Sarasota Opera to Present Panel: Meet the Artists of LITTLE NEMO IN SLUMBERLAND, 11/7

On Wednesday, November 7, from 5:00 - 6:00pm, Sarasota Opera will host a special "Meet the Artists" panel discussion focusing on the creation of Sarasota Opera's upcoming world premiere of Little Nemo in Slumberland at the Sarasota Opera House. Maestro Victor DeRenzi will moderate the discussion. The panel will include the opera's composer Daron Hagen, librettist J.D. McClatchy, stage director Martha Collins and scenic designer Michael Schweikardt.

Tickets are $15 and available online at www.sarasotaopera.org/seasonandtickets/lectures/lecture.aspx?id=1796.

Little Nemo in Slumberland will mark Sarasota Youth Opera’s 5th commission since the programs inception in 1984. Based on Windsor McCay's early-twentieth-century comic strip of the same name, Little Nemo in Slumberland is a 60 minute, two-act magic opera. The story recounts the adventures of a boy over the course of two nights on a quest to save Slumberland from the evil Emperor Sol who wants it to be bright all night and all day. Nemo's adventures along the way include encounters with a crystal enchantress, menacing giants, a floating bed and a balloon ride, dizzying changes of scale and a palace that turns upside down.

The child principal roles will be performed by members of the Sarasota Youth Opera program and the adult principal roles will be performed by members of the Sarasota Opera Apprentice and Studio Artists Program.

There will be two performances of Little Nemo in Slumberland on Saturday, November 10 at 5:30pm and Sunday, November 11 at 12:30pm.

Composer Daron Hagen is one of America's most respected and prolific full-time composers of concert music and opera. His music enjoys more than a hundred performances a year. Hagen's works have been performed by The Philadelphia Orchestra, The New York Philharmonic, The National Symphony and both the Seattle Symphony and Seattle Opera. Hagen's works have been recorded on over two dozen CDs.