75 years of the Florentine Opera

The Florentine Opera Company, founded in 1933 by John-David Anello, is Wisconsin’s oldest fully professional performing arts organization and the sixth-oldest opera company in the United States. Established to keep the legacy of traditional Italian opera alive in the United States (supported in part by a robust Italian immigrant population in Milwaukee), the company today performs traditional repertory as well as contemporary stagings and new American work. Its educational outreach program brings opera out of the Marcus Center and into the community, and its commitment to professional development expanded this year to include a successful studio artists in residence program.

This Saturday, the Florentine celebrates is 75th Anniversary 2008-2009 season with a Diamond Anniversary Concert, a one-night only performance by world-renowned artists including Cynthia Lawrence (soprano), Robynne Redmon (mezzo soprano), Jonathan Boyd (tenor) and Mark Doss (baritone). Maestro Joseph Rescigno will lead the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in an evening of acclaimed arias and beloved ensembles from world-famous operas, including Carmen, The Flying Dutchman, The Pearl Fishers, Norma, The Abduction from the Seraglio and others.

More information and the opportunity to purchase tickets available here. In the meantime, please enjoy this fabulous photo history from the Florentine’s expansive archive.