September 15, 2026- Sarasota, FL. – Selby Gardens announces the 11th annual Jean & Alfred Goldstein Exhibition, Verdi: Composer & Farmer, on view February 7, 2027, through May 30, 2027, at the Downtown Sarasota campus.
Selby Gardens is thrilled to collaborate with Maestro Victor DeRenzi, former Artistic Director of Sarasota Opera, on this exciting exhibition, which will celebrate the life and legacy of Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi, best known for his operas including Rigoletto, Il trovatore, and La traviata. The exhibition will explore Verdi’s lesser-known love of nature through his activities as a gardener and farmer. As with past shows in the Goldstein Series, the Verdi exhibition will combine a dynamic display of objects and images in the Richard and Ellen Sandor Museum of Botany & the Arts with stunning horticultural vignettes in the Display Conservatory and throughout the gardens of the Downtown Sarasota campus. The plant-filled vignettes will draw inspiration and feature selections of music from Verdi’s operas, which continue to be enjoyed by audiences around the world. A special performance series will accompany the exhibition season, further bringing Verdi’s music and legacy to life. Details will be announced soon.
Jennifer O. Rominiecki, President & CEO of Selby Gardens, remarked, “Verdi: Composer & Farmer offers a fascinating window into the life of Giuseppe Verdi, revealing the profound connection he forged with nature, agriculture, and the land that inspired and enriched his life beyond the opera house. In collaboration with Maestro DeRenzi, Selby Gardens brings Verdi’s story to life through The Living Museum® model, where living plants and collections intersect with art, science, history, and culture. This exhibition provides a wonderful opportunity to explore the relationship between creativity and the natural world while experiencing Verdi’s legacy in an entirely new context. We look forward to welcoming our community and visitors from around the world to celebrate the enduring connection between music, horticulture, and human ingenuity this spring.”
DeRenzi is internationally recognized for his extraordinary contributions to opera and Italian culture, and he brings decades of artistic excellence, visionary leadership, and an enduring cultural legacy to this exciting partnership. Maestro DeRenzi is the only person to have produced and conducted all of Verdi’s works. Serving as Selby Gardens’ Honorary Curator, he will lend his artistic vision to create a dynamic and inspiring seasonal experience at Selby Gardens’ Downtown Sarasota campus.
Together, Selby Gardens and DeRenzi will celebrate the intersection of music, nature, and the arts through innovative programming designed to inspire, educate, and engage visitors of all ages. DeRenzi commented, “Verdi has been an extraordinary presence in my life, and I have always been fascinated not only by his genius as a composer, but by the man behind the music. His deep connection to the land, agriculture, and nature offers a compelling way to understand the source of his creativity. Verdi: Composer & Farmer is a natural fit for Selby Gardens, where music, history, horticulture, and art can come together in one living experience. I am honored to help bring Verdi’s story to the Gardens and to invite audiences to experience the composer from a fresh perspective.”
This collaboration reinforces Selby Gardens’ The Living Museum® model, which integrates horticulture, botanical research, education, and the arts to offer immersive experiences for visitors. Through its partnership with DeRenzi, Selby Gardens continues to advance its mission of connecting people with nature while enriching the cultural life of the community through exceptional cultural programming.
For additional information about Selby Gardens’ Spring 2027 Season, visit selby.org
About Victor DeRenzi:
Victor DeRenzi is an acclaimed American and Italian conductor widely regarded for his influential work in opera and classical music. He has built a distinguished reputation as an artistic leader known for musical excellence, educational advocacy, and a strong dedication to broadening access to the performing arts.
He is best known as the long serving Artistic and Music Director of Sarasota Opera, serving in that role for 44 years. During his remarkable tenure, he transformed the company into one of the nation’s leading opera institutions through his visionary leadership and acclaimed interpretations of the operatic repertoire. Conducting hundreds of performances and championing artistic excellence, he played a pivotal role in establishing Sarasota as a premier cultural destination.
About Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens provides 45 acres of bayfront sanctuaries connecting people with air plants of the world, native nature, and our regional history. Established by forward-thinking women of their time, Selby Gardens is composed of the 15-acre Downtown Sarasota campus and the 30-acre Historic Spanish Point campus in the Osprey area of Sarasota County, Florida. The Downtown Sarasota campus on Sarasota Bay is the only botanical garden in the world dedicated to the display and study of epiphytic orchids, bromeliads, gesneriads and ferns, and other tropical plants. There is a significant focus on botany, horticulture, education, historical preservation, and the environment. Selby Gardens’ Downtown Sarasota campus features the world’s first net positive energy botanical garden complex, generating more energy than it consumes. The Historic Spanish Point campus is located less than 10 miles south along Little Sarasota Bay. One of the largest preserves showcasing native Florida plants and active archaeology that is interpreted for and open to the public, it celebrates an archaeological record that encompasses approximately 5,000 years of Florida history. Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is a Smithsonian Affiliate and is also accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. Selby Gardens was selected for Time magazine’s annual list of the “World’s Greatest Places 2024.” For more information visit www.selby.org.
