The program was patriotic songs for Independence Day, by band and chorus. Social distancing was achieved by roping off certain seats with orange tape (an example is seen in the foreground). This was the first in-person concert in the Sarasota Opera house in 16 months. It was a hit.

A jewel of an opera house…you can feel a very special spirit from the volunteers to the audience up to the stage and down to the orchestra pit. We had a wonderful evening with Ernani. When in Sarasota or in the neighbourhood do not miss it👏👏👏

The Sarasota Opera House is looking for volunteers for the upcoming season. Everything from supernumerary (extras) to seamstresses, digital scanning and organization, to ushers. This is an older, renovated silent picture movie theater without microphones. (Excellent acoustics.) A resident Tenor and Alto gave a demonstration out in the courtyard. Impressive power and control. Lots of extremely nice people that would appreciate your coming down and helping out. You could even be in the center table glueing decorations on costumes.

Came tonight for my brother Mozart's Magic Flute. The insturmentation was very good. We were in the mezzanine and the acoustics were very good. The voices were excellent! Great theater, funny and very entertaining. Stage props were not opulent but fit the story very well. The facility itself is very nice. Comfortable with excellent sight lines. The staff here is excellent. We both really enjoyed the show. Recommend you come here!

My 10 year old son was interested in sitting in on a practice. We are trying to make the decision as to whether or not we want to go back-and-forth every week so that he can be in one of the mixed chorus performances. They were super accommodating, and the staff and Director saw us out, introduced themselves and offered to give us a tour. We have seen a production and they do a really good job and the venue is absolutely stunning.

The opera house was opened in 1926. The city’s population is 54,842 population (2020 census), which 77.7% are white, 2.1% Asian. The donors. Great Neck, with population of 40,000, its public high school puts out a full production of an opera every year. Comparing to GN, Sarasota’s down town is decidedly livelier and busier. Update. We went the following week Feb 28, for Don Giovanni. Again decent production - They added some suer-nature element to it and injected little humor – Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro at one point – I thought it’s well done. Again, the opera house’s balcony section is very HOT. During the only intermission, I asked one elderly male usher if the opera house knew they need to provide more air conditioning. He said, “I think they’ve problem this morning …” “Really? I was here last Tuesday and it was HOT.” He looked pathetic. I felt sorry for him … I don’t want to give hard time to any staff that provide service to us but I hate to be lied to. If their house is too old to have adequate a/c, just say so. We’re reasonable. The production of this 1904 Puccini’s is very decent. The set is bit busy. Not sure getting a little boy is a good idea. I don’t see any up side of having him. The opera runs well into 10:30 and he’s missing his bed time. The singers made curtain call after every act. Gosh, they sure do love to hear applauses. The singers. Soprano Raquel González from Kansas is pretty good, who has performed with the NYPhil in Beethoven’s 9th symphony @ Avery Fisher Hall, which meant pre 2015 (now David Geffen Hall). The audience: omg, they’re so noisy. Candy wrappers, dropped phones, whispering, … like a circus or at baseball game.

I went to see Ernani, by Verdi. I loved it! To be such a small opera house, the production was amazing, especially the music (orchestra and singers) and costumes, not so much the stage scenery. The building is beautiful, with an elegant Spanish style and some Italian reminiscence, like the garden. All together, it was a true pleasure.

Such a beautiful opera house! The building itself is fabulous. The show that we saw was amazing! It was a full house!

This theater is a gem! Located. In the center of Sarasota, it makes it very convenient to have a pre-show dinner or enjoy the downtown area before and after the show. Their productions are stellar and we love the yearly selection for their winter season. We watched Tosca and Don Giovanni, both with a superb group of performers. It is our go to opera house on the West Coast of FL. In the intermission, their courtyard is such a charming place to get a drink and stretch your legs before the second act. Plenty of opportunity to park in the many garages nearby.

The Opera and Ballet are performed here. There is a small outdoor restaurant right around the corner from the main (off Pineapple) theater entrance. The venue is only for ticket holders unless taking a tour. There is a small gift shop for aficionados of the Opera and perhaps for the ballet...

This building is wayyyy bigger than you think! It's beautiful, and historical and was built in 1926. Star Academy hosted a recital event here and the staff were kind, helpful, curious, playful, thoughtful and passionate. This made for an even better event watching the kids perform Aerial and Dance and enjoying the beautiful atmosphere of the theater house.

Amazing experience for a firt6timer. Staff were wonderful and polite and the opera itself amazing!! Overall wonderful experience and look forward to becoming a member soon! Highly recommend.

Loved this opera house. We saw three operas in one week and each one was of excellent quality. Will be returning next year for opera season

The theater is small but nice. I liked the choice of the theater repertoire. We listened to Mozart's opera Don Giovanni, there were some good voices, especially donna Anna and Zerlina.

Who knew that Sarasota has such a great opera company! Everything about it is top notch -- the leads, the cast, the scenery, the lighting, and orchestra. I highly recommend attending a performance (or a whole season!)

WORST OPERA EXPERIENCE AND OPERA VENUE EVER! Just got back from Don Giovanni at the Sarasota Opera House and I do not know where to begin. The seats are crammed in such narrow aisles that even when people stand up in their seat to let you squeeze past, it is an undignified and incredibly difficult feat to pull off. They are so close together, that I specifically measured using my fingers and I could only squeeze two fingers between my knee and the seat in front if I sat all the way up and back in my seat. People dress up all fancy to the opera only to have to fumble around and trip trying to make it to their seats. So undignified. The temperature is way too hot. So hot in fact that a lady two seats to my left was fanning herself throughout the performance with her opera magazine. To make matters worse, her husband who sat between her and I had horrible body odor and his jacket was so dusty and dingy you could see the dust on it and the smell was suffocating. I could barely concentrate on the performance as I was suffocating breathing in his BO his wife was wafting my way. My mom, who sat on my other side also said the smell was unbearable. We could smell it on us after we got in the car. After intermission, there was microphone feedback (that loud mosquito like noise) kicking in throughout the remainder of the performance. It was so bad that the opera was stopped twice to try to resolve it and patrons yelled at other patrons to turn off their hearing aids. A staff member over the microphone also asked to turn off hearing aids during one of the forced pauses. Between the heat, the BO, and the constant speaker ringing, it was not possible to enjoy the performance and I honestly have no idea what happened in the second part of the opera. This was a complete fiasco and one incredibly hellish experience for mom and I. We have been to various other opera houses in other states and never had anything like this. We will be asking for a full refund. Someone would have to pay me to endure this level of discomfort. I actually feel bad for the performers who did try. This opera house is not worthy of such performers and acts.

As a first time visitor to the Sarasota Opera House, I was very impressed. Parking in the garage next door was easy and only $5. Valet parking is also available. The scanner easily read my e-ticket. The staff directed me to the space for the pre-opera lecture. The lecture was very informative and helped me appreciate the show I was about to see. The staff were helpful and made it easy to find my seat. The subtitles on the screen were easy to read. The performance was excellent. Regular opera goers said they were impressed by the voices, the music, the costumes and the staging. Concessions were very inexpensive and there were no long lines for the rest rooms. Excellent experience! Recommend!!

Not just if they swallow it and they can't digest venue with a view from every seat. Great handicap seating. Pleasant staff. Not large enough to be uncomfortable.

When covid lockdowns began 2 years ago my friend and I were going to the Opera. When we arrived we wondered where all the parked cars are. When we got to the door there was a beautiful mannequin dressed in a wonderful costume and a sign. The sign said they were shutting down and closing their doors. It was the first day of lockdowns. 2 years later my friend and I decide we're going to go to the Opera again and this time really see an opera. There was adequate parking. There was a tall man who ended up going to the same area we were going for seating. He was sitting at the same row we were and by intermission my friend and I discovered that 20 years ago he was in the same Opera! He had had quite a few credentials going up and operator ranks. We were delighted to make his acquaintance and truly enjoyed the show. We could see everything from the top level, costuming was exquisite which is important to me because I s e w, it was an interesting set without scene changes they conveyed the story through entrances and exits from many doorways. The Opera was called the secret marriage and is not one that is produced very often. It was a delightful matinee performance. If I'm critiquing the opera house and not telling you just my story the bathrooms were luxurious! And there's an elevator! Hope you find an opera you will enjoy and go to the Sarasota Opera.

I have never been here before. I was invited by a friend of mine, I had a wonderful time. The orchestra was awesome.

Saw Tosca on opening night a few months ago. Wonderful experience. Can't wait to return next season for Madame Butterfly. There is so much care and attention to every detail of the performance.

This is my first time at Sarasota opera house ballet. I came in asked the last name so she give me the tickets. It ran very smoothly. I was lost finding the seats so the person that worked there help me. I am pleased.

Took a tour and found the historical facts amazing and sometimes humorous. It has been refurbished to as close to original as possible. Good to learn about our area.

Great venue in downtown Sarasota. It's fully accessible and hosts a variety of different events. From rock concerts to full orchestra performances. Friendly staff and close to lots of restaurants for pre/post show dining.

An artistic treasure. First rate orchestra, chorus, singers, productions, etc. One of the very few opera companies that present authentic opera, that has not been corrupted by regietheater. As long as Sarasota Opera retains it's high standard of artistic integrity, there is hope for the Art form.