OPERATAMPA
Judy Lisi is Straz Center
president/CEO and the Opera
Tampa general director.
“We wanted this season to make
a statement since we know how
important opera is to this community,”
says Straz Center President and Opera
Tampa General Director Judy Lisi.
“There are so many people who live
here who grew up listening to great
opera around a radio or record player
with their parents and grandparents.
We also have a new generation of young
opera fans who know the music from
movie scores, cartoons and popular
remakes and are discovering the
excitement of the original material.
We are putting up an epic season to
honor the best of what everyone loves
about great opera.”
Lisi, a Giacomo Puccini aficionado
and classically trained singer, launched
her first successful opera company
in Connecticut with maestro Anton
Coppola acting as artistic director.
The pair ushered in a revival of great
opera for the Shubert Theater in New
Haven, building a loyal following
and stellar reputation for excellence
in programming and production. The
duo reprised this success in Tampa
when Lisi and Coppola created Opera
Tampa, producing Madama Butterfly
to complement a Broadway tour of
Miss Saigon, a musical adapted from
the opera’s story.
“We wanted this season to make a statement since
we know how important opera is to this community.”
—Judy Lisi, Opera Tampa General Director
62 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020