The Exchange Awards Grant to Sarasota Opera for Fall Youth Production

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The grant will support the youth opera production and community engagement initiatives across Sarasota and Manatee County schools.

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Sarasota Opera has received two grants from The Exchange, a Sarasota nonprofit consignment organization that supports arts-related programs and education, in support of the company’s nationally recognized youth opera and education programs.

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The awards include a $20,000 program grant for Sarasota Youth Opera’s 2026 production of Rachel J. Peters’ Rootabaga Country, which will be on stage this fall for two performances November 7 and 8, and a $5,000 Elizabeth Lindsay Arts in Education Grant supporting Sarasota Opera’s 2026 Community Outreach and Engagement Program for K–12 students in Sarasota and Manatee counties.

Rootabaga Country, a children’s opera with music and libretto by Rachel J. Peters and inspired by Carl Sandburg ’s Rootabaga Stories, will be presented by Sarasota Youth Opera November 7 and 8, 2026.

The production premiered at Sarasota Opera in 2017 and is an imaginative one-act opera that follows a family’s journey through Rootabaga Country on the “Zigzag Railroad,” blending playful storytelling, colorful characters, melodic music, and themes of family, love, curiosity, and belonging. Sarasota Opera anticipates approximately 80 young performers will participate in the production, with more than 1,100 students expected to attend a special schooltime matinee.

Tickets are on sale now for the November 7 and 8 performances at sarasotaopera.org or at the Box Office at 941-328-1300.

“We are grateful to The Exchange for its extraordinary commitment to arts education and to the young people of our region,” said Richard Russell , General & Artistic Director of Sarasota Opera. “This generous support helps make it possible for Sarasota Youth Opera members to participate in a professional-level production created especially for young voices, while also expanding access to opera for students throughout Sarasota and Manatee counties.”

Sarasota Youth Opera is one of the most comprehensive programs in the United States dedicated to introducing young singers to the art of opera. Since 1984, the program has welcomed thousands of young people through after-school choruses, summer camps, participation in Sarasota Opera mainstage productions, and fully staged Youth Opera productions. The program is open to all interested youth ages 8 to 18, regardless of skill level or financial ability.

The additional $5,000 Elizabeth Lindsay Arts in Education Grant will support Sarasota Opera’s 2026 Community Outreach and Engagement Program, with a focus on K–12 students in Sarasota and Manatee counties. Through the company’s Resident Artist Program, Sarasota Opera is delivering age-appropriate opera demonstrations, classroom presentations, educator workshops, two-generation parent-and-student workshops, and Opera House tour opportunities to over 40 schools in the area.

Nominate your favorite local productions and performers before the deadline on October 31, 2026.

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwopera/article/Sarasota-Opera-Receives-Grant-for-ROOTABAGA-COUNTRY-Youth-Production-20261020)._