Florida Grand Opera facts for kids
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The Florida Grand Opera (FGO) is an opera company in Miami, Florida. An opera company performs operas, which are plays where the story is told mostly through singing. FGO is the oldest performing arts group in Florida. It is also the seventh oldest opera company in the entire United States. The FGO was formed in 1994. It was created when two older opera groups in the Miami and Fort Lauderdale areas joined together. These groups were the Opera Guild of Greater Miami, started in 1941, and the Opera Guild, Inc. of Fort Lauderdale, started in 1945.
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Where FGO Performs
The Florida Grand Opera has its main home at the Ziff Ballet Opera House. This theater is part of the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami. They also perform at the Au-Rene Theater. This theater is located at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale. Sometimes, FGO also puts on shows at other theaters nearby.
A Look at FGO's History
How FGO Started
The story of FGO began in 1941. It was first called the Opera Guild of Greater Miami. A singer and teacher named Arturo di Filippi started it. He taught voice at the University of Miami. Later, the group became known as the Greater Miami Opera Association.
Arturo di Filippi helped bring many famous singers to Miami. One of these was Luciano Pavarotti. He was not well-known at the time. In 1965, he filled in for another singer in an opera called Lucia di Lammermoor. A very famous singer, Joan Sutherland, also starred in that show. Pavarotti later sang many more times for the Greater Miami Opera.
Important Leaders and Changes
From 1950 to 1973, Emerson Buckley was the music director. He then became the artistic director until 1986. Willie Anthony Waters took over as artistic director from 1986 to 1992.
From 1973 to 1985, Robert "Bob" Herman led the Greater Miami Opera. He helped the company become famous across the country. Many international singers continued to perform there. After Herman retired, Robert Heuer became the General Director. He led the company from 1985 to 2012.
In 2012, Susan T. Danis became the new General Director and CEO. She was the first woman to hold this top position at FGO.
Recent Years and New Ideas
Stewart Robertson was the music director for FGO from 1997 to 2010. On June 1, 2011, Ramón Tebar became the new music director. He was the first Spanish conductor to lead both an American opera company and an American symphony orchestra. In 2014, Tebar became the principal conductor. Today, FGO uses many different guest conductors for its shows. These include Gregory Buchalter and Jerri Lynn Johnson. In 2022, Marlon Daniel joined the music team as an Associate Conductor.
In 2006, FGO moved its main performance spot. They moved from the Dade County Auditorium to the new Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts.
When Susan T. Danis became the leader in 2012, she helped the company pay off a lot of debt. She did this by selling their rehearsal space in Fort Lauderdale. She also made the opera season a bit shorter. Danis has led FGO for over ten years. During this time, she started a "Made in Miami" series. She also kept the opera going strong during the COVID-19 pandemic. She has also supported new and modern opera works.
See also
In Spanish: Gran Ópera de Florida para niños
