A Grand Slam of Music and Baseball Comes to Romanza Festivale

First Coast Opera invites the community to experience a one-of-a-kind musical celebration of America's national pastime on Friday, May 8, 2026 at 12:00 PM at The Waterworks (184 San Marco Ave., St. Augustine, FL 32084) as part of the Romanza Festivale of Music & The Arts.

Blending the worlds of music and sport, this lively and family-friendly peformance draws inspiration from the archives of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York. Audiences will enjoy a creative 9-inning setlist featuring early 20th-century baseball songs, capturing the spirit, humor, and nostalgia of the game's golden age.

The Lineup

The performance promises a high-energy experience for music lovers and sports fans alike, including:

• A curated song list of vintage baseball classics

• A selection from the opera The Mighty Casey

• A dramatic reading of the legendary poem, Casey at the Bat

The Roster

• Curtis Tucker, General & Artistic Director

• Haley Kirk, Soprano

• Edward Brennan, Tenor and Director of Development

• Michael Giuliani, Pianist

Everyone knows "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," which premiered in 1908, says Curtis Tucker, General & Artistic Director of First Coast Opera. Its immediate popularity inspired other composers of the day to write songs about baseball.  But you don't need to know much about baseball to appreciate these songs.  Sure, they refer to many baseball-related things, but they are also storytelling vignettes about love and relationships, often through humor, and always with melodic and catchy tunes.

This event is free and open to the public, offering an engaging cultural experience for audiences of all ages. Attendees will also have the chance to win a raffle prize of four tickets to a Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp game, adding an extra dose of ballpark excitement to the afternoon.

About First Coast Opera

Now in its 26th season, First Coast Opera has brought the power and beauty of live opera to Northeast Florida since 2000. As the region’s first opera company, it is dedicated to presenting fully staged productions that deliver the complete theatrical experience, with orchestra, chorus, sets, and costumes. Complementing each season are dinner concerts and free community programs that make opera accessible to all while showcasing its remarkable range and versatility.