ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Like much of the arts and entertainment world, the curtain has been drawn on the St. Petersburg Opera Company because of the coronavirus pandemic. Now the company is taking its music to the streets.
The St. Petersburg Opera Company officially began its 15th season on August 1, but today's outdoor performances are the first of the season. The company is calling this a POPera. Four performances will "pop up" around St. Petersburg tonight.
The first is at Westminster Suncoast at 5 P.M. You can watch from just north of the property on 66th Avenue South. Then the group will move to the St. Pete Side Lot on 2nd Avenue South around 6 P.M. By 7 p.m., the opera will be outside the Museum of Fine Arts. You can sit on the grassy, shaded lawn just north of the building to listen to the music. The performances will wrap up at The Palladium. That set starts at 7:45 p.m. with room on the gravel parking lot to the east of the building for people to watch.
Maestro Mark Sforzini says the outdoor performances are one way to keep the company going during the pandemic. He said they've survived hardships before.
"We thrived from the beginning despite the economic crisis of 2008; we expanded offerings and outreach year after year and purchased, renovated, and paid off our building (Opera Central)," Maestro Sforzini writes in a letter to opera patrons. "At times we have been likened to 'the little engine that could'. And, we did! "
The masetro says there are two different pieces of music on the set list for tonight, so you may want to catch more than one performance! You can see the full program below:
The St. Petersburg Opera Company plans to do a POPera at least once at month moving forward. They also are working on virtual programs for Facebook Live.
"The bottom line: We are here for the long haul," Maestro Sforzini says.
