March 28, 2026, 5:30 a.m. ET
On April 10 and 12, the Jacksonville Symphony will present Puccini’s opera Tosca in Jacoby Symphony Hall, part of the Greta Challen Berg Artists Series. Arguably the world’s favorite opera, it’s a political thriller full of themes that continue to resonate in our time, even 120 years after it was written.
It centers around Floria Tosca, an acclaimed soprano. Her lover, Cavaradossi, is accused of helping an enemy of the state, and is framed by a corrupt and violent police chief, Baron Scarpia. After being tricked by Scarpia, Cavaradossi is hanged for treason. Tosca, who has also been tricked into thinking Cavaradossi will live, is heartbroken and, in the terrifyingly emotive final minutes of the opera, jumps to her death.