{"id":150853,"date":"2026-02-10T23:31:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T23:31:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/150853\/"},"modified":"2026-02-10T23:31:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T23:31:19","slug":"opera-season-in-southwest-florida-heats-up-this-week-with-three-opera-companies-performing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/150853\/","title":{"rendered":"Opera season in Southwest Florida heats up this week with three opera companies performing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Opera season in Southwest Florida heats up this week with performances by Gulfshore Opera, Opera Naples and Sarasota Opera.<\/p>\n

\"Gulfshore<\/p>\n

Courtesy of Gulfshore Opera<\/p>\n

\/<\/p>\n

Gulfshore Opera <\/p>\n

Accompanied by piano, Gulfshore Opera artists will perform the greatest arias, duets, and classic musical theater scenes that celebrate love in all its forms. <\/p>\n

Gulfshore Opera takes a \u201cTaste of Opera\u201d to Isles Yacht Club in Punta Gorda on Feb. 10 when its artists perform the greatest arias, duets, and classic musical theater scenes that celebrate love in all its forms.<\/p>\n

\"Opera<\/p>\n

Courtesy of Opera Naples<\/p>\n

\/<\/p>\n

Opera Naples <\/p>\n

The Opera Naples Chorus and resident artists combine for an evening celebrating the power and beauty of the human voice with famous opera choruses. <\/p>\n

On Friday the 13th, Opera Naples celebrates the opera chorus at the Wang Opera Center with \u201cVoices of Triumph.\u201d In this performance, the Opera Naples Chorus and resident artists combine for an evening celebrating the power and beauty of the human voice with famous opera choruses.<\/p>\n

\"Sarasota<\/p>\n

Courtesy of Sarasota Opera House<\/p>\n

\/<\/p>\n

Sarasota Opera House <\/p>\n

‘La boh\u00e8me’ was the fourth opera written by the Italian composer Giacomo Puccini (1858 – 1924). <\/p>\n

Puccini’s most beloved and frequently performed opera, \u201cLa boh\u00e8me\u201d opens Valentine\u2019s Day at the Sarasota Opera House. Sarasota Opera has presented many productions of Puccini’s works. It last produced \u201cLa boh\u00e8me\u201d in 2020.<\/p>\n

\"Sarasota<\/p>\n

Courtesy of Sarasota Opera House <\/p>\n

\/<\/p>\n

Sarasota Opera House <\/p>\n

‘La boheme’ opens with a 7:30 p.m. performance on Saturday, Feb. 14. <\/p>\n

MORE INFORMATION:<\/p>\n

\"Gulfshore<\/p>\n

Courtesy of Gulfshore Opera<\/p>\n

\/<\/p>\n

Gulfshore Opera <\/p>\n

Gulfshore Opera (GO) began its journey in June 2014 with the vision of bringing high-quality opera to Southwest Florida in a collaborative, inclusive environment. <\/p>\n

Taste of Opera Songs of Love at Gulfshore Opera<\/p>\n

Accompanied by piano, Gulfshore Opera artists will perform the greatest arias, duets, and classic musical theater scenes that celebrate love in all its forms at Isles Yacht Club in Punta Gorda at 6 p.m. on Feb. 10. Before the performance, guests will enjoy a sumptuous dinner with complimentary wine and light entertainment.<\/p>\n

Gulfshore Opera began its journey in June 2014 with the vision of bringing high-quality opera to Southwest Florida in a collaborative, inclusive environment. Founded by Steffanie Pearce, the company quickly established itself as a regional cultural force, staging concerts and full opera productions across Collier, Lee, and Charlotte counties.<\/p>\n

Over the past 12 years, Gulfshore Opera has grown from a $280,000 startup to a $1.1 million institution, touching countless lives through accessible, high-quality performances. From the haunting melodies of \u201cLa boh\u00e8me” to the dramatic intensity of \u201cRigoletto,” Gulfshore Opera\u2019s unforgettable productions have left indelible marks on the cultural tapestry of the region.<\/p>\n

\"Gulfshore<\/p>\n

Courtesy of Gulfshore Opera<\/p>\n

\/<\/p>\n

Gulfshore Opera <\/p>\n

With over 40 years of experience in opera, Steffanie Pearce is a producer, director, performer, and teacher of the great art form. <\/p>\n

With over 40 years of experience in opera, Steffanie Pearce is a producer, director, performer, and teacher of the great art form. Before focusing her energy on producing and directing opera, Pearce enjoyed a long international singing career with opera companies, including Opera Marseille, Opera Lisbon, The Opera Company of Philadelphia, and San Diego Opera. She performed at major theaters, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.<\/p>\n

She moved to Naples in 2000 and founded Southwest Florida\u2019s first opera company in 2005. In June 2014, she reorganized and expanded operations into three counties with the formation of Gulfshore Opera. She lives in Lee County with her daughter, Aria.<\/p>\n

In 2016, Pearce was honored with the WGCU Makers award. Chosen as one of five women in Southwest Florida, she was recognized as an authentic, passionate, and inspiring woman who will leave a memorable, lasting impact on the people, economy, and culture of the region.<\/p>\n

In November 2023, Pearce was selected as one of Gulfshore Life\u2019s Women of the Year. The magazine honored her as an arts visionary known for bringing opera to Southwest Florida, ensuring equitable access to the arts, and shaping the community with her outstanding contributions over the past 20 years.<\/p>\n

For more, hear\/read:<\/p>\n

Opera Naples\u2019 \u201cVoices of Triumph: Celebration of the Opera Chorus\u201d<\/p>\n

The Opera Naples Chorus and resident artists combine for an unforgettable evening celebrating the power and beauty of the human voice with famous opera choruses. Featuring highly recognizable selections from popular works such as \u201cCarmen\u201d and \u201cLa Traviata,\u201d this uplifting program showcases timeless works that have inspired audiences for generations. The audience will experience the rich harmonies that only a full chorus can deliver.<\/p>\n

The performance is Friday, Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. in the Wang Opera Center.
For more, hear\/read:<\/p>\n

\"Sarasota<\/p>\n

Courtesy of Sarasota Opera House<\/p>\n

\/<\/p>\n

Sarasota Opera House <\/p>\n

Sarasota Opera has presented many productions of Puccini’s works. <\/p>\n

La boheme at Sarasota Opera House<\/p>\n

Puccini\u2019s \u201cLa boheme\u201d is onstage at Sarasota Opera House Feb. 14 through March 28.<\/p>\n

Puccini’s most beloved opera and one of the most performed in the repertoire, \u201cLa boh\u00e8me\u201d takes audiences through the streets of the Latin Quarter in 19th century Paris when a poor embroideress Mim\u00ec has a fateful chance encounter with the poet Rodolfo. Laugh and cry as a group of friends struggle and celebrate through the Bohemian lifestyle and experience the heartbreak of a lover’s impending demise.<\/p>\n

\"Sarasota<\/p>\n

Courtesy of Sarasota Opera House<\/p>\n

\/<\/p>\n

Sarasota Opera House<\/p>\n

Sarasota Opera’s production of Puccini’s ‘La boheme’ is characterized by lavish sets and costumes. <\/p>\n

La boh\u00e8me was the fourth opera written by the Italian composer Giacomo Puccini (1858 – 1924). Its place as a masterpiece in the operatic canon is anchored by the work’s many, almost contradictory, elements. These include realistic characters displaying simple emotions, theatrical situations, narrative brevity and poetic expansiveness. However, the path to creating this fresh and original opera was a tortuous one for Puccini and his librettists. It was only after numerous changes of structure and detail that the work which audiences recognize as Puccini’s \u201cLa boh\u00e8me\u201d came into existence.<\/p>\n

Sarasota Opera has presented many productions of Puccini’s works. These include \u201cMadama Butterfly\u201d in 1986, 1994, 2007, 2011, 2017, and 2023; \u201cIl tabarro\u201d in 1987; \u201cTosca\u201d in 1988, 2004, 2009, 2015, 2022; “La fanciulla del West” in 1993; “La rondine” in 1999 and 2008; \u201cTurandot\u201d in 2013 and 2019; and a production of the composer’s complete \u201cIl trittico\u201d (consisting of the three one-act operas \u201cIl tabarro,\u201d \u201cSuor Angelica\u201d and \u201cGianni Schicchi\u201d) in 1996.<\/p>\n

\"Sarasota<\/p>\n

Courtesy of Sarasota Opera House<\/p>\n

\/<\/p>\n

Sarasota Opera House <\/p>\n

Ashley Milanese is Mimi; Woo Young Yoon plays Rodolfo; and Virginia Mims is Musetta.<\/p>\n

Sarasota Opera last produced \u201cLa boh\u00e8me\u201d in 2020.<\/p>\n

Ashley Milanese is Mimi; Woo Young Yoon plays Rodolfo; and Virginia Mims is Musetta.<\/p>\n

\u201cLa boheme\u201d opens with a 7:30 p.m. performance on Saturday, Feb. 14.<\/p>\n

Support for WGCU\u2019s arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Opera season in Southwest Florida heats up this week with performances by Gulfshore Opera, Opera Naples and Sarasota…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":150854,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[209,211,210],"class_list":["post-150853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral-headlines","tag-cape-coral-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150853","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=150853"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150853\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/150854"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=150853"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=150853"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=150853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}