St. Augustine, FL — An operetta about Julia Child, with dinner and servings of chocolate cake? First Coast Opera announces its 23rd season of live opera in northeast Florida. Based in St. Augustine, the season will open with Bon Appetit! on October 7-8 at Celebration Hall at St. Anastasia, 5205 A1A South, St. Augustine Beach.
“Opera is sometimes serious and tragic, but sometimes downright fun,” said Curtis Tucker, Artistic Director of First Coast Opera. “The first two programs of this season highlight comedy, entertainment, and chocolate cake! What could be better?”
The dinner-opera event will be catered by La Cocina International restaurant, featuring performances of Bizet’s comic Le Docteur Miracle and Lee Hoiby’s operatic depiction of Julia Child making a chocolate cake in Bon Appetit! The evening will include a special treat from Crème de la Cocoa. Performances will take place from 5-9 p.m. each night.
Enhanced tickets with a VIP Reception are $125, with champagne and meet the artists; general admission tickets are $75; and student tickets are $50. All tickets include the catered meal and performance. Tickets are available at firstcoastopera.com
Ring in the New Year with Die Fledermaus (The Bat), on stage at 7 p.m. Saturday, December 31 or 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 with complimentary champagne at intermission.
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. Choose your seats at firstcoastopera.com
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.
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.
