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Florentine Opera Prepares For Its 82nd Season

florentineopera.org
This year marks the Florentine's 82nd season

September and October are traditionally the months when performing arts organizations of all kinds begin their new seasons in Milwaukee, and the past few weeks here have been no exception.

From the film festival to various theaters to the symphony and other musical groups, arts patrons in southeastern Wisconsin many options from which to choose.

The Florentine Opera is getting ready to open its 82nd season on October 16th with a new production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. The company is the oldest professional performing arts organization in Wisconsin and the sixth oldest opera company in the United States.

With such a rich history, general manager Bill Florescu reflects on the challenges of keep the company innovative and classical.

"It's a little bit like a movie theater where you're showing Sense & Sensibility one day and Rambo the next," Forescu says. "You know that you have different constituencies, but you try to find a sweet spot so that you're being innovative but also appealing to traditional tastes."

Bonnie North
Bonnie joined WUWM in March 2006 as the Arts Producer of the locally produced weekday magazine program Lake Effect.