The Maestro  It’s 8:30 a.m. as Victor DeRenzi enters the
Sarasota Opera House, where he has been artistic director for
the past 24 years. His first stop is the Opera Café. There he
downs two cups of espresso in quick succession, standing up and
keeping a sharp eye on the coffee’s preparation. He swallows the
coffee in […]  It’s 8:30 a.m. as Victor DeRenzi enters the
Sarasota Opera House, where he has been artistic director for
the past 24 years. His first stop is the Opera Café. There he
downs two cups of espresso in quick succession, standing up and
keeping a sharp eye on the coffee’s preparation. He swallows the
coffee in the European style, drinking it right down like
medicine. Thus fortified, he takes the elevator up to his third-
floor office and checks the box office.  He needn’t worry. The
Sarasota Opera has been remarkably successful under his tenure,
with an international reputation and a season that sells out
year after year. Its apprentice program is regarded as one of
the best opera teaching experi