01/28/21
Finger Lakes Opera, Inc., (FLO), has announced its virtual programming for the first quarter of 2021.
For the first time in its history, FLO will have year-round performances, expanding upon the previous summer-only seasons. Executive Director Elizabeth Long explains, “As is true for all performing arts organizations during this pandemic, planning takes on a whole new meaning. FLO has approached its virtual programming through innovative and creative production means to safely bring the wonder of live opera to our community.”
January 30 at 10:30 AM, FLO will release its adaptation of John Davies’s children’s opera Pinocchio, recorded by the 2020 Tomita Young Artists and The Puppet Co.’s marionette puppets. With strict Covid-19 safety protocols, the six artists, under the direction of Artistic Director Gerard Floriano, recorded Pinocchio in-studio in late 2020. This recording is merged with the filmed puppeteer version of the tale, creating a unique, multimedia experience.
On February 1, FLO will kick-off its celebration of Black History Month with Episode I of the Historical Video-Podcast Series. This episode will include selections from a 1963 Porgy and Bess recording featuring baritone William Warfield and soprano Leontyne Price. Floriano adds, “In sharing this treasured, rare recording, I hope to bring new light to the story and its performers.” FLO will then present soloists in recital: February 18 at 7:00 PM featuring Jorell Williams, and February 25 at 7:00 PM showcasing Rochester’s Kearstin Piper Brown. Williams, last seen on FLO’s 2019 mainstage production of La bohème, will present a program showcasing his mellifluous baritone voice, followed by soprano Piper Brown’s recital to round out February’s celebration.
Recitals in March and April include a winner of the 2018 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, tenor Carlos Enrique Santelli, on March 19, and on April 2, baritone Jonathan Michie, who last appeared with FLO in the 2018 mainstage production of Die Fledermaus. All recitals and performances will air on FLO’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.
About Finger Lakes Opera, Inc. (FLO) – Founded in 2012 by Artistic Director Gerard Floriano, FLO sought to create a professional summer festival in the heart of the Finger Lakes, where artists of all kinds could be celebrated through bold new productions of operatic masterpieces. The festival continued for three years and morphed into FLO securing 501(c)(3) status as a non-profit arts organization. Most performances are held in non-Covid times in the state-of-the-art theater at the Canandaigua Academy. Since February 2019, Elizabeth G. Long has been the executive director taking FLO in a new direction, including exponentially growing its celebrated Tomita Young Artist Program.
Love the article on the Finger Lakes Opera and its extended schedule! Is the implication that the summer 2021 FLO offerings will be on-line only? I could not figure that out. Thanks!