall and winter season for Sarasota Opera will bring shows rarely or never before seen by local audiences.

Domenico Cimarosa’s “The Secret Marriage” will be the only show in the fall season, which runs from Oct. 28 to Nov. 12. This will be a Sarasota debut for “The Secret Marriage,” which was written in 1792 and first performed in Italy in 1793.

"The Secret Marriage" was first performed in the U.S. in 1834, and The Metropolitan Opera first staged it in 1937.

And like some of the shows on the winter docket, it gives the audience a bit of a change of pace.

"As we hopefully return closer to normal, we are thrilled to present a varied season with some of our favorite works, along with operas that we’ve never given before,” says General Director Richard Russell in an official statement.

The winter season will bring productions by some of history’s most celebrated composers, as Mozart, Puccini, Verdi and Massenet will all be represented.

Puccini's “Madame Butterfly," one of the world’s most famous operas, will run in Sarasota between Feb. 18 and March 24. "Madame Butterfly" was last seen in Sarasota during the 2017 season.

Mozart’s “Don Giovanni,” last seen in Sarasota in 2011, will have eight performances between Feb. 25 and March 25. "Don Giovanni" represents Mozart at his peak, and it premiered in Prague all the way back in 1787.

"Don Giovanni" will be followed by Verdi’s “Ernani,” last performed by the Sarasota Opera in 1997, which will run six performances between March 11-26. "Ernani" was first performed in Venice in 1844.

The final opera of the 2022-23 season will be “Therese,” a piece by Massenet set in the French Revolution. This won’t just be a Sarasota premiere; it’s the first time a professional opera company in the U.S. has performed this work, which was penned in 1906.

“During our 64th season, we look forward to introducing our audience to some important, lesser-known operas, including one that has never before been seen in a U.S. opera house,” says Artistic Director Victor DeRenzi in an official statement.