My recent decision not to renew my contract as artistic director of Sarasota Opera surprised many people in Sarasota, as well as my colleagues throughout the opera world.
Last year at this time I did not think I would leave the Opera.
I became artistic director of Sarasota Opera in 1982, after having been a professional conductor for 12 years.
Over the years I realized I wanted to create a very specific kind of opera company – a company where music and singing were of the first importance, and where people could come together to create communities.
By that I mean the communities of those who made the productions happen and those who attended the performances.
In my 44 years at Sarasota Opera, I oversaw 1,567 performances, more than 900 of which I conducted.
I was responsible for all those performances from the moment the repertoire was chosen to the final curtain.
I never tried to extend the company beyond what we could do well, so that eventually it grew to what it is today.
Developing an artistic vision
In 1982, both Sarasota and Sarasota Opera were not what they have become.
The company performed in the historic Asolo Theater (before it was renovated) with two pianos or a very small orchestra and no chorus.
It was a time when the downtown Sarasota needed to be revitalized due to “slum conditions.”
Because of the potential I saw in the Opera House, I was able to develop an artistic vision – a vision that included performing opera as the composer intended.
The community embraced this vision, and our successes helped the theater through many building projects and major renovations.
The Opera House became the center of downtown and the city.
I stayed here as long as I did because I knew that with reporting directly to the board – and not to an administrator – the potential for artistic growth would continue.
Over the years many people have crossed my path who enriched my life and that of Sarasota Opera.
I want to thank them and thank the many people who have written and spoken to me about my departure.
Because of the arts this city has attracted many different kinds of people with varied interests, as well as financial means.
They all contributed to Sarasota in ways that are not always acknowledged.
In my time here I worked successfully with many boards that supported my artistic vision – a vision that took long-range planning and commitment from all of us to make the company grow.
None of our artistic initiatives or building renovations would have happened without that.
Couldn’t develop artistic future
However, in the last few years, I had begun to realize that I could not develop an artistic future for the opera with the current board.
Budgets were approved late, sometimes less than six months before the new fiscal year began.
One-year planning does not encourage a vision or a mission.
Long-range repertoire defines a company, even if it must be adjusted along the way.
I felt we were not able to do the kind of things I had done in the past that made this company so special.
An arts board has a trust with the community and, just as importantly, with the art form itself, a trust to protect an organization and nurture it.
As boards take hold over the creative process, art becomes subservient to corporate thinking.
Nonprofit boards are not the same as corporate boards; that is something that the Sarasota Opera board understood for many years.
Those who observe arts organizations around the country have seen the result of bad board decisions.
We are not alone in what seems to have become a trend:
These are just a few examples of board negligence.
When boards become dysfunctional, communities and cultural institutions become their victims.
I have future projects both in Sarasota and beyond.
Opera and the arts changed my life, and I will not leave them.
My commitment to them – and to the people of our community – will be part of my future.
Victor DeRenzi served as artistic director of Sarasota Opera from 1982 to May 2026. He was also Sarasota Opera’s principal conductor,
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: I led Sarasota Opera for 44 years. Here’s why I left. | Opinion
Reporting by Victor DeRenzi Guest columnist, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Victor DeRenzi Guest columnist, Sarasota Herald-Tribune | USA TODAY Network
