Opera season in Southwest Florida heats up this week with performances by Gulfshore Opera, Opera Naples and Sarasota Opera.
Gulfshore Opera takes a “Taste of Opera” 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.
On Friday the 13th, Opera Naples celebrates the opera chorus at the Wang Opera Center with “Voices of Triumph.” 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.
Puccini's most beloved and frequently performed opera, “La bohème” opens Valentine’s Day at the Sarasota Opera House. Sarasota Opera has presented many productions of Puccini's works. It last produced “La bohème” in 2020.
MORE INFORMATION:
Taste of Opera Songs of Love at Gulfshore Opera
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.
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.
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 “La bohème" to the dramatic intensity of “Rigoletto," Gulfshore Opera’s unforgettable productions have left indelible marks on the cultural tapestry of the region.
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.
She moved to Naples in 2000 and founded Southwest Florida’s 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.
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.
In November 2023, Pearce was selected as one of Gulfshore Life’s 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.
For more, hear/read:
- “Gulfshore Opera opens new season with full-scale production of ‘Carmen’”;
- “Gulfshore Opera continues season Jan. 20 with Shakespearean-themed ‘As You Like It’”; and
- “Gulfshore Opera bringing high-quality opera to Collier, Lee and Charlotte counties.”
Opera Naples’ “Voices of Triumph: Celebration of the Opera Chorus”
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 “Carmen” and “La Traviata,” 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.
The performance is Friday, Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. in the Wang Opera Center.
For more, hear/read:
- “Rising opera star Samantha Hankey to give recital for Opera Naples in April”;
- “Opera Naples’ resident artists provide fresh take on beloved arias and timeless classics”;
- “Competitors and jurors announced for 2026 Luciano Pavarotti Foundation Opera Naples International Voice Competition”;
- “Opera Naples to perform ‘Scalia/Ginsburg’ for America250 celebration”; and
- “Opera Naples enjoying success despite lack of state arts and culture grants.”
La boheme at Sarasota Opera House
Puccini’s “La boheme” is onstage at Sarasota Opera House Feb. 14 through March 28.
Puccini's most beloved opera and one of the most performed in the repertoire, “La bohème” takes audiences through the streets of the Latin Quarter in 19th century Paris when a poor embroideress Mimì 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.
La bohème 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 “La bohème” came into existence.
Sarasota Opera has presented many productions of Puccini's works. These include “Madama Butterfly” in 1986, 1994, 2007, 2011, 2017, and 2023; “Il tabarro” in 1987; “Tosca” in 1988, 2004, 2009, 2015, 2022; "La fanciulla del West" in 1993; "La rondine" in 1999 and 2008; “Turandot” in 2013 and 2019; and a production of the composer's complete “Il trittico” (consisting of the three one-act operas “Il tabarro,” “Suor Angelica” and “Gianni Schicchi”) in 1996.
Sarasota Opera last produced “La bohème” in 2020.
Ashley Milanese is Mimi; Woo Young Yoon plays Rodolfo; and Virginia Mims is Musetta.
“La boheme” opens with a 7:30 p.m. performance on Saturday, Feb. 14.
Support for WGCU’s 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.
