WIN FREE TICKETS TO THE 2010

CARMEN FREE-FOR-ALL

Miami, FL – March 5, 2010 – Through a generous grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Florida Grand Opera is giving away 1,100 pairs of free tickets in a random drawing to the April 26th performance of Georges Bizet’s beloved opera Carmen. Starring Mmezzo-sSoprano Kendall Gladen, the performance will take place at 8 p.m. at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County.

You know the music. The story is timeless. And the performance is free! But if you’ve never seen an opera before, this is your chance!  During the 2010 Carmen Free-For-All, win a pair of free tickets to the red-hot spectacle of Carmen, one of the most famous operas of all time.

Now through April 5, 2010, simply go to www.FGO.org and sign up or mail in an entry on a 3”x 5” card with name, address, phone number and email address to: Carmen Ticket Giveaway c/o Florida Grand Opera P.O. Box 561837, Miami, Florida 33256-1837 by midnight on 4/5/10. Limit one entry per person. Each entry must be mailed separately. There is no purchase necessary. Go to www.FGO.org for complete rules and regulations.

"All of us at Florida Grand Opera are deeply grateful for this important grant from Knight Foundation making it possible to give away one entire performance of Carmen at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts. It will provide a unique opportunity for 2,200 individuals from our diverse community to experience opera for the first time and we anticipate that many of them will want to return to the opera for future productions," said Robert M. Heuer, General Director and CEO.

Florida Grand Opera won funding for the effort through Knight Foundation’s Knight Arts Challenge, a five-year, $40 million effort to bring South Florida together through the arts.

“Florida Grand Opera’s ‘Carmen Free-For-All is a great way to introduce people from all walks of life to the beauty of opera, especially with a classic like Carmen,” said Dennis Scholl, Miami program director for Knight Foundation, who leads the arts initiative. “Opera is one of the many avenues for enrichment through the arts, and Florida Grand Opera is a true community asset.”

Georges Bizet, who died at 36 three months after the premiere of Carmen, did not live to see his opera become one of the most popular ever written.  The beautiful gypsy Carmen and the naïve soldier Don José find themselves in a doomed relationship that can only end in disaster.  The music, the passion, and the brutal conclusion combine to create an unforgettably moving experience.  Carmen presents some of the greatest roles ever written for grand opera...the brazen bullfighter, the love-struck soldier and the object of their desires -- the beautiful Carmen!

Enter to win today!

Florida Grand Opera performs at the Adrienne Arsht Center for Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County located at 1300 Biscayne Boulevard between 13th and 14th Streets.  For additional information and a complete list of rules and regulations visit www.FGO.org.

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Generously sponsored by:

John S. and James L. Knight Foundation's Knight Arts Challenge

About Florida Grand Opera

Florida Grand Opera was formed in June 1994 by the merger of Greater Miami Opera, founded in 1941, and The Opera Guild Inc., of Fort Lauderdale, founded in 1945.  Celebrating its 69th season of continuous performances, Florida Grand Opera stands as one of the oldest performing arts organizations in Florida.  In addition to producing standard repertoire, Florida Grand Opera also presents lesser known operas, as well as commissions and produces new operas. Annually, performances are attended by nearly 100,000 people, and education and outreach programs serve over 50,000 students.  FGO offers several highly successful outreach and educational programs, including its internationally-recognized Young Artist Studio.  Founded in 1984, the program attracts young singers who train and enhance their professional skills during a 35-week Miami residency.

Florida Grand Opera, recognized for funding by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts.  Funding is also provided, in part, by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners as recommended by the Broward Cultural Council and the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, Cultural Affairs Council, the Mayor and the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners and the Miami-Dade County Tourist Development Council. Program support is provided by the City of Miami Beach, Cultural Affairs Program, Cultural Arts Council.  Florida Grand Opera is a Resident Company of the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County and a member company of OPERA America.

About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation advances journalism in the digital age and invests in the vitality of communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers. Knight Foundation focuses on projects that promote informed, engaged communities and lead to transformational change. For more on the Knight Arts Challenge, visit KnightArts.org.

American Airlines is the Official Airline, Intercontinental Miami is the Official Hotel and

Steinway & Sons is the Official Piano of Florida Grand Opera.

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