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Opera Tampa 2006-07 lineup
By JOHN FLEMING
Published March 26, 2006
Deborah Voigt, the soprano who has made news recently almost as much for her waistline as for her world-class voice, will be a highlight of Opera Tampa's 2006-07 season, announced today. Voigt famously lost a role at London's Covent Garden when the director of a production of Ariadne auf Naxos decreed the plus-size singer wasn't right for the little black dress he wanted Ariadne to wear instead of the traditional period costume. Since then, she has lost at least 135 pounds and is down to a svelte size 14, she told 60 Minutes in January. She is scheduled to give a recital at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center on Jan. 5, 2007. Anton Coppola, who turned 89 last Tuesday, will continue as the company's principal conductor. He has been in the pit for most operas since the center formed the company in 1996. Judith Lisi, president of the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, had said he was retiring, but retracted that statement Wednesday, attributing it to a misunderstanding and saying she was delighted he was continuing in the job. "As Mark Twain said, all rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated,'' said the incomparable maestro when he was interviewed during rehearsals for La Fanciulla del West. He takes a 3-mile walk every morning and has outlasted the hero of his youth, Arturo Toscanini, who stopped conducting at 85. "My swan song will be when they bury me.'' Coppola will conduct two productions next season, Gounod's Romeo et Juliette and Verdi's Il Trovatore. On Feb. 17, he will lead a concert version of his opera, Sacco and Vanzetti, which Opera Tampa premiered in 2001, though it will not be part of the season ticket package. The schedule also includes a touring company in Mozart's Don Giovanni. For the first time in several years, there will not be a production by Orlando Opera. Season tickets go on sale Monday. Subscriptions range from $106.20 to $250.20. Call (813) 229-7827 or toll-free 1-800-955-1045 or visit tbpac.org. The season Dec. 1, 3: Gounod's Romeo et Juliette Jan. 5, 2007: Deborah Voigt March 17-18: Mozart's Don Giovanni April 13, 15: Verdi's Il Trovatore
[Last modified March 24, 2006, 12:12:23]
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