The company’s 2020-21 season includes Verdi’s La traviata, Rossini’s Otello, Gounod’s Faust and the Miami premiere of Fellow Travelers by Gregory Spears
Celebrating 80 years as the oldest performing arts organization in Florida and seventh oldest opera company in America
Knight Concert Hall becomes the new home for FGO’s Made for Miami series branded “Opera at Knight” to showcase 20th and 21st century operatic work
Florida Grand Opera is thrilled to announce the 2020-2021 season in Miami and Fort Lauderdale. The 80th Anniversary season includes Verdi’s masterpiece, La traviata; Rossini’s Otello; Gounod’s French classic, Faust and the Miami premiere of Gregory Spears’s Fellow Travelers, based on the time in US history that became known as “The Lavender Scare.” Miami performances will be at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts and Fort Lauderdale performances will be at the Broward Center for Performing Arts. Fellow Travelers will be part of our Made for Miami series, “Opera at Knight” at the Knight Concert Hall at the Arsht Center, in Miami, FL.
2019-2020 SEASON:
La traviata by Giuseppe Verdi
November 14 – December 5, 2020, in Miami and Fort Lauderdale
After a series of loveless liaisons, Violetta Valéry, a popular member of the Parisian demi monde(the class of women considered to be of doubtful morality and social standing), is stunned to discover she may have fallen in love at last. But her newfound happiness is shattered when her lover’s father appears, demanding that she give his son up. With a broken heart, she agrees to leave young Alfredo but only on condition that one day he will be told of the sacrifice she made.
After a long separation, Alfredo, having learned what she had done, rushes back to her side, but is shocked to find her near death. La traviata, with its gripping conclusion, features some of the most famous arias ever written; you will be enthralled at the full scope of Verdi’s genius on display here. We guarantee you will be as moved as Julia Roberts’s character was in “Pretty Woman.”
Sung in Italian with English and Spanish projected translations.
Miami: Ziff Opera House, Arsht Center
Saturday, November 14, 2020, 6pm
Sunday, November 15, 2020, 3pm
Tuesday, November 17, 2020, 8pm
Thursday, November 19, 2020, 8pm
Fort Lauderdale: Au-Rene Theater, Broward Center
Thursday, December 3, 2020, 7:30pm
Saturday, December 5, 2020, 7:30pm
Otello by Gioachino Rossini
January 30 – Feb 13, 2021, in Miami and Fort Lauderdale
Shakespeare’s great tragedy has provided endless inspiration to creative artists, and Rossini was certainly one of these. The story of a hero’s boundless love transformed into murderous jealousy and rage is breathtaking to witness, and the evil poisoner is surely one of literature’s vilest and mesmerizing characters.
Rossini’s famous “Willow Song” for Desdemona is some of his loveliest music, and there are no fewer than six tenors in the cast. Don’t miss this opportunity to enjoy a seldom-seen major work from the most popular and successful opera composer of his era.
Sung in Italian with English and Spanish projected translations.
Miami: Ziff Opera House, Arsht Center
Saturday, January 30, 2021, 6pm
Sunday, January 31, 2021, 3pm
Tuesday, February 2, 2021, 8pm
Thursday, February 4, 2021, 8pm
Fort Lauderdale: Au-Rene Theater, Broward Center
Thursday, February 11, 2021, 7:30pm
Saturday, February 13, 2021, 7:30pm
Faust by Charles Gounod
March 20 – April 10, 2021, in Miami and Fort Lauderdale
Aging and disillusioned, Faust encounters the devil, who promises him everything he has lost in life for the mere price of his soul. This unholy bargain is central to one of the world’s most famous operas, and Gounod’s powerful music masterfully underscores this misguided tragedy as it unfolds before us.
His youth restored, Faust woos the lovely Marguerite with disastrous consequences, and it is soon apparent that this “dance with the devil” can only end badly. Can anything in heaven or on earth save them? The stunning trio that concludes the opera is one of the most compelling in the repertory.
Sung in French with English and Spanish projected translations.
Miami: Ziff Opera House, Arsht Center
Saturday, March 20, 2021, 6pm
Sunday, March 21, 2021, 3pm
Tuesday, March 23, 2021, 8pm
Thursday, March 25, 2021, 8pm
Fort Lauderdale: Au-Rene Theater, Broward Center
Thursday, April 8, 2021, 7:30pm
Saturday, April 10, 2021, 7:30pm
Fellow Travelers by Gregory Spears
April 24 – 27, 2021, in Miami
On April 27, 1953, amidst the “Red Scare” paranoia over communism, President Dwight Eisenhower signed Executive Order 10450, which deemed homosexuality a security risk. A systematic effort to remove gay people from the federal government began, with estimates of 10,000 people fired or forced to resign. Countless others committed suicide. This shameful episode in US history became known as “The Lavender Scare.”
Fellow Travelers is set in the landscape of The Lavender Scare and tells the story of Timothy Laughlin, an aspiring young journalist, and Hawkins Fuller, a handsome State Department official. A chance encounter with Fuller leads to Tim’s first job in DC, and his first love affair. As his involvement deepens, Tim struggles to reconcile his political convictions, his religious beliefs, and his love for Fuller–an entanglement that ends in a stunning act of betrayal.
Fellow Travelers will be part of our Made for Miami series, “Opera at Knight” at the Knight Concert Hall at the Arsht Center, in Miami, FL.
Sung in English with English and Spanish projected translations.
Miami: Knight Concert Hall, Arsht Center
| Saturday, April 24, 2021, 6pm
Sunday, April 25, 2021, 3pm Tuesday, April 27, 2021, 8pm |
Made for Miami Series
The 2020-21 season will be the eighth consecutive year for the Made for Miami Series in which FGO produces an opera geared towards the diverse South Florida Community. The operas presented are generally smaller productions and in many cases, 20th or 21st-century work. Previous productions in the Made for Miami series included, Robert Xavier Rodriguez’s Frida, Daniel Catán’s Florencia en el Amazonas, Jorge Martin’s Before Night Falls, Mieczysław Weinberg’s The Passenger, Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Consul, and Marvin David Levy’sMourning Becomes Elektra. Later this season, FGO will present Il matrimonio segreto (The Secret Marriage) with a Miami twist, transforming the Italian opera into a Spanish language telenovela with a Cuban family set in 1980s Miami. Four performances of Il matrimonio segreto (The Secret Marriage) are set for April 18-26, 2020, at Miami-Dade County Auditorium.
TICKETS AND SUBSCRIPTIONS:
Current season subscribers will receive a renewal order form by mail, and will be able to renew online at www.FGO.org (logging into your account), or by calling the box office at 800.741.1010, Monday – Friday, 10am – 4pm, starting Friday, January 17, 2020. The renewal deadline is Saturday, February 29, 2020.
New subscribers are able to reserve subscriptions starting Monday, January 20, 2020, online at www.FGO.org, or by calling the box office at 800.741.1010, Monday – Friday, 10am – 4pm for information.
Single tickets for the 2020-21 season will go on sale September 2020. Lock in the best seats at the best prices by subscribing.