SAN DIEGO – Members of the San Diego Opera Chorus will be singing opera arias and art songs as part of the 21st Annual San Diego Sicilian Festival on Sunday, May 18, 2014. The Jazz and Opera Stage at Grape Street will showcase opera in San Diego and raise awareness in support of San Diego Opera. After an opening set by jazz recording artist NovaMenco, the voices of the Point Loma Opera Theatre and the San Diego State University Opera Theatre will offer a taste of opera. Then from 2:45 until 6 p.m., the San Diego Opera Chorus will offer a revolving showcase of music interspersed with Jazz.
Both Point Loma Nazarene University and San Diego State University are members of the Opera’s University Partnership which was announced last season along with University of San Diego. Students in these Partnership schools receive master classes from San Diego Opera guest artists, a chance to sit in on early rehearsals of San Diego Opera productions, and a chance to audition on the Civic Theatre stage. San Diego Opera remains committed to promoting University Partner events to keep opera alive in San Diego and to nurture the future artists and audience members of the Company.
The San Diego Sicilian Festival is a highly-popular, free, family event that features authentic Sicilian food and entertainment, surrounded by the colorful ambiance of the Little Italy neighborhood on Sunday, May 18, 2014 from 10 AM – 6 PM. The event will feature a car show, numerous stages of entertainment, food and craft vendors, a kids’ zone of free activities, and more.
For more information about the Sicilian Festival, visit www.sicilianfestival.org.
San Diego Opera announced its closure and the sale of its assets in March. The original closure date was scheduled to occur on April 14, 2014, the day after the Company’s final sold-out performance of Don Quixote. A vote by the Board on March 31, 2014, delayed that closure by two weeks until April 29, 2014. Another vote by the Board on April 18, 2014, extended that closure date to at least May 19, 2014. The Company is currently fundraising for a 2015 season that it hopes to announce shortly. Two weeks ago, the Company announced a crowd funding campaign with a $1 million goal through an escrow account designed to protect donor contributions if the goal is not met or a 2015 season is not announced. In 12 days of fundraising, the Company has raised over $800,000 through donations ranging from $10 – $50,000. Tax deductible donations restricted to the 2015 season can be made online at http://www.sdopera.com/moveforward (anytime) or by phone at 619.533.7000 (Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM). San Diego Opera is also accepting unrestricted tax deductible donations for the 2014 season.
