Florida Grand Opera
September 26, 2022

FLORIDA GRAND OPERA'S FIRST SING CONCERT OFFERS A FREE SEASON PREVIEW

Elite FGO 2022-23 Studio Artists tease the season in their debut performance

MIAMI AND FORT LAUDERDALE, FL, 26 September 2022 --- South Florida’s hottest young opera stars offer a free sneak peek at Florida Grand Opera’s upcoming season at their annual First Sing Concerts held in October in Miami and Fort Lauderdale. The Studio Artists, who also comprise the Sunday matinee cast of season opener El matrimonio secreto, will perform selections from each of the five works of the 2022-23 season, including the double bill of Gianni Schicchi and its sequel, Buoso’s Ghost, Tosca, and The Barber of Seville. The program also includes a variety of favorite arias and ensembles from Carmen, La finta giardiniera, and more.

FGO’s Studio Artists are an elite cadre of young professional singers, carefully selected via an intensive nationwide audition process. They take up residency in Miami to perform mainstage roles, concertize throughout Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, and serve the community as FGO’s opera ambassadors. This season, the six award-winning stars include sopranos Page Michels and Ashley Shalna, mezzo-soprano Erin Alford, tenors Charles Calotta and Joseph McBray, and baritone Phillip Lopez.

Michels and Calotta return to the Studio after a successful 2021-22 season. Michels appeared as Lucy in Fellow Travelers and A Page in Rigoletto. In 2022, she will open the season in the leading role of secret wife Carolina in the Sunday matinee performance of El matrimonio secreto and essay one of opera’s most famous and beloved arias, “O mio babbino caro,” as Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi. After receiving accolades for his performances last season as The Young Collector in A Streetcar Named Desire, Borsa in Rigoletto, and Tommy McIntyre in Fellow Travelers, Calotta will perform the leading roles of young lover Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi and Buoso’s Ghost and Scarpia’s evil henchman Spoletta in Tosca.

Four singers join the Studio this season. Tampa native and graduate of both the University of Florida and the University of Miami, soprano Ashley Shalna made her FGO debut in 2021 as Clara in Il signor deluso and returns this season in the roles of Elisetta in El matrimonio secreto (Sunday matinee performance) and Nella in Gianni Schicchi and Buoso’s Ghost. Mezzo-soprano Erin Alford, hailing from Long Beach, CA, makes her FGO debut as jealous aunt Fidalma in El matrimonio secreto, La Ciesca in Gianni Schicchi and Buoso’s Ghost. Tenor Joseph McBrayer of Dallas, Georgia will debut in the leading role of secret husband Paolino in El matrimonio secreto and as Gherardo in Gianni Schicchi and Buoso’s Ghost. Baritone Phillip Lopez will debut as the deceived father, Geronimo, in El matrimonio secreto, Betto in Gianni Schicchi and Buoso’s Ghost, and the Jailer in Tosca.

The FGO Studio Artists are directed by stage director Matt Cooksey, under the artistic leadership of Director of Artistic Administration Mitch Roe and General Director and CEO Susan T. Danis. Established in 1984, the FGO Studio enjoys an international reputation as a highly competitive and comprehensive career development program. The young professionals chosen demonstrate extraordinary potential for significant contributions to the field of opera. Alumni of the program include award-winning countertenor Key’Mon Murrah, most recently awarded Finalist and Encouragement award of Placido Domingo’s international Operalia competition; Grammy-winning soprano Jessica E. Jones; Metropolitan Opera mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis; Metropolitan Opera tenor Andrew Bidlack; and Miami’s own mezzo-soprano Amanda Crider, founder and Artistic Director of illuminarts.

First Sing is the Studio Artists’ first public appearance and an opportunity for music lovers to meet these rising stars and hear them at the beginning of their FGO adventures. Many patrons enjoy tracking the young singers’ progress throughout the season. In addition to their mainstage appearances, the Studio Artists engage in a series of performances in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties, including a Zarzuela concert, the SongFest series which explore a variety of themes including contemporary opera, the compositions of Michael Ching (composer and conductor of Buoso’s Ghost), and the gems found in operas’ final acts, and a grand finale concert.

“We are so excited to bring these concerts to Coral Gables and Oakland Park this fall,” said Cooksey. “The Studio this year is made up of some of the best singers from all four corners of the United States: California, Oregon, New York, and even here in Florida. Not only is this concert our first opportunity to showcase the new Studio Artists, but our audience will be able to hear selections from all of the main stage operas as part of this program.”

“It is a great first opportunity to see these exceptional emerging artists before watching them perform some of these full roles on the mainstage,” added Roe.

The First  Sing concerts take place on Friday, October 21, 8:00 pm at The Miracle Theater, 280 Miracle Mile, Coral  Gables; and on Saturday, October 22 at 7:30 pm, The Center for Spiritual Living, 4849 Dixie Highway, Oakland Park. Each is approximately 75 minutes long. Admission is free, and the open seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Visit fgo.org for more information about First Sing and the 2022-23 concert season.

ABOUT FLORIDA GRAND OPERA

FGO was founded in 1941 as Greater Miami Opera and merged with The Opera Guild of Fort Lauderdale, Inc. in 1994. As Florida's premier opera company, it presents standard repertoire, contemporary works, new commissions, and original productions — all featuring projected translations in English and Spanish. The mainstage operas of the season include Domenico Cimarosa’s El matrimonio secreto, sung in Spanish translation (Nov. 12 - 15, 2022), Giacomo Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and Michael Ching’s Buoso’s Ghost (Jan. 28 – Feb.11, 2023), Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca (Mar. 18 - Apr. 15, 2023), and Gioacchino Rossini’s The Barber of Seville (Apr.29 – May 20, 2023).

# # # # # #

Media Contact:

Cindy Sadler

Marketing and Communications Manager

csadler@fgo.org

305.340.2026

fgo.org

WHO:  Florida Grand Opera Studio Artists

WHAT: First Sing Concert/season preview

WHEN/WHERE: Friday, October 21, 8:00 pm at The Miracle Theater, 280 Miracle Mile, Coral  Gables and
Saturday, October 22 at 7:30 pm, The Center for Spiritual Living, 4849 Dixie Highway, Oakland Park.

WHY: Florida Grand Opera’s First Sing Concert offers a free season preview and opportunity to meet Florida’s hottest young opera stars in their first South Florida appearance of the season.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FLORIDA GRAND OPERA WELCOMES 2022-23 BOARD OF DIRECTORS OFFICERS AND APPOINTEES

MIAMI, FL.  16  August, 2022. --- Florida Grand Opera is pleased to announce its newly elected Board of Director officers and appointees for the 2022-23 season.

International businessperson Per-Olof Lööf continues in his second year as Chairman of the FGO Board. He has served as a member for almost two decades. After a career spent helming 8 different companies, Mr. Lööf remains the Chairman of Loof Holdings LP, and recently retired from his position as CEO of  Elevate Textiles, Inc. Past positions include CEO of Kemet Corporation & Chairman of NEC TOKIN Corp, for almost 15 years, CEO of Sensormatic Corporation. In addition to his work at FGO, Mr. Lööf has been active in philanthropic organizations for many years and is on the boards of the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children, FSU Fort Lauderdale Museum of Arts and Adrianne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami. “I am very proud to be part of the FGO team helping to share this very fine art form with the Miami and Fort Lauderdale areas.  We have a very ambitious lineup for the coming season and I am convinced that our product will enthrall and excite our audiences. See you at the Opera!”

Robert B. Gllck assumes the role of Treasurer, having previously served on the Finance Committee and as a member for over a decade. An assurance and advisory services principal at Kaufman Rossin CPA and Advisors since 1993, Mr. Glick has worked with private, public and international companies from a wide variety of industries in audits, taxes, consulting, and other accounting-related projects. Mr. Glick is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Florida Institute for Certified Public Accountants. He is a Certified Public Accountant in Florida and California. In addition to his service to FGO, he is treasurer of the Miami Beach Jewish Community Center and The Rhythm Foundation. 

Larry Kamin has been appointed Secretary of the Board. A partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, where he spent his 35-year legal career, and chair of its Investment Committee, Mr. Kamin turned financial advisor and established LK Financial Planning LLC, where he works with an exclusive clientele. He  remains a retired member of the New York Bar. Additionally, he has served on a variety of Boards for both corporations and nonprofits.  Mr. Kamin and his wife Jackie are former snowbirds who have roosted permanently in Miami Beach for the past 7 years. A dedicated opera goer and devotee of the Metropolitan and New York City Operas while he lived there, he has attended nearly all of the performances of the FGO since he first bought a residence in Miami Beach in 2005. “I have thoroughly enjoyed the artistic quality and variety of opera at FGO and believe it is as good as any regional company in the country,” he says. Mr. Kamin has served on the board of FGO since 2021.

 In addition to the newly-elected officers, FGO welcomes new Board members, Andrey Ilyasov and Bob Dinerstein.

Andrey Ilyasov is the Managing Director at Solomon Capital Management, a financial advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. He previously worked at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley and KPMG. Earlier in his career Mr. Ilyasov founded various small businesses and was involved in private equity. He earned his MBA in Finance and Economics from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. From the age of 6, he studied violin and holds an undergraduate degree in music from Baku Conservatory in Azerbaijan. Fluent in Russian, English, Italian and working on his Spanish, Mr. Ilyasov has served on the Board of Hebrew Free Loan and on the auxiliary boards at  Michigan Opera Theater and the Detroit Institute of Art. An opera fan since the age of 8, when his mother took him to see his first production of Carmen, Mr. Illyasov was drawn to join the FGO Board after recognizing the void created by COVID-19. “I felt it was important to live and continue doing the things that are important,” he said. “I felt it was important to reach out.”

Robert Dinerstein currently serves as non-executive chairman of Veracity Worldwide, a strategic risk advisory firm. A lawyer by training, he spent most of his career as a general counsel in the financial services industry. Prior to his retirement, Mr. Dinerstein was a senior executive with UBS Investment Bank, having last served as its Vice Chairman-Americas and Global General Counsel. Mr. Dinerstein has had extensive public and private board experience, including serving on the board of a NASDAQ listed bio-pharmaceutical company and a New York based bank. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a trustee of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. A dedicated philanthropist, Mr. Dinerstein is Co-Chair of the Campaign for the Future of the Miami Book Fair and has served on the boards of the American Red Cross of Greater New York; Phipps Houses, a leading developer of affordable housing;  Sheltering Arms, a 150 year old social services organization; and as Chairman of Everbody Wins, a literacy and mentoring organization. He is a graduate of Harvard University and the University of Michigan Law School. Mr. Dinerstein and his wife, Karen, are longtime opera goers and have been subscribers and supporters of both the Metropolitan Opera and New York Philharmonic as well as patrons of the FGO since 2006.

FGO CEO and General Director Susan T. Danis stated, “We look forward to very successful year under the officers’ leadership and we welcome both Robert and Andrey, who both have a true passion for opera.”

ABOUT FLORIDA GRAND OPERA

Florida Grand Opera (FGO), the oldest performing arts organization in Florida, celebrates its 80th Season in 2021-22. The mainstage operas of the season include André Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire (Jan. 22-Feb. 5, 2022), Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto (March 12 – April 2), Gregory Spears' Fellow Travelers (Apr. 23-28), and George Frideric Handel's Agrippina (May 14-19).

FGO's Box Office is located at the Doral Opera Center on 8390 NW 25th Street, Miami, FL 33122. It is open from 10 am to 4 pm, Monday through Friday during the season. Tickets may be purchased online at www.FGO.org or by phone at (800) 741- 1010.

FGO was founded in 1941 as Greater Miami Opera and merged with The Opera Guild Inc. in 1994. As Florida's premier opera company, it presents standard repertoire, contemporary works, new commissions, and original productions — all featuring projected translations in English and Spanish.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Agrippina 

An Opera by George Frideric Handel 

Libretto by Cardinal Vicenzo Grimani 

Starring Christine Lyons, Flora Hawk, and Kenneth Tarver  

Sat. May 14 at 7:00 p.m., Sun. May 15 at 2:00 p.m. 

Tues. May 17 at 8:00 p.m., and Thurs. May 19 at 8:00 p.m. 

At the Scottish Rite Temple, Miami 

300-year-old Agrippina Makes Her Florida Grand Opera Debut 

A Vibrant Villainess from the History Books Steps onto a 1930s Hollywood Sound Stage in a Regency-era Gown 

Miami, FL, April 21, 2022 --- Agrippina, Roman empress turned Hollywood starlet turned scheming Regency-era mother makes her Florida Grand Opera debut this spring in FGO’s final mainstage offering of the 80th Anniversary Season.  

Set in 1930s Hollywood, the audience experiences the hustle and bustle of a sound stage as the cast films a Regency-era version of the classic tale, Agrippina. Stage director Jeffrey Buchman found inspiration for his concept in the beautiful 1924-era Miami Scottish Rite Temple where Agrippina will be performed and the elegant cast, led by soprano Christine Lyons in the title role, Flora Hawk as Poppea, Kenneth Tarver as Nero, Neil Neilson as Claudius, and Brennan Hall as Ottone.  

“It’s crafted in a way that’s meant to be a really enjoyable pass-through of the setting Handel gives us,” said Buchman. “The audience should come prepared to embrace lightness, humor, and fun.”  

George Frideric Handel’s Agrippina is one of his earliest works, and it is based on the true story of the Roman empress who successfully schemed to place Nero, her son by another marriage, on the Roman throne, and later was murdered by him.  Despite the grim subject matter, the treatment is light-hearted as Agrippina reels from plot to foiled plot in her efforts to gain power. 

In the opera, Agrippina receives news that her husband Claudius has perished in a storm at sea and immediately moves to have her reluctant son Nero (Nerone) declared emperor. Unfortunately for the schemers, Claudius is alive and well, and furthermore, has proclaimed his officer Ottone as heir. For Agrippina, this is merely a temporary setback. Through seductive promises, lies, tricks, and manipulation, she continues her efforts to see Nerone married to the beautiful Poppea and ensconced on the throne. Although her plots are foiled at every turn, somehow Agrippina emerges victorious, reconciled with Claudius, with Nerone at last winning the crown. 

Handel composed Agrippina for the 1709-10 Venice Carnival season. Its satirical libretto is by the Cardinal Vincenzo Grimani, and some analysts claim that it reflects Grimani’s rivalry with Pope Clement XI. It is widely considered one of the best libretti Handel ever set. Agrippina premiered on December 16, 1709, to great success, and ran for an unprecedented 27 performances.  

The opera score is also acclaimed as one of Handel’s very best. It follows the stylistic conventions of the time, alternating recitative and arias, with the plot advanced mainly during the speechlike recits and character exploration confined to the arias. However, Handel used this form to advantage, breaking or modifying it judiciously to heighten the drama or bring special attention to certain actions. The character of the music itself ranges from the sparkling coloratura of “Bel piacere” one of the opera’s best-known arias, to the powerful “Pensieri, voi mi tormenate and irresistible “Ogni vento ch’al porto lo spinga.” The orchestral brilliance is designed to offer singers an opportunity to show off their virtuosity through original ornamentation, riffing in much the same manner as today’s pop or R&B divas. 

Agrippina stars soprano Christine Lyons in the title role, soprano Flora Hawk as the flirtatious Poppea, and tenor Kenneth Tarver as Nerone, all in their Florida Grand Opera and role debuts. Also debuting is conductor Jeri Lynne Johnson. FGO is the proud recipient of an Opera America 2022 Opera Grant for Women Stage Directors and Conductors to help bring Ms. Johnson to the podium. Jeffrey Marc Buchman returns to stage direct; most recently, he directed FGO’s critically acclaimed A Streetcar Named Desire earlier in the season. 

Agrippina runs May 14 – 19 at the Scottish Rite Temple in Miami. Tickets are available at www.fgo.org. 

CAST 

Agrippina – Christine Lyons 

Poppea – Flora Hawk 

Nerone – Kenneth Tarver 

Claudius – Neil Neilson 

Ottone: Brennan Hall 

Conductor: Jeri Lynne Johnson 

Director: Jeffrey Marc Buchman 

THE CREATIVE TEAM 

Conductor Jeri Lynne Johnson  

Director Jeffrey Buchman 

Lighting Designer Stevie Agrew 

Costume Designer Howard Tsvi Kaplan  

Wig and Make- up Designer Sue Sitko 

Associate Conductor Marlon Daniel 

ABOUT FLORIDA GRAND OPERA 

Florida Grand Opera (FGO), the oldest performing arts organization in Florida, celebrates its 80th Season in 2021-22. The mainstage operas of the season include André Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire (Jan. 22-Feb. 5, 2022), Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto (March 12 – April 2), Gregory Spears' Fellow Travelers (Apr. 23-28), and George Frideric Handel's Agrippina (May 14-19). 

FGO's Box Office is located at the Doral Opera Center on 8390 NW 25th Street, Miami, FL 33122. It is open from 10 am to 4 pm, Monday through Friday during the season. Tickets may be purchased online at www.FGO.org or by phone at (800) 741- 1010. 

FGO was founded in 1941 as Greater Miami Opera and merged with The Opera Guild Inc. in 1994. As Florida's premier opera company, it presents standard repertoire, contemporary works, new commissions, and original productions — all featuring projected translations in English and Spanish. 

# # # # # #  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Agrippina 

An Opera by George Frideric Handel 

Libretto by Cardinal Vicenzo Grimani 

Starring Christine Lyons, Flora Hawk, and Kenneth Tarver  

Sat. May 14 at 7:00 p.m., Sun. May 15 at 2:00 p.m. 

Tues. May 17 at 8:00 p.m., and Thurs. May 19 at 8:00 p.m. 

At the Scottish Rite Temple, Miami 

300-year-old Agrippina Makes Her Florida Grand Opera Debut 

A Vibrant Villainess from the History Books Steps onto a 1930s Hollywood Sound Stage in a Regency-era Gown 

Miami, FL, April 21, 2022 --- Agrippina, Roman empress turned Hollywood starlet turned scheming Regency-era mother makes her Florida Grand Opera debut this spring in FGO’s final mainstage offering of the 80th Anniversary Season.  

Set in 1930s Hollywood, the audience experiences the hustle and bustle of a sound stage as the cast films a Regency-era version of the classic tale, Agrippina. Stage director Jeffrey Buchman found inspiration for his concept in the beautiful 1924-era Miami Scottish Rite Temple where Agrippina will be performed and the elegant cast, led by soprano Christine Lyons in the title role, Flora Hawk as Poppea, Kenneth Tarver as Nero, Neil Neilson as Claudius, and Brennan Hall as Ottone.  

“It’s crafted in a way that’s meant to be a really enjoyable pass-through of the setting Handel gives us,” said Buchman. “The audience should come prepared to embrace lightness, humor, and fun.”  

George Frideric Handel’s Agrippina is one of his earliest works, and it is based on the true story of the Roman empress who successfully schemed to place Nero, her son by another marriage, on the Roman throne, and later was murdered by him.  Despite the grim subject matter, the treatment is light-hearted as Agrippina reels from plot to foiled plot in her efforts to gain power. 

In the opera, Agrippina receives news that her husband Claudius has perished in a storm at sea and immediately moves to have her reluctant son Nero (Nerone) declared emperor. Unfortunately for the schemers, Claudius is alive and well, and furthermore, has proclaimed his officer Ottone as heir. For Agrippina, this is merely a temporary setback. Through seductive promises, lies, tricks, and manipulation, she continues her efforts to see Nerone married to the beautiful Poppea and ensconced on the throne. Although her plots are foiled at every turn, somehow Agrippina emerges victorious, reconciled with Claudius, with Nerone at last winning the crown. 

Handel composed Agrippina for the 1709-10 Venice Carnival season. Its satirical libretto is by the Cardinal Vincenzo Grimani, and some analysts claim that it reflects Grimani’s rivalry with Pope Clement XI. It is widely considered one of the best libretti Handel ever set. Agrippina premiered on December 16, 1709, to great success, and ran for an unprecedented 27 performances.  

The opera score is also acclaimed as one of Handel’s very best. It follows the stylistic conventions of the time, alternating recitative and arias, with the plot advanced mainly during the speechlike recits and character exploration confined to the arias. However, Handel used this form to advantage, breaking or modifying it judiciously to heighten the drama or bring special attention to certain actions. The character of the music itself ranges from the sparkling coloratura of “Bel piacere” one of the opera’s best-known arias, to the powerful “Pensieri, voi mi tormenate and irresistible “Ogni vento ch’al porto lo spinga.” The orchestral brilliance is designed to offer singers an opportunity to show off their virtuosity through original ornamentation, riffing in much the same manner as today’s pop or R&B divas. 

Agrippina stars soprano Christine Lyons in the title role, soprano Flora Hawk as the flirtatious Poppea, and tenor Kenneth Tarver as Nerone, all in their Florida Grand Opera and role debuts. Also debuting is conductor Jeri Lynne Johnson. FGO is the proud recipient of an Opera America 2022 Opera Grant for Women Stage Directors and Conductors to help bring Ms. Johnson to the podium. Jeffrey Marc Buchman returns to stage direct; most recently, he directed FGO’s critically acclaimed A Streetcar Named Desire earlier in the season. 

Agrippina runs May 14 – 19 at the Scottish Rite Temple in Miami. Tickets are available at www.fgo.org. 

CAST 

Agrippina – Christine Lyons 

Poppea – Flora Hawk 

Nerone – Kenneth Tarver 

Claudius – Neil Neilson 

Ottone: Brennan Hall 

Conductor: Jeri Lynne Johnson 

Director: Jeffrey Marc Buchman 

THE CREATIVE TEAM 

Conductor Jeri Lynne Johnson  

Director Jeffrey Buchman 

Lighting Designer Stevie Agrew 

Costume Designer Howard Tsvi Kaplan  

Wig and Make- up Designer Sue Sitko 

Associate Conductor Marlon Daniel 

ABOUT FLORIDA GRAND OPERA 

Florida Grand Opera (FGO), the oldest performing arts organization in Florida, celebrates its 80th Season in 2021-22. The mainstage operas of the season include André Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire (Jan. 22-Feb. 5, 2022), Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto (March 12 – April 2), Gregory Spears' Fellow Travelers (Apr. 23-28), and George Frideric Handel's Agrippina (May 14-19). 

FGO's Box Office is located at the Doral Opera Center on 8390 NW 25th Street, Miami, FL 33122. It is open from 10 am to 4 pm, Monday through Friday during the season. Tickets may be purchased online at www.FGO.org or by phone at (800) 741- 1010. 

FGO was founded in 1941 as Greater Miami Opera and merged with The Opera Guild Inc. in 1994. As Florida's premier opera company, it presents standard repertoire, contemporary works, new commissions, and original productions — all featuring projected translations in English and Spanish. 

# # # # # #  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Agrippina 

An Opera by George Frideric Handel 

Libretto by Cardinal Vicenzo Grimani 

Starring Christine Lyons, Flora Hawk, and Kenneth Tarver  

Sat. May 14 at 7:00 p.m., Sun. May 15 at 2:00 p.m. 

Tues. May 17 at 8:00 p.m., and Thurs. May 19 at 8:00 p.m. 

At the Scottish Rite Temple, Miami 

300-year-old Agrippina Makes Her Florida Grand Opera Debut 

A Vibrant Villainess from the History Books Steps onto a 1930s Hollywood Sound Stage in a Regency-era Gown 

Miami, FL, April 21, 2022 --- Agrippina, Roman empress turned Hollywood starlet turned scheming Regency-era mother makes her Florida Grand Opera debut this spring in FGO’s final mainstage offering of the 80th Anniversary Season.  

Set in 1930s Hollywood, the audience experiences the hustle and bustle of a sound stage as the cast films a Regency-era version of the classic tale, Agrippina. Stage director Jeffrey Buchman found inspiration for his concept in the beautiful 1924-era Miami Scottish Rite Temple where Agrippina will be performed and the elegant cast, led by soprano Christine Lyons in the title role, Flora Hawk as Poppea, Kenneth Tarver as Nero, Neil Neilson as Claudius, and Brennan Hall as Ottone.  

“It’s crafted in a way that’s meant to be a really enjoyable pass-through of the setting Handel gives us,” said Buchman. “The audience should come prepared to embrace lightness, humor, and fun.”  

George Frideric Handel’s Agrippina is one of his earliest works, and it is based on the true story of the Roman empress who successfully schemed to place Nero, her son by another marriage, on the Roman throne, and later was murdered by him.  Despite the grim subject matter, the treatment is light-hearted as Agrippina reels from plot to foiled plot in her efforts to gain power. 

In the opera, Agrippina receives news that her husband Claudius has perished in a storm at sea and immediately moves to have her reluctant son Nero (Nerone) declared emperor. Unfortunately for the schemers, Claudius is alive and well, and furthermore, has proclaimed his officer Ottone as heir. For Agrippina, this is merely a temporary setback. Through seductive promises, lies, tricks, and manipulation, she continues her efforts to see Nerone married to the beautiful Poppea and ensconced on the throne. Although her plots are foiled at every turn, somehow Agrippina emerges victorious, reconciled with Claudius, with Nerone at last winning the crown. 

Handel composed Agrippina for the 1709-10 Venice Carnival season. Its satirical libretto is by the Cardinal Vincenzo Grimani, and some analysts claim that it reflects Grimani’s rivalry with Pope Clement XI. It is widely considered one of the best libretti Handel ever set. Agrippina premiered on December 16, 1709, to great success, and ran for an unprecedented 27 performances.  

The opera score is also acclaimed as one of Handel’s very best. It follows the stylistic conventions of the time, alternating recitative and arias, with the plot advanced mainly during the speechlike recits and character exploration confined to the arias. However, Handel used this form to advantage, breaking or modifying it judiciously to heighten the drama or bring special attention to certain actions. The character of the music itself ranges from the sparkling coloratura of “Bel piacere” one of the opera’s best-known arias, to the powerful “Pensieri, voi mi tormenate and irresistible “Ogni vento ch’al porto lo spinga.” The orchestral brilliance is designed to offer singers an opportunity to show off their virtuosity through original ornamentation, riffing in much the same manner as today’s pop or R&B divas. 

Agrippina stars soprano Christine Lyons in the title role, soprano Flora Hawk as the flirtatious Poppea, and tenor Kenneth Tarver as Nerone, all in their Florida Grand Opera and role debuts. Also debuting is conductor Jeri Lynne Johnson. FGO is the proud recipient of an Opera America 2022 Opera Grant for Women Stage Directors and Conductors to help bring Ms. Johnson to the podium. Jeffrey Marc Buchman returns to stage direct; most recently, he directed FGO’s critically acclaimed A Streetcar Named Desire earlier in the season. 

Agrippina runs May 14 – 19 at the Scottish Rite Temple in Miami. Tickets are available at www.fgo.org. 

CAST 

Agrippina – Christine Lyons 

Poppea – Flora Hawk 

Nerone – Kenneth Tarver 

Claudius – Neil Neilson 

Ottone: Brennan Hall 

Conductor: Jeri Lynne Johnson 

Director: Jeffrey Marc Buchman 

THE CREATIVE TEAM 

Conductor Jeri Lynne Johnson  

Director Jeffrey Buchman 

Lighting Designer Stevie Agrew 

Costume Designer Howard Tsvi Kaplan  

Wig and Make- up Designer Sue Sitko 

Associate Conductor Marlon Daniel 

ABOUT FLORIDA GRAND OPERA 

Florida Grand Opera (FGO), the oldest performing arts organization in Florida, celebrates its 80th Season in 2021-22. The mainstage operas of the season include André Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire (Jan. 22-Feb. 5, 2022), Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto (March 12 – April 2), Gregory Spears' Fellow Travelers (Apr. 23-28), and George Frideric Handel's Agrippina (May 14-19). 

FGO's Box Office is located at the Doral Opera Center on 8390 NW 25th Street, Miami, FL 33122. It is open from 10 am to 4 pm, Monday through Friday during the season. Tickets may be purchased online at www.FGO.org or by phone at (800) 741- 1010. 

FGO was founded in 1941 as Greater Miami Opera and merged with The Opera Guild Inc. in 1994. As Florida's premier opera company, it presents standard repertoire, contemporary works, new commissions, and original productions — all featuring projected translations in English and Spanish. 

# # # # # #  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Fellow Travelers

An Opera by Gregory Spears

Libretto by Greg Pierce

Based on the 2007 novel "Fellow Travelers" by Thomas Mallon

Commissioned by Cincinnati Opera and G. Sterling Zinsmeyer

Starring Andres Acosta, Hadleigh Adams, and Adelaide Boedecker

Sat. April 23 at 7:30 p.m., Sun. April 24 at 2:00 p.m.

Tues. April 26 at 7:30 p.m., and Thurs. April 28 at 7:30 p.m.

At Lauderhill Performing Arts Center

FGO TRAVELS TO THE MCCARTHY ERA FOR ROMANCE AND POLITICAL INTRIGUE

Gregory Spears’ Fellow Travelers makes its Florida premiere at FGO

Fort Lauderdale, FL, March 17, 2022 --- Florida Grand Opera is traveling back in time to the not-so-distant past for its upcoming production of Gregory Spears’ Fellow Travelers. Based on the best-selling novel by Thomas Mallon, it is set during the Lavender Scare, a lesser-known but longer-lasting byproduct of Senator Joseph McCarthy’s Red Scare.

 In 1953, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed Executive Order 10450, prohibiting homosexuals from holding government positions. Encouraged by McCarthy, who said, “The pervert is easy prey to the blackmailer,” the policy subjected hundreds of suspected gay and lesbian government employees to investigation, interrogation, persecution, resignations, and firings.  Between 5,000 and 10,000 gays and lesbians quietly resigned or were fired. Many others managed to stay closeted, but curtailed their professional ambitions in order to stay under the radar. Some killed themselves. The policy remained in place until 1995, when President Bill Clinton rescinded it by executive order.

Fellow Travelers explores the romance and heartbreak between two men during this fraught era. Cuban-American tenor Andres Acosta, a Miami native, is young college graduate Timothy Laughlin, who takes his first job working in a senator’s office after a chance meeting with State Department official Hawkins Fuller. “Hawk” is played by New Zealand baritone Hadleigh Adams, returning to the FGO stage after his triumphant turn as Stanley Kowalski in January’s A Streetcar Named Desire. Metropolitan Opera soprano Adelaide Boedecker makes her FGO debut as Hawk’s assistant and best friend, Mary Johnson. Part love story and part political thriller, the plot follows Tim and Hawk’s budding romance and their efforts to avoid detection and persecution during the Lavender Scare. 

The opera was co-commissioned by Cincinnati Opera and film/theatrical producer G. Sterling Zinsmeyer. It premiered at Cincinnati Opera in 2016 and since has been staged at Chicago Lyric Opera, Minnesota Opera, and Boston Lyric Opera. FGO’s production will be the Florida premiere of the piece.

“We are proud to stage this important and moving piece of contemporary opera,” says FGO CEO and General Director Susan T. Danis. “Via the medium of the musical human voice and the stories of these men, we revisit a critical time in American history with new eyes and understanding.”

Bas

s-baritone Neil Neilson stars as Senator Charles Potter. The FGO Studio Artists fill out the cast, with soprano Amanda Olea as Miss Lightfoot, soprano Page Michels as Lucy, baritone Michael Pandolfo as Senator Joseph McCarthy, and tenor Charles Calotta as Tommy McIntyre.

CAST

Hawkins Fuller – Hadleigh Adams

Timothy Laughlin – Andres Acosta

Mary Johnson – Adelaide Boedecker

Miss Lightfoot – Amanda Olea

Senator Joseph McCarthy – Michael Pandolfo

Lucy – Page Michels

Tommy McIntyre – Charles Calotta

Senator Charles Potter – TBA

Conductor: Emily Senturia

Director: Peter Rothstein

THE CREATIVE TEAM

Set Design: Sara Brown

Lighting Design: Mary Shabatura

Costumes: Trevor Brown

Wigs and Makeup: Sue Sittko

Production: Minnesota Opera

ABOUT FLORIDA GRAND OPERA

Florida Grand Opera (FGO), the oldest performing arts organization in Florida, celebrates its 80th Season in 2021-22. The mainstage operas of the season include André Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire (Jan. 22-Feb. 5, 2022), Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto (March 12 – April 2), Gregory Spears' Fellow Travelers (Apr. 23-28), and George Frideric Handel's Agrippina (May 14-19).

FGO's Box Office is located at the Doral Opera Center on 8390 NW 25th Street, Miami, FL 33122. It is open from 10 am to 4 pm, Monday through Friday during the season. Tickets may be purchased online at www.FGO.org or by phone at (800) 741- 1010.

FGO was founded in 1941 as Greater Miami Opera and merged with The Opera Guild Inc. in 1994. As Florida's premier opera company, it presents standard repertoire, contemporary works, new commissions, and original productions — all featuring projected translations in English and Spanish.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Opera America's Grant Helps Jeri Lynne Johnson makes her FGO Conducting Debut 

Miami, FL, February 1, 2022 --- Florida Grand Opera has been awarded an Opera America 2022 Opera Grant for Women Stage Directors and Conductors. A part of Opera America's initiative to encourage the hiring of women in key artistic roles, the award will support conductor Jeri Lynne Johnson's house debut at the helm of FGO's production of Handel's Agrippina in May. 

A survey of recent opera seasons revealed that women make up fewer than 30 percent of the stage directors and fewer than 15 percent of the conductors working on American opera productions. Organizational members of Opera America, the national opera advocacy nonprofit, may apply for up to 50% of the cost of bringing in a female stage director or conductor, up to an award of $10,000. FGO is one of nine 2022 grantees. 

“FGO is extremely excited to welcome Jeri Lynne Johnson to our podium, and immensely gratified to receive this important support from Opera America,” says FGO General Director and CEO, Susan T. Danis. “We are committed to enriching our audience’s experience and FGO’s infrastructure through continuing to celebrate and center the work of women, BIPOC/AAPI, LGBTQ, and other communities.” 

Jeri Lynne Johnson is a barrier-breaking conductor, founder, and director of Philadelphia's Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra. She is the first Black woman to win an international conducting prize, the 2005 Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship., and has frequently claimed a historic spot as the first Black woman to take the podium at many orchestras. She has conducted the Philadelphia Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (U.K.), and Weimar Staatskapelle (Germany).  

“I’m deeply honored to be the recipient of this grant to support the expansion of diversity and inclusion in creative leadership positions in the opera world,” says Johnson. “As a creative artist, embracing new experiences is critical to longevity in one’s career, and to be able to engage with Baroque opera when most of my opera experience is with contemporary works is super exciting to me." 

Johnson arrives in Miami in May to conduct George Frideric Handel's Agrippina, a 300-year-old opera based on the true story of a powerful and ambitious Roman queen who stopped at nothing to put her son on the throne.  

"It's especially inspiring to have a woman shape and lead the musical story of a fierce female protagonist," says Danis. "We look forward to many more of these collaborations,” 

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE 

Rigoletto (Miami - March 10; Broward – March 31) 

Fellow Travelers (Broward only – April 21 – mature content) 

Agrippina (Miami only – May 12) 

Tickets pina are available at www.fgo.org.  

ABOUT FGO 

Florida Grand Opera (FGO), the oldest performing arts organization in Florida, celebrates its 80th Season in 2021-22. The mainstage operas of the season include André Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire (Jan. 22-Feb. 5, 2022), Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto (March 12 – April 2), Gregory Spears' Fellow Travelers (Apr. 23-28), and George Frideric Handel's Agrippina (May 14-19). 

FGO's Box Office is located at the Doral Opera Center on 8390 NW 25th Street, Miami, FL 33122. It is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday during the season. Tickets may be purchased online at www.FGO.org or by phone at (800) 741- 1010. 

FGO was founded in 1941 as Greater Miami Opera and merged with The Opera Guild Inc. in 1994. As Florida's premier opera company, it presents standard repertoire, contemporary works, new commissions, and original productions — all featuring projected translations in English and Spanish. 

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FLORIDA GRAND OPERA BOARDS A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE FOR OPENING NIGHT OF THE 80TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON

Miami and Fort Lauderdale, FL, December 30, 2021 --- Florida Grand Opera opens its 80th Anniversary Season with the new American classic based on the most operatic of quintessential American plays --- Tennessee Williams’ and André Previn’s A Streetcar Named Desire.

Making its Florida premiere on Saturday, January 22, 2022, A Streetcar Named Desire features Miami’s own international opera star, Cuban-American soprano Elizabeth Caballero, in the iconic role of Blanche DuBois. Rising soprano Rebecca Krynski Cox makes her house debut as her hapless sister Stella and audience favorite, baritone Steven LaBrie, returns as the brutal Stanley Kowalski. Former FGO Studio Artist Nicholas Huff returns in the role of Harold “Mitch” Mitchell, while current Studio Artists Amanda Olea, Katherine Holobinko, Stephanie Doche, Charles Calotta, and Eric Danielson fill the supporting roles. Gregory Buchalter conducts, with stage direction by Jeffrey Buchman. The production is from New Orleans Opera Association, with costumes by Howard Tsvi Kaplan, set by Steven C. Kemp, and lighting by Don Darnutzer.

The story begins with fading Southern belle Blanche DuBois, who arrives at her sister Stella’s shabby New Orleans tenement with a trunk filled with feathered finery and deeply closeted skeletons. Desperate to avoid facing reality, Blanche quickly clashes with Stella’s working-class husband, Stanley, who unravels her secrets and, in an act of stunning brutality, destroys what is left of her slipping sanity.

Stage director Jeffrey Buchman says that the story is challenging, but perhaps not in the way people think. “Throughout A Streetcar Named Desire, Williams defies us to define his characters as either good or bad, admirable or despicable, whole or broken,” he says. “They are all deeply flawed, and like onions, we peel back the layers on their world as the show progresses … And with a greater empathy for the circumstances that may have created or brought out these flaws in each of them, we are faced with the challenge of how we will judge them.”

Previn’s jazz-flavored, cinematic score only heightens Williams’ taut psychological drama. “You can hear the  streetcar in the music,” says conductor Gregory Buchalter, adding that the opera follows the play almost exactly. “In the opening chords, you can hear the streetcar’s horn. The score is influenced by Previn’s work as a film composer and as a great jazz pianist and arranger. There’s a special jazz component that frequently plays independently of the orchestra for dramatic effect. Previn sometimes deliberately creates dissonance in dramatic moments. There are other places where it’s so tonal, almost Puccini-esque. He creates the music very well in terms of the characters.”

The transformation of the iconic play to an equally iconic opera is an interesting one. Over the years, many critics have noted the operatic quality of A Streetcar Named Desire’s drama. It has been adapted into several ballets and a musical. However, Williams was resistant to operatic treatments of his works. He was approached many times over the years but only opened his catalogue twice during his lifetime: once, for his one-act Lord Byron’s Love Letter, and once to the composer Lee Hoiby, who chose to set Summer and Smoke. After several years of negotiation, Williams’ estate granted rights for A Streetcar Named Desire to San Francisco Opera, where the work premiered to great acclaim in 1998. André Previn, a renowned classical musician, conductor, and composer equally acclaimed as a film composer, jazz pianist and arranger, undertook what might be considered less an adaptation than a grand expansion of the original play. From the ever-present rinky-dink blues piano to the increasingly sinister “Varsouviana” folk dance that repeats in Blanche’s head, the music is critical to the play, almost a character in itself. It’s as if Williams imagined a cinematic underscoring, and years later, Prévin delivered.

A Streetcar Named Desire also has an unusual connection to Miami. In 1956, less than ten years after his play made its debut and won the Pulitzer Prize, Tennessee Williams staged a revival at the Coconut Grove Playhouse (then the Coconut Grove Theatre), under the direction of Herbert Machiz and starring Talullah Bankhead, the actor for whom Blanche DuBois was written. However, Williams and his cast --- especially the tumultuous Ms. Bankhead --- soon clashed, and he removed to Key West, one of his favorite retreats.  The play ran for one month and then returned to New York for additional dates.  No word on whether Williams accompanied the troupe; however, the experience did not sour him on  South Florida. Williams frequently changed locations in order to stimulate his writing, but he often returned to South Florida. He was known to hang out in Coconut Grove among other artists and free spirits who espoused a bohemian lifestyle, and in recent years, local art museums have hosted showings of his little-known paintings.

“We are proud to begin our 80th Anniversary Season with an offering that is both an American classic and a contemporary treasure,” says Susan T. Danis, Florida Grand Opera’s General Director and CEO, who is coincidentally celebrating her own 10th anniversary at the company’s helm. “It aligns with our mission to produce diverse, culturally engaging experiences both in the theatre and the community. Anyone can, and is invited to, enjoy a work like A Streetcar Named Desire, and we hope they will.”

For more information, please see www.fgo.org.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

MIAMI
Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County / Ziff Ballet Opera House

Jan 22, 2022, at 7:00pm
Jan 23, 2022, at 2:00pm
Jan 25, 2022, at 8:00pm

FORT LAUDERDALE

Broward Center for the Performing Arts / Au-Rene Theater

Feb 3 & 5, 2022, at 7:30pm
 

ABOUT FLORIDA GRAND OPERA

Florida Grand Opera (FGO), the oldest performing arts organization in Florida, celebrates its 80th Season in 2021-22. The mainstage operas of the season include André Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire (Jan. 22-Feb. 5, 2022), Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto (March 12 – April 2), Gregory Spears’ Fellow Travelers (Apr. 23-28), and George Frideric Handel's Agrippina (May 14-19).

FGO's Box Office is located at the Doral Opera Center on 8390 NW 25th Street, Miami, FL 33122. It is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday during the season. Tickets may be purchased online at www.FGO.org or by phone at (800) 741- 1010.

FGO was founded in 1941 as Greater Miami Opera and merged with The Opera Guild Inc. in 1994. As Florida's premier opera company, it presents standard repertoire, contemporary works, new commissions, and original productions — all featuring projected translations in English and Spanish.

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July 8, 2021 – Florida Grand Opera (FGO) announced today their upcoming, landmark, 80th Anniversary Season. In 1942, FGO (then the Greater Miami Opera) presented its first performance of Pagliacci on Valentine’s Day at the Miami Senior High School Auditorium. The company has gone on to present the finest opera singers from around the world in productions representing the work of more than sixty composers