_{OPERA PLACES} Aviva Fortunata takes us to Sarasota, Florida

Sarasota, Florida.

 

Sarasota Opera has a rehearsal period most opera companies would kill for – two whole months! One upside to this as a singer is that you could wake me up in the middle of the night with anyone’s line from any point in the opera and I would be able to sing the rest of the opera through and fall immediately back asleep.

 

Sarasota Opera is unique to me in that they are holistically dedicated to presenting Verdi’s works as they would have been seen and heard in his own life. This is my fourth Verdi opera at the company, and everything from sets, costumes, stage directions and performance practice are determined to recreate a performance accurate to the time period. This is all led from the top by the world’s foremost Verdi-phile, Maestro Victor DeRenzi (this is quantifiably true, as he has been awarded a Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy for being the only person to have conducted all of Verdi’s works). Every day, he will wander by with a deep cut from one of Verdi’s letters or writings, and I have learned a lot!

 

My condo while I binge-watch Frasier (unfair soprano malignment aside) wearing my red light therapy mask.

 

Breaking Wave Coffee on Main Street – bonus points because you can wander down to the waterfront and see the ocean, a constant amazement to a girl from land-locked Alberta.

 

The combination of a rigorous rehearsal schedule and the vocal demands of these Verdi roles means that I do not tend to go out at all.

 

However, being here allows me to extend my research into Aviva and Claire’s Great Savoury Snack Index™️, a list where my best friend (incredible soprano Claire de Sévigné) and I try all the international chips we can find and rate them based on flavour, crunchability, and “it” factor. While nothing could ever come close to my beloved Hawkins Cheezies (seriously, please sponsor me!!!), I have recently tried some plantain chips which are very nice indeed. We have about fifteen years of rankings now and are amongst the leading experts in the field.

 

Sometimes it is less about the destination than the journey! That was certainly true this year, as I drove down from Toronto with my dad. We had a great time listening to music, introducing each other to new podcasts and chatting about anything and everything!! It was a memorable bonding experience, and I feel so grateful he had the time and the willingness to come with me in my little Saturn Astra, the other MVP of the trip.

 

I’ve been lucky enough to stay in the same great accommodations here in Sarasota, and it just happens to be right across the street from the spring training stadium for the Baltimore Orioles. To be able to stroll out my apartment and go see a game with our Toronto Blue Jays is a fun bonus to my time here! Ticket prices also favour comparably to the SkyDome…

 

One of the great things about Sarasota Opera is the fantastic community they’ve created both on- and off-stage that return season after season. I’ve been so fortunate to work with baritone Ricardo José Rivera four times now here on Verdi – he’s played my suitor (unsuccessful), my father (nice), my father (mean), and now this year again a suitor (extremely unsuccessful). Over time, you really get to know how the other works, and can tell from a gleam in the eye or flick of the hand exactly how long the other will hold that high note (although with us it’s usually as long as humanly possible) and develop a collegial shorthand for singing together, which makes it such a joy for both the rehearsal time and the performances themselves.

 

I can’t recommend anything more than Sarasota Opera itself! In one weekend, you can come and hear four diverse operas performed in traditional, historically-accurate productions with some phenomenal singers. The opera house is a jewel in the downtown area, the sets are incredible, and a cool Toronto connection is that they now own the Malabar costume collection. You couldn’t ask for a better weekend, if you ask me!