November 6, 2011 Sarasota Opera Sets Madama Butterly Free
Sarasota Opera To Partner With Sarasota Chalk Festival.
As part of their fall 2011 production of Giacomo Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, the Sarasota Opera will partner with the Avenida de Colores for the 4th Annual Sarasota Chalk Festival on November 6, 2011. Avenida de Colores and Sarasota Opera will present excerpts from Madama Butterfly on an outdoor stage with sets created in chalk by Baltimore designer and artist Michael Kirby, one of the best street painters in the world.
Kirby approached Chalk Festival founder Denise Kowal with the idea and she brought it to the opera. “I felt this was an excellent promotional opportunity for everyone to get in front of people who have never or may never have an operatic experience.”
“Based off the success and praise of the Sarasota Chalk Festival, we knew that when Denise Kowal approached us, partnered with the idea would be the highest quality artists, craftsmen and designers”, says Susan Danis, Executive Director. “We have full confidence this partnership will again illustrate the high level of artistry that exists here in Sarasota.”
The Sarasota Chalk Festival runs from November 1 – 7, 2011 and is free to all. Over 250 artists participated in the 2010 event and over 2,000 children created impromptu works of art when it became the first international street painting festival in the United States. This year the Sarasota Chalk Festival expects 80,000 – 100,000 people in attendance from around the world.
For more information visit www.chalkfestival.com
Tags: Denise Kowal, Michael Kirby, Sarasota Chalk Festival, Sarasota Opera, Susan Danis