St. Augustine, FL — Ring in the New Year with Die Fledermaus (The Bat) with First Coast Opera, on stage at 7 p.m. Saturday, December 31 and at 3 p.m. Sunday, January 1 in Lewis Auditorium at Flagler College, 14 Granada St., downtown St. Augustine. This is the fully-staged production with orchestra of Johann Strauss Jr’s classic 19th century Viennese Operetta, Die Fledermaus (The Bat), performed in English.
Nelson Sheeley (The Marriage of Figaro, H.M.S Pinafore) directs and FCO Artistic Director Curtis Tucker conducts. House Seats are $70; general admission tickets are $50; and student tickets are $20. Complimentary champagne will be served during intermission. Tickets are available at firstcoastopera.com
“This particular opera is a New Year’s Eve tradition in Vienna,” said Artistic Director Curtis Tucker. “We are thrilled to stage Die Fledermaus for St. Augustine residents and its visitors during the holiday season.”
First Coast Opera recently became a Professional Company Member of Opera America, an important designation. Foundef in 1970, Opera America leads and serves the entire opera community, supporting the creation, presentation, and enjoyment of opera. It has accepted First Coast Opera as a Professional Company Member, a network of companies across North America that produce or present opera at the highest standards of professionalism.
“First Coast Opera was founded in 2000, based in St. Augustine, Florida,” said Artistic Director Curtis Tucker. “This nonprofit organization has a Board of Directors that strives to produce high quality opera performances. We are honored to beome a Professional Company Member of Opera America.”
Opéra Mystique will be performed in February 2023 at The Waterworks, 184 San Marco Ave., in uptown St. Augustine. Opera and the supernatural combine in FCO’s inaugural production at the renovated historic Waterworks building. This other-worldly program features staged performances with orchestra of Menotti’s séance-filled The Medium and Holst’s Sāvitri, based on an episode from the Sanskrit epic Mahābhārata.
In March 2023, an Evening of Arias will return, an annual event that features heavy hors d’oeuvres, a silent auction, and performances by First Coast Opera guest artists.
Tickets and details about upcoming performances are available at firstcoastopera.com
ABOUT FIRST COAST OPERA
Founded in January 2000, First Coast Opera serves Northeast Florida’s First Coast region through a series of concerts and staged productions of operas and operettas. Based in Saint Augustine, performances feature guest artists from throughout the United States performing alongside local and regional talent. Visit firstcoastopera.com or call 904-417-5555, and follow on social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
