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Younger voices convey ‘The Little Sweep’ to Sarasota Opera Home

Daily SF News — Fri, 14 Jun 2024 11:26:24 +0000

In a rehearsal room at the Sarasota Opera House, dozens of young artists raise their voices together in support of a young boy who is forced to work as a chimney sweep to support his injured father and is treated cruelly by his employer.

The cast of Sarasota Youth Opera's new production of Benjamin Britten's “The Little Sweep” sings with verve, encouraged by music director Jesse Martins, who conducts from a chair and observes the action among the young singers, ages 8 to 18.

Director Martha Collins, who is bringing the show to its fourth year since 2005, occasionally jumps into the scene to replace a missing cast member and makes sure everyone has a partner to play and sing with. During a run-through of a wordless prologue in which the cast builds a child's room with building blocks, a rocking chair, a bed and toy horses, she encourages the performers to remember who they are and why they are on stage.

Anjou Burkmier plays Sammy, the title character in Benjamin Britten’s “The Little Sweep” at the Sarasota Youth Opera.

“It's a wonderful story, and the prologue we created gives the children a lot of opportunities,” said Collins, a former opera singer who stages at least one main production for the Sarasota Opera each season.

Years ago, the company received permission from Britten's estate to move the action from 19th-century England to Boston. “We rewrote some of the Britishisms,” Collins said. “We thought the kids might not understand them.” The original production began with a lengthy “Let's Put on an Opera” designed to teach audience members music, and Sarasota Opera wrote its own prologue.

“We have created a pantomime that is magical for non-theatregoers. It is amazing to see the children see the set come together,” Collins said.

Collins and Martens are working with 67 young singers and four adult performers, which marks a return to some kind of normality for the youth opera. The last production in 2018 featured 70 singers.

From left: Gabriel Magowan, Anjou Burkmier, Ara Martinez and Isabella Maltese star in the Sarasota Youth Opera production of “The Little Sweep.”

COVID “decimated our program,” but “we're really growing again. We missed a few years of continuity to have Maestro Jesse help develop their voices, but we have a wonderful new group of singers. This is a wonderful piece to grow that,” Collins said.

Among the cast is Sofia Scheck, a student at the Manatee School for the Arts, who sings the role of nanny Rowan, who is persuaded by her charges to help the little cleaner named Sammy.

Scheck, who has performed in youth opera productions since “Rootabaga Country” in 2017, said that in “The Little Sweep,” “the music is much more challenging to play.”

Singing a role normally played by adults was an educational experience, Scheck said.

“They treat me like an equal,” she said. “It's so nice to be treated like that and to feel respected by them. Usually I'm the one who has to respect my elders.”

Martens said Scheck took on a role that “requires a much more demanding vocal range, and the dramatic requirement requires a more mature voice. Her voice has those qualities.”

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Sarasota’s 2023-24 season: For the 65th season of well-known and rare works, the Sarasota Opera shortens its fall production

From left: Ara Martinez, Anjou Burkmier and Isabella Maltese are among the stars of the Sarasota Youth Opera production of “The Little Sweep” by Benjamin Britten.

Collins said it helps that Scheck is also physically larger than some of the other children. “It makes it a little more believable that she could be a governess.”

Scheck said she has made many friends in the Sarasota Youth Opera over the years. “I like the atmosphere and the opportunity to bring something to the stage. I love giving a character personality and emotion and understanding what they are saying and what it means to be that character.”

Two different casts will perform the opera over the weekend. The adult singers include Paul Hill, Jake Stamatis, Sarahann Duffy and Virginia Mims.

Collins said the show lasts just over an hour. “Because it's short and action-packed, it's a great opera to see with the family. Young children are fascinated by the colorful lighting and music.”

“The little sweeper”

By Benjamin Britten. Jesse Martens, music director; Martha Collins, stage director. Nov. 4, 5 p.m. and Nov. 5, 12:30 p.m., Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave., Sarasota. 941-328-1322; sarasotaopera.org

Follow Jay Handelman on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Contact him at jay.handelman@heraldtribune.com. And please support local journalism by subscribing to the Herald-Tribune.

This article originally appeared in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota Youth Opera sings inspiring story “The Little Sweep”

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Sarasota Youth Opera Hosts a FREE FAMILY DAY on the Opera Home

Daily SF News — Fri, 18 Aug 2023 00:52:41 +0000

On Saturday, August 19, from 12 to 2 pm, bring the whole family to a free “Family Day” event and come see what Sarasota Youth Opera is all about! The Sarasota Opera House will be abuzz with activities – you can hear the Youth Opera sing, attend a “Find Your Own Opera Voice” singing session, join in fun acting games, and stand on the opera stage when you take a tour of the opera house. You can even get creative and make some props, have fun at the wig and makeup demonstration, explore the beautiful costumes, and more!

This fall Sarasota Youth Opera will present Benjamin Britten’s The Little Sweep on the Sarasota Opera House stage, complete with professional sets, costumes, and orchestra. The opera tells the charming story about a group of children who join together to free a young chimney sweep apprentice from his cruel master and send him back to his family.

The fall program starts up on August 15th, and auditions for the lead roles will be held on August 22 and 24. No prior experience is necessary, all skill levels are welcome! To learn more about Youth Opera visit https://www.sarasotaopera.org/youth-opera-program.

What: Sarasota Youth Opera Family Day
When: Saturday, August 19, 2022, from 12 to 2 pm
Where: Sarasota Opera House: 61 N. Pineapple Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34236
Tickets: This is a FREE event and no tickets are necessary.

Details for the event can be found at Click Here

ABOUT SARASOTA YOUTH OPERA

Since 1984, Sarasota Youth Opera has given thousands of young people ages 8 to 18 an opportunity to experience the joy of opera firsthand through participation in fully staged Youth Opera productions, Sarasota Opera main stage productions, summer camps, and concerts throughout the community.

Sarasota Youth Opera is the only program in the United States committed to both presenting an annual full-scale opera production for young voices, as well as accepting all who wish to participate regardless of skill level or ability to pay.

Youth Opera Choruses: Beginning at age 8, singers are placed in one of two chorus levels. Each chorus provides a setting for everyone to participate and progress at their own level as they gain greater skills and experience. Selections performed are made up of classical music, which includes opera and choral pieces in different languages. The choruses perform throughout the community in formal concerts and outreach events.

Opera Mainstage Season: Members of the Youth Opera are selected to join Sarasota Opera’s Winter Festival season, appearing in the mainstage children’s chorus, as supernumeraries (extras who perform non-singing roles) and for special roles written by the composer for children’s voices. In recent seasons these have included roles in La bohème, Tosca, and Carmen. Singers are involved in the complete production process – from early music and dramatic rehearsals to performing alongside opera professionals.

Youth Opera Productions: Part of Sarasota Opera’s commitment to young people includes the commissioning of new operatic works written for children and young adults. Six new works have been presented as part of this mission: Deadline (1989), Polly Pen’s Her Lightness (1993), Tom Suta’s Eye of Ra (1998), John Kennedy’s The Language of Birds (2004), Daron Hagen’s Little Nemo in Slumberland (2012) and Rachel J. Peters’ Rootabaga Country (2017). Members take part in the making of each opera, complete with professional staging, costumes, lighting, sound, and orchestral accompaniment.

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Sarasota Opera Proclaims 2023-2024 Season

Daily SF News — Mon, 20 Mar 2023 00:48:47 +0000

Sarasota Opera announced the 2023-2024 opera season in a press conference on the main stage of the Sarasota Opera House today. It will feature four exciting operatic productions, with a company premiere, a revival of a Sarasota Opera favorite and two works that have not been performed in more than a decade. There will also be a popular concert featuring an orchestra and Sarasota Youth Opera’s industry-leading production.

In view of the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and two major storms in the past season, the company has decided to shorten the autumn opera season by one year. Instead of an autumn production, the company presents two performances of a concert with works by Giacomo Puccini, one of the most popular opera composers. This will be performed by five soloists and continues the partnership with the Sarasota Orchestra conducted by Victor DeRenzi. The Sarasota Youth Opera will also perform Benjamin Britten’s The Little Sweep in a favorite production.

The 2024 Winter Opera Festival, which runs from February 17 to March 24, 2024, will feature four productions. The festival opens on February 17 with Carmen by Georges Bizet, a company favourite, last seen in 2018. Gaetano Donizetti’s brooding masterpiece Lucia di Lammermoor, last performed in 2012, returns on February 24th. Giuseppe Verdi’s Luisa Miller, last performed almost 25 years ago, opens on March 9th. The festival concludes with the Sarasota Opera premiere of Franz Joseph Haydn’s Fraud (L’infedeltà delusa), a charming comedy that has not been fully staged by a professional American opera company in the United States since 1971.

Subscriptions for the 2023-2024 season can be renewed online at SarasotaOpera.org and at the Sarasota Opera Box Office on Monday, March 20. Single tickets for the 2023-2024 season will go on sale on September 1, 2023. For more information about the 2023-2024 season, please contact the Sarasota Opera Box Office at (941) 328-1300, visit us in person at 61 N Pineapple Avenue in downtown Sarasota, or online at SarasotaOpera.org.

Autumn season 2023

November 10 at 7:30 p.m
November 12 at 3:00 p.m

Giacomo Puccini’s operas are among the most popular in the repertoire. Sarasota Opera soloists will present favorite selections from these magnificent works in collaboration with the Sarasota Orchestra conducted by Victor DeRenzi.

Libretto by Eric Crozier
Sarasota Youth Opera production
4 November at 5:00 p.m
5 November at 12:30 p.m

Sarasota Youth Opera will present a revival of our acclaimed production of Britten’s charming opera The Little Sweep. A group of children, with the help of a friendly nanny, work to free a young apprentice chimney sweep from his cruel master. Last seen in 2018 and written to introduce young people to opera, this enchanting work will delight children and adults alike.

Opera Festival Winter Season 2024

Libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halevy
Based on the story of the same name by Prosper Mérimée
12 performances: February 17 – March 22
17, 20, 22, 25 Feb (matinee), 28 Feb, 2 Mar (matinee), 5 Mar, 8, 13, 17, 19 Mar (matinee ), 22

Carmen, the seductive and enigmatic heroine of Bizet’s opera, has seduced life-changing Corporal Don José into being with her. When her interest turns to the charismatic bullfighter Escamillo, José’s angry jealousy leads to disaster. Opera lovers and newcomers alike will bask in some of opera’s most iconic music!

Libretto by Salvadore Cammarano
Based on Sir Walter Scott’s The Bride of Lammermoor
8 performances: February 24 – March 23
Feb 24, 27, 29, March 3 (matinee), March 6, 10 (matinee), March 16, 23

In Donizetti’s masterpiece, based on Sir Walter Scott’s The Bride of Lammermoor, deceit breeds murder and madness. To save his family’s fortune, Enrico Ashton has promised his sister Lucia’s hand in hand to a Scottish nobleman instead of to the man she loves, Edgardo, a member of a rival family. The ensuing drama is thrillingly captured in Donizetti’s wonderfully romantic music, with many well-known operatic highlights, including Lucia’s famous mad scene.

Libretto by Salvadore Cammarano
Based on Cabal and Love by Friedrich von Schiller
6 performances: March 9th – 24th
9, 12, 14, 16 March (matinee), 20, 24 March (matinee)

Luisa Miller, one of Giuseppe Verdi’s less acted but passionately romantic dramas, returns to Sarasota Opera after 25 years. Luisa, the daughter of an old soldier, is in love with Carlo, who is actually Rodolfo, the son of the ruthless Count Walter. The Count’s opposition to the couple’s love leads to tragedy in an opera full of memorable arias and gripping ensembles.

Outwitted Fraud (L’infedeltà delusa) by Joseph Haydn

Libretto by Marco Coltellini
5 performances: March 15-23
March 15, 17 (matinee), March 19, 21, 23 (matinee)

Franz Joseph Haydn is one of the most famous composers of classical music, but his extensive operatic work is virtually unknown. In the delightful comedy L’infedeltà delusa, farmer Filippo hopes his daughter Sandrina will marry rich farmer Nencio. However, she is in love with a poor farmer whose sister is in love with Nencio. All is happily resolved through a series of comic complications (including a parade of disguises), accompanied by Haydn’s inventive score and brilliant singing. This will be a Sarasota Opera premiere and the first fully staged professional production in the United States in over 50 years.

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TASTE OF DOWNTOWN at Sarasota Opera Home

Sat, 12 Jun 2021 10:28:20 +0000

Taste of Downtown is an annual fundraising soirée at the Sarasota Opera House to benefit the Sarasota Youth Opera. The event, which is now taking place for the fifth time, hosted a wide selection of Sarasota’s favorite restaurants with fine dining, craft beers and fine wines. Guests also enjoyed a free photo op, a Sarasota Opera wine glass, and some selections sung by the Youth Opera. The fundraiser is the perfect opportunity to exchange ideas, try out local dishes and support Sarasota’s successful youth opera.

The participants of the event were greeted with tastings of pork belly skewers with pineapple miso from the Bijou Café, Crepe Suzettes from Café L “Europe, Classico Sarasota with escargot in puffed pastry, currents, Hyatt Regency Sarasota with sesame crust, tuna and nicoise salad, Duval’s, pampered sweet soy chilli glazed tuna skewers, EVOQ, The Westin Sarasota offered Lobster Mac & Cheese Croquettes, Mattison’s had Pork Belly Tacos, Michael’s On East made Herbed Meatballs with Spaetzle, Salmon, Pork and Brisket were on the table at Nancy’s Bar -BQ,, H2O Bistro from Hotel Indigo prepared steak crostini with caramelized onions and brie, tsunami sushi & Habiachi grill offered a selection of different sushis, those with a sweet tooth came from five-o donuts with mini donuts, chocolate fondue from the melting pot and assorted bundt Cakes from Nothing Bundt Cakes. The meal was rounded off with a selection of coffees from Kahwa Coffee Making espressos, lattes and cappuccinos Beer, wine and cocktails were owcased from Bronco Wines – Crane Lake Red and Carmenet Selections, Republic National Distributing Company – Marchesini Italy, Mercer Washington, Codorniu Classic Spain, Gold Coast Eagle Distributing – Beer Selections and Nautical Gin.

Founded in 1984, Sarasota Youth Opera is the only program in the United States that offers young people the opportunity to participate in extracurricular choirs, main stage opera productions, fully staged youth opera renderings, and summer workshops. The Sarasota Youth Opera is under the direction of Maestro Jesse, who has dedicated his career to working as a companion in his home country Brazil, but also in New Zealand, England and the USA. He holds a Master of Arts in Collaborative Piano from Mansfield University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil).

This year, Sarasota Youth Opera is hosting a revival of Britten’s opera The Little Sweep, a story of a group of children and a friendly nanny who team up to rescue a young apprentice chimney sweep from his cruel master. This opera was specially written to introduce young people to opera. Previous productions include The Frog Prince, Cinderella, Pinocchio, Ocean World, The Piper of Hameln, and The Hobbit, to name a few.

On the opera’s website it says: “From the age of 8 singers are divided into one of two choir levels. Each choir offers everyone the opportunity to participate and advance at their own level as they gain greater skills and experience. The selection listed consists of classical music that includes operatic and choral pieces in various languages. The choirs perform in formal concerts and outreach events throughout the community. Youth Opera members are selected to participate in the Sarasota Opera’s winter festival season. They appear in the children’s choir on the main stage, as extras (extras who play non-singing roles) and for special roles that the composer has written for children’s voices. In the last few seasons these have been roles in Die Zauberflöte, la Bohème, Tosca and Carmen. Singers are involved in the entire production process – from early music to dramatic rehearsals and performances with opera professionals. “

To learn more about Sarasota Opera and Sarasota Youth Opera, visit www.sarasotaopera.org.

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Sarasota Youth Opera Will Heat Hearts With Benjamin Britten’s THE LITTLE SWEEP

Thu, 03 Jun 2021 05:59:10 +0000

On November 3rd and 4th, the Sarasota Youth Opera is presenting a revival of its acclaimed production of Benjamin Britten’s charming opera The Little Sweep, which was last seen in 2013. The opera will be preceded by a prologue specially created for the Sarasota Youth Opera by the conductor and Youth Opera, music director Jesse Martins and director Martha Collins (Rootabaga Country, The Secret World of Og).

The Little Sweep – a moral story with a relevant message for today’s world

Set in early 19th century Boston, The Little Sweep is an enchanting story with a positive message about inclusion and collaboration. The little chimney sweep Sammy is put into service by his impoverished family and bullied by the mean old sweeper. Little Sammy is endangered in his dangerous and dirty work when he is cleaning the chimneys in the home of a wealthy family. In the end, a group of friendly and resourceful children – supported by their young governess – save the day. The opera will be performed in English, with English titles displayed above the stage. The running time including the prologue is approx. 70 minutes and is therefore perfect for families with children.

There are 90 children in the cast of The Little Sweep, with three of the adult roles being played by members of the Sarasota Opera Studio Artist and Apprentice Artist programs. All aspects of production – including lighting, costumes, sets, sets, props, wigs, and makeup – are provided by the professional Sarasota Opera’s staff, giving youth opera members a remarkable opportunity to work with seasoned experts.

The British composer Benjamin Britten wrote the opera especially for children’s voices. The composer devoted himself to the idea of educating young people in the musical arts and in another of his works – The Young People’s Guide to the Orchestra – introduced millions of young audiences to classical music and the distinctive sound of every orchestral instrument.

In addition to the opera, the production includes a prologue that explains how an opera is conceived and produced, as well as supporting content related to The Little Sweep. The audience sees the sets change before their eyes. Every member of Sarasota Youth Opera takes part in this prologue, created by Music Director and Conductor of Youth Opera Jesse Martins and Director of Sarasota Youth Opera, Martha Collins.

Sarasota Opera is proud to partner with Embracing Our Differences to bring students and teachers from Sarasota and Manatee Counties to a special school matinee from The Little Sweep on Monday, November 5th at 10:30 am. Participants are invited to sing along to the last music number of the show. Materials to prepare students for their debut at Sarasota Opera are included in a teaching material handbook distributed to teachers. This special matinee is provided to schools for free (transportation courtesy of Embracing Our Differences & Tickets courtesy of Sarasota Opera).

Benjamin Britten’s little swing

Sung in English with English titles over the stage?

November 3, 2018 at 5.30 p.m. and November 4, 2018 at 12.30 p.m.

A Sarasota Youth Opera production

Ticket information

Family Pack tickets (up to 2 adults and 4 children) are only $ 65 and are available by calling (941) 328-1300 or the Sarasota Opera Box Office at 61 N. Pineapple Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34236.

Single tickets are $ 15 for children and $ 30 for adults, and can be purchased at sarasotaopera.org and at the Sarasota Opera box office. For more information, contact the box office at (941) 328-1300.

ABOUT THE YOUTH OPERA SARASOTA

Since 1984, Sarasota Youth Opera has given thousands of young people the opportunity to experience opera firsthand by participating in extra-curricular choirs, Sarasota Opera’s main stage productions, summer workshops, and fully staged Youth Opera productions. As the only program in the United States that pledges to present full annual opera productions for young voices willing to include anyone who wants to participate regardless of skill level or ability to pay, Sarasota Youth Opera is a national model for opera education .

Youth opera choirs: From the age of 8, singers are divided into one of two choir levels. Each choir provides a framework for everyone to participate and advance at their own level as they gain greater skills and experience. The selection listed consists of classical music that includes operatic and choral pieces in various languages. The choirs perform in formal concerts and outreach events throughout the community.

Opera’s main stage season: Members of the youth opera are selected to participate in the Sarasota Opera’s winter festival season to perform in the main stage children’s choir, as extras (extras who play non-singing roles) and for special roles by the composer for children’s voices. In the last few seasons these have been roles in La bohème, Tosca, Carmen and – at the coming Winter Festival 2019 – in the Magic Flute and in Turandot. Singers are involved in the entire production process – from early music to dramatic rehearsals and performances with opera professionals.

Youth Opera Productions: Part of Sarasota Opera’s commitment to young people includes commissioning new opera works for children and young adults. Six new works were presented as part of this mission: Deadline (1989), Polly Pens Her Lightness (1993), Tom Sutas Eye of Ra (1998), John Kennedy’s The Language of Birds (2004), Daron Hagens Little Nemo in Slumberland (2012 ) and Rachel J. Peters’ Rootabaga Country (2017). Members are involved in the creation of each opera, complete with professional staging, costumes, lighting, sound, and orchestral accompaniment.

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