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FGO
Today
· Florida Grand Opera is the Southeast’s first regional Opera Company. It was created May 31, 1994 by founding companies Greater Miami Opera and the Opera Guild of Fort Lauderdale.
· Florida Grand Opera is the 7th oldest Opera Company in the United States, dating from 1941 in Miami and 1945 in Fort Lauderdale.
· FGO is the 12th largest Opera Company in the nation with a budget that has grown from $1,200 in 1941 to $12.5 million today.
· The Opera employs 54 full-time and 300 part-time and seasonal staff in 5 locations.
· Currently, Florida Grand Opera's season is comprised of 5 operas. Each production is created and produced in South Florida by Florida Grand Opera. These productions are not touring productions and are only performed in Broward County at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts and in Miami-Dade County at the Miami-Dade County Auditorium.
· In the 2005-2006 season, FGO will present 40 performances of its 5 operas, including a matinee performance for the first time in Broward County. In the 2006-2007 season, FGO has scheduled 52 performances of 6 operas.
· The 2005-2006 season will be Florida Grand Opera’s last at Miami-Dade County Auditorium. It will present its first opera, Aida by Giuseppe Verdi, at the Miami Performing Arts Center on October 28, 2006.
· Florida Grand Opera is one of the resident companies that will make Miami's new Performing Arts Center (PAC) its home.
· Many of the world’s leading singers have appeared with Florida Grand Opera, including Franco Corelli, Dame Joan Sutherland, Placido Domingo, Beverly Sills, Renata Scotto, Deborah Voigt, James Morris, Jon Vickers, Evelyn Lear, Anna Moffo, Sherrill Milnes and Luciano Pavarotti, who made his American debut with the company in 1964.
· FGO’s 89-work repertoire represents 43 composers and spans 400 yeas of the art form. FGO continues to add to its repertory of operas, mounting 25 productions over the past 20 years not previously seen by South Florida audiences, including such world premieres as Paul Bunyon in 2004 and Anna Karenina in 2007.
· Opera is the most expensive of the art forms. Even with sold-out performances, ticket sales cover less than one-half of the $12.5 million cost of producing the season. The balance must come through contributions.
· Florida Grand Opera has 7 Affiliate Groups operating in both Broward and Miami-Dade counties, with over 1,500 volunteers and supporters.
· Florida Grand Opera reaches nearly 50,000 students each year through its education and outreach programs in both Miami-Dade and Broward counties. These include a fully staged and costumed in-school opera performed in high schools throughout the region, with additional programs offered to elementary and middle schools. Nearly 5,000 high school students attend final dress rehearsals annually.
· FGO’s Young Artist Studio, founded in 1984, has become recognized as one of America’s important training programs for young singers. Each year, approximately 8 artists are selected from hundreds of applications to receive training in voice, movement, acting and language.
FGO.org
Press Release 2007-08 (excerpt):
Florida
Grand Opera was formed in June 1994 by the merger of Greater Miami
Opera, founded in 1941, and The Opera Guild Inc., of Fort Lauderdale,
founded in 1945. Celebrating its 67th season of continuous
performances, Florida Grand Opera stands as one of the oldest performing
arts organizations in Florida. In addition to producing standard
repertoire, Florida Grand Opera also presents lesser known operas, as
well as commissions and produces new operas. Annually,
performances are attended by over 110,000 people, and education and
outreach programs serve over 50,000 students. FGO offers several
highly successful outreach and educational programs, including its
internationally-recognized Young Artist Studio. Founded in 1984,
the program attracts young singers who train and enhance their
professional skills during a 35-week Miami residency.
Florida
Grand Opera is sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of
State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Arts Council, and the
National Endowment for the Arts. Funding for this organization is
provided, in part, by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners
as recommended by the Broward Cultural Council and by the Greater Fort
Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. Additional support is
provided by the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the
Cultural Affairs Council, the Mayor and the Miami-Dade County Board of
County Commissioners. Program support is provided by the City of
Miami Beach, Cultural Affairs Program, Cultural Arts Council.
Florida Grand Opera is a Resident Company of the Carnival Center for the
Performing Arts and a member of company of OPERA America.
Founding
& Current Directors
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Robert M. Heuer
is the third person to lead Florida Grand Opera in its 65 year history. He joined the company in 1979 as Director of Production and assumed leadership of the company as General Director and CEO in 1986.
· Maestro Stewart Robertson was appointed Music Director in 1998. In addition to his responsibilities with
FGO, he is Music Director and Principal Conductor of Glimmerglass Opera in Cooperstown, New York, Artistic Director of Opera Omaha in Nebraska and Music Director of the Atlantic Classical Orchestra..
· Florida Grand Opera’s Board of Directors includes many of South Florida's philanthropic and business leaders. In the March 2003 issue of Worth Magazine, the Opera made the list of America’s 100 most prestigious Boards and was ranked #1 in the Miami area.
For additional information and photos depicting our company, artists, performances and community programs, please go to
www.fgo.org/press.
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Three Visionary Leaders
Dr. Arturo di Filippi (1941-1972)
Robert Herman (1972-1985)
Robert M. Heuer (1985-present)
Photo: John Pineda
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