Opera Tampa conductor Anton Coppola bids farewell

It's time to say goodbye for Anton Coppola as he prepares to step down as conductor and artistic director of Opera Tampa after its staging of Aida in April. The maestro has put together a program of operatic farewells — from the Meditation from Thais to the finale of Falstaff — for a pair of concerts this weekend. He has assembled a fine cast of singers from the company's productions, including Elizabeth de Trejo, Rochelle Bard, Gerard Powers and Gregory Schmidt, to perform with orchestra and chorus at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Ferguson Hall at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa. $34.50, $54.50. (813) 229-7827 or toll-free 1-800-955-1045; strazcenter.org.