The Merry Widow (Lehár). Oct. 18, 20, 22 at the Palladium Theater. Glamorous widow Hanna Glawari is worth 20 million francs, which the scheming Pontevedean ambassador, Baron Zeta, wants to keep in the country. Of her prospective suitors, only Count Danilo holds the key to Hanna’s heart – through a series of misunderstandings, jealous rages, comic interludes and moments of unbridled passion, The Merry Widow takes them – and the audience – from elegant parties to the intimate inner recesses of the human heart. In English with projected text above the stage.

Family Series: Pinocchio

Family Series: Pinocchio. Nov. 16, 22 and 23 at Opera Central. Utilizing music from Mozart, Offenbach, Verdi and Donizetti – with easily-understood lyrics in English — John Davies’ one-hour adaptation of Pinocchio is the ideal introduction to opera for young people. A fast-moving showcase of operatic storytelling, kid-style, it’s a colorful, fun-filled re-telling of the beloved tale of a wooden puppet who learns, through a series of misadventures, that lying does not pay. Suitable for all ages.

Holiday Sparkle. Dec, 12-15, 19-22 at Opera Central. There’ll be more gifts than ever before under our tree this holiday season! There’ll be candlelit cabaret tables and plenty of refreshments as we take you on a musical journey with soloists, chorus and orchestra through the most wonderful holiday music, from the sacred to the popular – and everything in between!

Rigoletto (Verdi). Jan. 24, 26, 28 at the Palladium Theater. Trickery and tragedy, revenge and redemption go hand-in-hand as the licentious Duke of Mantua conspires to seduce Gilda, beloved daughter of Rigoletto, the hunchbacked court jester. With some of the most powerful, stirring music ever composed – including the immortal aria “La donna è mobile” – Rigoletto is the quintessential Verdi opera, a masterful and gripping balancing act between the storm-tossed forces of darkness and the unwavering light of love. In Italian with subtitles projected above the stage.

 

Creative Collaborations. March 13 and 14 at Opera Central. It’s exactly what the name suggests: A one-of-a-kind musical experience in which different genres converge – in which musicians who might not normally perform together do so, in new and sometimes unprecedented configurations. Last spring’s Creative Collaborations included a bassoon quartet, a double bass and banjo duet, a moving piano and violin duet and a full reading – with Maestro Sforzini conducting – of Stravinsky’s multi-disciplinary work A Soldier’s Tale, blending a small orchestra, acting, narration and dance. It might be the most exciting – and unpredictable – musical event of the entire season! Says the Maestro: “We’re never entirely sure what’s going to happen at Creative Collaborations. But with the best professional musicians in the Tampa Bay area participating, we know it’s always going to be an exceptional evening!”

La Fille du Regiment (Donizetti). May 29 and 31; June 2, 5, 7 (2020) at the Palladium Theater. This robust and cinematic masterpiece (Daughter of the Regiment) will stir even the most hardened heart with its themes of love and loyalty. Marie is the canteen girl for the 21st Regiment of the French army. Just after Marie falls in love with Tonio, a civilian, the Marquise of Berkenfield arrives and claims to be her long-lost aunt, spiriting her away to be married to the Duke of Crakentorp. Will her “fathers” save her from a doting dowager, an arranged marriage and a life certain to be void of love? In French with subtitles projected above the stage.

Pops Spectacular. July 3, 4, 5 (2020) at the Palladium Theater
Celebrate America’s independence with St. Pete Opera! With Maestro Sforzini conducting a 45-piece orchestra, plus chorus and guest soloists, we’ll visit some of our country’s most outstanding and beloved musical moments – from patriotic to popular favorites and the Best of Broadway. It’s a 4th of July party, St. Pete Opera style!

No one can discuss, illustrate and illuminate the wonderful world of opera with more finesse (and more fun) than St. Pete Opera’s own Maestro Mark Sforzini. For 10 years, his Maestro Series has been the gateway to enjoyment for thousands of bay area opera fans, from the newly-won to the veteran aficionado. A few days before each of our Mainstage productions, join Maestro – and several of the professional singers who’ll perform at the big show – for an educational, entertaining and mainly musical overview of the opera – including the composer’s own thoughts on the songs and the storyline. You’ll never hear opera the same way again! 

Broadway Cabaret

Broadway Cabaret. Jan. 18, May 23 at Opera Central. Many professional opera singers are also tremendous fans of musical theater, and at our Broadway Cabaret shows, they really get to let their hair down and belt out the best of Broadway! Broadway Cabaret is an exciting musical excursion for each season’s performers, as they get to choose the songs they want to present to you, from legendary showstoppers, tender ballads and classic character studies to the most contemporary gems from the musical theater of today. In Season 14, cast members from, Rigoletto and Daughter of the Regiment will give it all they’ve got in best Broadway Cabaret style. Jan. 18, May 23.

St. Petersburg Opera Company Season 14 (2019-2020) Subscription Ticket Policy

In processing subscriptions, every effort is made to accommodate patrons’ seating requests, however, this is not always possible and we cannot always guarantee the exact seat(s) and/or performance dates requested.

Subscription ticket requests are processed in order received.

Subscription sales are available by mailing the order form included in our printed Season Brochure or by calling the SPO Box Office at 727-823-2040. You may also download and print a subscription order form from this website and then mail or deliver to

St. Petersburg Opera Company, 2145 1st Ave S, St. Petersburg, FL 33712.

RESERVED SEATING SUBSCRIPTION SALES CANNOT BE PROCESSED ONLINE

Before Palladium Theater reserved seating tickets are released to the general public for individual sale, priorities in filling subscription orders are as follows:

  1. Returning subscribers wishing to KEEP their same seat(s) AND performance days for Palladium operas from the previous season are given FIRST priority.

This process is TIME-SENSITIVE and must be completed by July 12, 2019.

  1. Returning subscribers wishing to CHANGE their seat(s) AND/OR performance days for Palladium operas are processed next.

This process must be completed by August 2, 2019.

Once you have been placed in seats for this season, you will be reprioritized into Group 1 for the following season (#15) if you wish to keep your new seats and opera performance days.

  1. NEW subscribers are processed after the first two groups have been ticketed. Once you have been placed in seats for this season, you will be reprioritized into Groups 1 or 2 for the following season (#15), depending on your requests.

INDIVIDUAL TICKET SALES will be open to the general public by August 14, 2019.

Please note that performances of MAINSTAGE OPERAS at the Palladium Theater are generally scheduled for Friday evenings, Sunday afternoons, and Tuesday evenings. In addition to this schedule, La Fille du Régiment in late Spring will have two additional performances. After you are booked in your regular subscription seats, you may exchange performance dates for either of the two additional performances, however we cannot guarantee availability of the same seats.

This season, St Petersburg Opera Company will present a special “POPS SPECTACULAR” concert series on July 3, 4 & 5, 2020 in place of our yearly Broadway musical. This will be a PALLADIUM MAINSTAGE event and will be included in our subscription package offerings. Friday subscribers will be seated on Friday evening July 3 and Sunday subscribers on Sunday afternoon July 5. TUESDAY 4-PACK SUBSCRIBERS WILL BE SEATED ON SATURDAY EVENING, JULY 4, 2020.

We offer subscriptions in 3-Packs and 4-Packs. To make the subscription process work, your subscription will be booked in the same seats for either Friday evening, Sunday afternoon, or Tuesday evening performances of the 3 operas and the POPS SPECTACULAR (if you so choose).

Pinocchio, an Opera Central FAMILY SERIES event, is scheduled for public performances November 16, 22 and 23. It is an ADD-ON EVENT available to subscribers before tickets go on sale to the general public. Seating is available on a first-come-first-served basis.

This year we have decided to present our usual Seasonal Sparkle show in a new format called “Holiday Sparkle”, which will feature 8 cabaret-style shows to be held at OPERA CENTRAL instead of the Palladium Theater. This will also be an ADD-ON EVENT available to subscribers before tickets go on sale to the general public.

The MAESTRO SERIES (Mornings and Cocktails), also available for subscription, are GENERAL ADMISSION events with seating on a first-come-first-served basis. Please arrive early for the best available seating. Subscription only sales for the Maestro Series are available online before individual ticket sales go on sale to the general public.

The FINAL STEP of the subscription process is PRINTING and MAILING tickets. All subscriber tickets are printed at the same time, so please expect delivery of your season tickets by the end of August via US Mail.

727-823-2040 stpeteopera.org