Sarasota Opera Soprano Performs Tosca For 100th Time

Todays News

Tonight marks the penultimate performance of Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca by the Sarasota Opera and an additional milestone for one of the artists, soprano Kara Shay Thomson, who will be performing the title role of Floria Tosca for the 100th time on stage. The character was her first role as a young artist, said Thomson, and the role with which she made her debut at the Sarasota Opera in 2009.

“I love doing it because it’s so much a part of me and the way I sing,” said Thomson, who found the role plays to her particular strengths as a performer. She loves the character but it’s ultimately the music that captivates her. And according to Thomson, 99 performances have only made her more effective at communicating that enthusiasm and her character. “In the beginning you’re much more reserved and careful,” said Thomson. “Now I sing with abandon and it’s more integrated into the character. They really see her, and not someone playing her.”

But Thomson doesn’t dwell on the number of performances and according to her each one is special, but she does appreciate what 100 performances means. “It’s a milestone in that it takes a lot of time and the depth with which you can come to it when you’ve done it that many times,” said Thomson. “It tells people that I really know what I want to present.”

The Sarasota Opera’s final performances of Tosca starring Kara Shay Thomson are tonight and this Friday, Mar. 27. 

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