Sarasota Opera To Be Honored With Street Renaming

SARASOTA, FL — Sarasota area residents who frequent Pineapple Avenue might notice a change in signage soon.

The city of Sarasota and Sarasota Opera have announced that a portion of Pineapple, from 1st Street to Main Street, will be renamed “Verdi Place” to honor the opera’s completion of the Verdi Cycle during its 2016 Winter Festival Season.

The season officially opens Saturday, Jan. 30, at 5:30 p.m. with a performance of a Verdi trumpet fanfare from the opera house’s balcony. Once the fanfare is completed, an unveiling ceremony for the new street name will be held prior to the opera’s opening night of Verdi’s Aida.

“The cultural arts are a significant part of the Sarasota community and one of the reasons why people want to live here and visit our city,” City Manager Tom Barwin said in a media release. “To complete the Verdi Cycle by performing the complete works of Giuseppe Verdi since 1989 is a notable achievement. And, the City is proud to help celebrate the Opera’s accomplishment by temporarily dedicating a portion of Pineapple Avenue as Verdi Place.”

“This special honor only reinforces the fact that Sarasota is truly Verdi’s American home,” said Richard Russell, the opera’s executive director.

Since 1989, the Sarasota Opera has committed itself to performing all of Verdi’s works, both operatic and non-operatic. When the opera completes the cycle on March 20, the Sarasota company will be the only one “in the world to have performed every note of Giuseppe Verdi intended for performance,” a city media release stated.

To witness the celebration, stop by the opera house Saturday at 61 N. Pineapple Ave. To find out more about the Winter Festival Season and the Sarasota Opera, visit the organization online.

Photo courtesy of the Sarasota Opera