Friday, Sept. 7 – Opera in the Park
6 p.m.
Winter Park Wedding Chapel
301 W. New England Ave.
407-718-4365
floperatheatre.org
$20-$55
Florida Opera Theatre’s three-concert Opera in the Park series kicks off with baritone Kenneth Stavert on Friday, Sept. 7, at the Winter Park Wedding Chapel. It’s the first event of FOT’s 2012-2013 season, and it also launches Eric Pinder’s tenure as new director in residence, replacing Frank McLain. Later in the season, FOT plans to stage two full-length operas (Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and Menotti’s The Telephone), but this intimate concert series is an ideal introduction for the opera novice: Not only is the quaint chapel acoustically choice, but there’s something thrilling about seeing performers up close enough to really observe the details of the work. It’s a completely different experience than seeing tiny figures moving about on a crowded stage. The Opera in the Park series continues with soprano Samantha Barnes Daniel Sept. 14 and the effervescent soprano Janette Zilioli Sept. 21. – Jessica Bryce Young
This article appears in Sep 5-11, 2012.
