City Of Sarasota And Sarasota Opera Honor Giuseppe Verdi.
The Sarasota Opera announced that the block of Pineapple Avenue stretching from 1st Street to Main Street will be temporarily re-named “Verdi Place” in honor of Sarasota Opera’s completion of the Verdi Cycle during the 2016 Winter Festival Season by the City of Sarasota. There is an unveiling ceremony on Saturday, January 30th at 5:30pm at the Sarasota Opera House just before Sarasota Opera opens its doors for the opening night of Verdi’s Aida and the 2016 Winter Festival Season.
“The cultural arts are a significant part of the Sarasota community and one of the reasons why people want to live here and visit our city,” said City Manager Tom Barwin. “To complete the “Verdi Cycle” by performing the complete works of Giuseppe Verdi since 1989 is a notable achievement. And, the City is proud to help celebrate the Opera’s accomplishment by temporarily dedicating a portion of Pineapple Avenue as “Verdi Place”.”
“We are grateful to the City of Sarasota for the support and enthusiasm they have shown Sarasota Opera over the years as we have worked to complete the Verdi Cycle,” says Executive Director Richard Russell. “This special honor only reinforces that fact that Sarasota is truly Verdi’s American home.”
Since 1989, Sarasota Opera has been committed to performing all of the works, both operatic and non-operatic, of Giuseppe Verdi. At the completion of the Verdi Cycle on March 20, 2016, Sarasota Opera will be the only company in the world to have performed every note of Giuseppe Verdi intended for performance. The final week of the 2016 Winter Festival Season will be a dedicated Verdi Festival week. In addition to the new productions of Aida and The Battle of Legnano, Sarasota Opera will present two concerts dedicated to the music of Verdi, an international Verdi Conference, a 28 year retrospective exhibit on the Verdi Cycle, as well as many other special events.
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