Soon after joining Opera Naples as artistic and music director, Ramon Tebar proposed to the board that the opera perform outdoors.
“We are used in Europe to go outside as soon as the weather allows us to go outside and do symphony concerts and opera, fully staged, in historical places and squares,” said Tebar. “I could see that happening here.”
The board was reticent. Then the pandemic struck.
“When the pandemic came and we had to close all the theaters, we didn’t have many options because we were performing at the Wang Center, but also Artis—Naples,” Tebar recalled. “So at that point, I propose it again.”
That led to Opera Naples’ first Festival Under the Stars in 2021. The venue then was Baker Park.
This year, Festival Under the Stars celebrates its fifth anniversary, and the event is bigger and more prestigious. It's held at Cambier Park.
“We are really happy that we have been seeing really constant growth, not only in the number of performances, but also in the quality of artists, also the number of seats,” said Tebar. “We went from 600 to 750 this year. So I think the whole team is very happy and proud of what we are achieving.”
As Opera Naples Executive Director Melanie Kalnins notes, the Naples community is also delighted by the festival’s success.
“Ticket sales increased last year by 41 percent, and I also am thrilled to report that ticket sales are outpacing last year by 42 percent,” Kalnins noted. “We are seeing that people in Naples are really feeling a lot of civic pride around this festival. This is a major cultural event that happens right in the heart of Naples, right in the heart of season. It’s very exciting to be at the epicenter of this big event.”
The festival generates considerable revenue for the restaurants and shops along 5th Avenue South, which will reap an estimated $200,000 in patronage before and after the seven opera performances held in nearby Cambier Park over the festival’s two-and-a-half week run.
As the Americans for the Arts confirmed in its Economic Prosperity VI study in 2022, the arts mean business and elevate the standard of living for everyone in the local community.
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“The audience really loves this festival,” Kalnins noted at the press conference held on the morning of the festival’s opening on Feb. 27. “This is a great opportunity to experience very high-quality opera in fully staged productions, with a full orchestra with a world-renowned international conductor, but to do it in a very relaxed way.”
The venue is outdoors, literally under the stars. Amenities include concessions and VIP tables. There is no official dress code.
Between the opening night Voice Competition Concert and its six opera performances, Opera Naples expects to attract more than 5,200 people to Cambier Park over the course of the festival. Based upon data collected by the Americans for the Arts and United Arts Collier, 76.7 percent or roughly 4,000 of these patrons will be Collier County residents. The other 23.3 percent or 1,225 folks will be out-of-towners, some traveling from abroad just to attend the festival.
According to data collected by the Americans for the Arts and United Arts Collier in a 2022 survey of the impact of the arts on national, state and local economies, local attendees spend $35 on average at nearby restaurants and shops either before or after a performance. Out-of-towners typically spend upwards of $60 per person, with 10 percent of them spending well in excess of $200 per person for overnight lodging, gas and other travel expenses.
When all this spending is tabulated, an event like Festival Under the Stars is likely to conservatively generate between $200,000 and $250,000 in revenue for proximately located cafes, bars, restaurants and retail outlets.
The actual economic impact is likely to be even higher when the events at the Wang Opera Center – "Reflections by Nicoletta Pavarotti" and Gulfshore Ballet’s performance of "The Sleeping Beauty Ballet" – are factored in.
The festival is clearly a boon to the local economy.
“One thing that’s also very unique about our festival is the choices that Maestro [Tebar] has made around the operas,” Kalnins added. “There’s really an opera for everyone here. We have Mozart’s ‘The Magic Flute,’ which is very light, philosophical, filled with wonder and magic; great to bring children to. We also have Puccini’s ‘La Bohème,’ which is incredibly romantic with breathtakingly beautiful music; very tragic. Then we have ‘The Mikado’ by Gilbert & Sullivan, which is just absurd. It’s a very hilarious portrayal of British mannerisms, but set in Japan. So it’s very funny [and sung in English].”
“For people who have never experienced the magic of opera, those three titles are in the top 10 operas in the world,” Tebar noted. “’La Bohème’ is one of, if not the most renowned opera by Puccini, sung in Italian but with English subtitles. ‘Magic Flute’ is an opera for the whole family. It is sung in German but with subtitles in English. There really is an opera for everybody.”
In addition to differences in language and storyline, “The Magic Flute,” “La Bohème” and “The Mikado” display a wide variety of operatic styles, sets and costumes.
Opera Naples Festival Under the Stars runs through March 15.
Puccini’s “La Bohème” will be performed in Cambier Park on Saturday, March 8. The performance begins at 7 p.m. For tickets, telephone 239-963-9050. “La Bohème” is a timeless opera by Giacomo Puccini that tells the story of young bohemians living in Paris. The plot revolves around four friends: Rodolfo, a poet; Marcello, a painter; Colline, a philosopher; and Schaunard, a musician. They struggle with poverty but find joy in their art and friendship. One Christmas Eve, Mimi, a seamstress, knocks on their door, looking for a light for her candle. She and Rodolfo fall in love instantly. However, their happiness is overshadowed by Mimi's illness and the harsh realities of their impoverished lives. The opera beautifully captures their fleeting moments of joy and the inevitable tragedy that follows. It's a poignant tale of love, loss and the enduring spirit of youth, and if it sounds similar to “Rent,” that’s because the rock musical was directly inspired by Puccini’s classic opera. Sung in Italian with English subtitles.
“The Mikado” will be performed on Friday, March 7 at 7 p.m. and again on Sunday, March 9 at 7:30 p.m. For tickets, telephone 239-963-9050. “The Mikado” is a comic opera by Gilbert and Sullivan set in the fictional Japanese town of Titipu. The story follows Nanki-Poo, the son of the Mikado (the emperor), who has fled to avoid marrying an older woman named Katisha. In Titipu, he falls in love with Yum-Yum, who is already engaged to Ko-Ko, the new Lord High Executioner. When the Mikado orders an execution to take place, Nanki-Poo and Ko-Ko devise a plan to avoid anyone losing their head. However, complications arise when Katisha arrives to expose Nanki-Poo’s true identity. Through a series of humorous and satirical twists, the characters navigate their way to a happy resolution. It’s a delightful tale filled with wit, romance and clever social commentary. Sung in English.
Gulfshore Ballet will perform Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty Ballet on March 15 in the Wang Opera Center.
Support for WGCU’s arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.