Maestro Anton Coppola and
Straz Center CEO Judy Lisi
worked together in Connecticut
before Opera Tampa began.
64 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020
OPERATAMPA
After Maestro Coppola’s
retirement, Opera Tampa
unveiled The Anton
Coppola Excellence
in the Arts Award,
bestowed each year
at the Grand Gala.
The 14-acre Black
Spire Outpost on the
Planet of Batuu at
Disney’s Hollywood
Studios welcomes
you to the Galaxy’s
Edge on the frontier of
the uncharted region
beyond the known
star systems.
of Mozart, Puccini, Verdi, Rossini, Wagner, Bizet and Donizetti
with outstanding local talent performing onstage with singers
from The Met and La Scala. As the reputation and popularity
of Opera Tampa grew, the organization decided to institute
an annual recognition to someone in the field. After Maestro
Coppola’s retirement, Opera Tampa unveiled The Anton
Coppola Excellence in the Arts Award, bestowed each year
at the Grand Gala. Recipients have included such luminaries
as Placido Domingo, Denyce Graves, Sherrill Milnes, Diana
Soviero, Carlisle Floyd and Paul Plishka.
In November 2019, Opera Tampa held the inaugural
D’Angelo Young Artist Vocal Competition, helping to establish
Opera Tampa as an entity that not only produces great opera
but also cultivates the next generation of opera performers.
Through an extensive arts education program, Opera Tampa
has also cultivated the next generation of audiences by
bringing professional singers into school classrooms to get
kids excited about opera music and stories. “When I look back
over the past 25 years and assess the ways Opera Tampa has
impacted this area culturally, educationally and artistically,
I almost can’t believe how much has happened,” says Lisi.
“What started as a hope that people would like this art form
has grown into a full-fledged cultural institution. We have
a solid name in the professional opera world; our successes
in one of the most acoustically gorgeous theaters in America
have people sitting up and taking notice of what’s happening
COURTESY OF THE STRAZ CENTER
in Tampa. We couldn’t be happier to have reached our
25th anniversary season with such momentum and excitement
about what’s to come.”
Under the baton of newly appointed artistic director Robin
Stamper, who has been with Opera Tampa as a director,
choral master and pianist for several years, the future of the
company looks rosy. “I have seen so much incredible talent
appear with Opera Tampa in my four-and-a-half years with
the company, not just onstage but with our extraordinary
production crew and musicians,” says Stamper. “I am deeply
honored to steward this magnificent company and to direct
us into an exciting future.”
The 25th anniversary season promises to be lustrous
with plenty of heat and electricity, starting with George
Bizet’s Carmen in February, continuing with Gilbert and
Sullivan’s madcap genius The Pirates of Penzance in March
and concluding with Giuseppe Verdi’s iconic Aida in April.
“We’re so grateful for the support and enthusiasm we’ve
seen over the last two-and-a-half decades,” Lisi says. “We’re
honored to be able to give such exemplary artistic works to
everyone in this community.” 9
EDITOR’S NOTE: To purchase tickets to any of these performances,
call (813) 220-STAR (7827) or (800) 955-1045) or visit
strazcenter.org. To become a donor or a member of the Opera Tampa
League, call (813) 222-1036 or email belong@strazcenter.org.