Opera in Jax

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From the JBJ:     http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/2008/02/04/daily17.html?jst=b_ln_hl

     An opera company that plans to have its first production in the spring of 2009 hopes to raise $3 million to get started.

Opera Jacksonville is being started by retired opera singer Sonia Lewis, who is also the president of RCAM Artist Management Co. Lewis had a 20-year career as a mezzo-soprano.

Lewis said she has arranged for the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra to perform with the opera company. The first production will be Verdi's "Aida" and is scheduled for April or May of 2009.

"It has been abundantly clear, working with the symphony," Lewis said, "that they recognize the synergies between our organizations and how by working together, we can not only enrich Jacksonville's cultural offerings, but also help make the city's economy more vibrant."

After the production of "Aida" at the end of the 2008-09 season, Opera Jacksonville is planning three productions in the 2009-10 season.

Opera Jacksonville Executive Director Jillian Leigh said the nearest opera companies to Jacksonville are in Orlando, Atlanta and Pensacola.

"Of the top 60 cities in the country, we're the only one without an opera company," Leigh said. "We're an anomaly."

Raising $3 million, Leigh said, should take Opera Jacksonville through the production of "Aida" and the three performances in the 2009-10 season. Fundraising is crucial because ticket sales typically make up less than half of an opera company's income. Leigh said an early estimate is that tickets will range from $25 to $125.