A Night on the T.O.W.N: Syble DiGirolamo

By Steven J. Smith | Photo by Nancy Guth

Syble DiGirolamo loves opera so much that she and her husband, Peter, deliberately chose to retire to Parrish about 14 years ago — mainly to be close to Sarasota Opera.

“Sure, I needed to get out of the cold weather of New Jersey as well, but I wasn’t going to move anywhere that didn’t have a good opera house,” she said. “Now, my husband is not quite the opera fan that I am. I like to go a lot more than he does and I’ve seen every opera maybe three or four times.”

That love has led DiGirolamo to take a vice chairman’s spot on Sarasota Opera’s board of trustees and has inspired her to endorse its T.O.W.N. Club — short for The Opera Women’s Night Club — which offers area women like herself an opportunity to meet other women interested in learning about and better appreciating opera. Syble

“On certain subscription nights this season, we invite women ticketholders — and men, too, if they’d like to come — who would enjoy the opera more if they had somebody to meet there and enjoy it with them,” she said. “It’s nice discussing a certain tenor’s performance, for example, with someone else who enjoys opera.” Syble

DiGirolamo added the group usually meets at 6:15 p.m. in the Worthington Boardroom on the third floor of the Sarasota Opera House for a pre-performance reception of drinks, appetizers and hors d’oeuvres. The gathering also includes a professional who shares insights on different aspects of producing an opera. Syble

“It might be a stage director or a props manager or a costume person or a lighting person,” she said. “Someone from the opera company who will talk to us for 10-15 minutes and give us a glimpse into what goes on behind the scenes. Then we go to the opera and meet again at intermission. It’s a great club in which we share our love of this wonderful art form.” Syble

DiGirolamo grew up in a little Alabama town called Sulligent, which she said was not the best place to learn about opera. Syble

“We did country line dance music, square dancing and listened to Elvis Presley,” she said. “He was from a little town called Tupelo, Mississippi, which was about 25-30 miles from Sulligent. That’s the kind of music I grew up with.”  Syble

However, when DiGirolamo reached her early 30s, a friend took her to see Gaetano Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor at the Metropolitan Opera. It had an immediate impact on her. Syble

“I fell in love with it,” she said. “It was instant love, an instant passion for me. I was so totally absorbed with what was going on musically, in the acting, the costumes, the staging, the scenery, the emotions of it. And Lucia di Lammermoor has a mad scene in the middle of it that is absolutely fantastic. I was transfixed. That opera shut off every other care and distraction that was in my mind that day. And I walked out relaxed. So I was hooked that first night. And Lucia remains my favorite opera.”

Once DiGirolamo and her husband moved to Parrish, Joey Frye, who both lived in her community and was on the Sarasota Opera board, introduced DiGirolamo to the organization.

“Joey immediately got me on the phone with the box office and we got a subscription,” she said. “That was within a month of our moving here.” Syble

DiGirolamo became president of the Bradenton Opera Guild in 2008. That led her to Sarasota Opera’s board of trustees, which she joined in 2010. She is now not only vice chairman, but a “double co-producer” donor as well. She contributes about $10,000 a year to the organization, which uses the funds to sponsor operas. Syble

“I put my money where my mouth is as best I can,” she said, “and Sarasota Opera is worth it. A city such as Sarasota that has arts and culture in it attracts people to visit and even move here. It also helps support area businesses such as restaurants, parking facilities, gas stations and more. I’m proud to contribute to that and to be a T.O.W.N. Club member.”

Remaining dates this season for T.O.W.N. Club performances are March 6 for Norma and March 15 for Tiefland. Tickets can be purchased online at www.sarasotaopera.org using the promo code “townclub.” Be sure to purchase your tickets for the performance dates listed above.  Syble

FOR MORE INFORMATION on T.O.W.N. Club or to purchase tickets, contact Travis Rogers, assistant manager of patron services, at 941-366-8450, ext. 230 or by email at trogers@sarasotaopera.org.

Steven J. Smith is a freelance journalist and professional actor. As a journalist, he contributes to numerous newspapers and magazines all around Florida. As an actor, he has appeared in scores of plays, films and television shows across the country and around the world for over 40 years.