Thrilled to return to Berlioz’s La Damnation de Faust, Abigail Wright performs in concert with the Metropolitan Opera Ensemble in January and February.

“Berlioz’s compelling take on the Faust legend returns for the first time in a decade, with an ideal lineup of stars. High-flying tenors Bryan Hymel and Michael Spyres sing the doomed and besotted Faust, opposite dazzling mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča as the forsaken Marguerite and bass Ildar Abdrazakov as the malevolent Méphistophélès. Edward Gardner conducts.

Please note that these are concert presentations on the Met stage. The decision to present La Damnation de Faust in its more usual concert version is driven by the unanticipated technical demands of reviving the Met’s staged production, which proved to be impossible to accommodate within the company’s production schedule.”
https://www.metopera.org/season/2019-20-season/la-damnation-de-faust/

Jan 25 at 1 PM

Jan 29 at 8 PM

Feb 1 at 8 PM

Feb 8 at 1 PM

Abigail Wright performs with the Metropolitan Opera ensemble as Eleanor of Acuqitaine in this classic production with the Mark Morris Dancers.

”Mark Morris’s spirited take on the ancient Orpheus myth stars mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton as Orfeo, the grieving lover on a quest through the underworld. Soprano Hei-Kyung Hong sings the plaintive Euridice. Mark Wigglesworth conducts Gluck’s elegant score, a pinnacle of the Baroque repertoire.”

https://www.metopera.org/season/2019-20-season/orfeo-ed-euridice/

Abigail Wright returns to the Metropolitan Opera Ensemble this season for Puccini’s Turandot as originally directed and staged by the incredible Franco Zeffirelli.

”Two of opera’s most thrilling dramatic sopranos, Christine Goerke and Nina Stemme, reprise their fierce portrayals of the title princess. Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Carlo Rizzi take the podium to conduct Franco Zeffirelli’s dazzling production of Puccini’s final masterpiece, which also features tenors Yusif Eyvazov and Riccardo Massi as Calàf, sopranos Eleonora Buratto and Hibla Gerzmava as Liù, and bass-baritone James Morris as Timur.”
https://www.metopera.org/season/2019-20-season/turandot/

Apr 9 at 7:30 PM

Apr 13 at 7:30 PM

Apr 17 at 8 PM

Apr 21 at 7:30 PM

Apr 25 at 1 PM

SummerScape Opera 
July 26 – August 4

THE MIRACLE OF HELIANE
BY ERICH WOLFGANG KORNGOLD

New Production / U.S. Premiere

The American Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Leon Botstein
Directed by Christian Räth

Set in an unnamed totalitarian state, The Miracle of Heliane (Das Wunder der Heliane) features a complicated, erotic triangle between a ruthless despot, The Ruler; his beautiful and neglected wife, Heliane; and a young, messianic Stranger. The allegorical tale about the destruction of a dictatorship by a woman premiered to great acclaim in Hamburg in 1927, and remains extraordinarily relevant. This new production is directed by Christian Räth with sets and costumes by Esther Bialas, both making their SummerScape debuts. The cast includes the stunning Lithuanian soprano Ausrine Stundyte in a rare U.S. appearance, and rising star tenor Daniel Brenna.

Opening Night Reception for Members
Friday, July 26

Opera Talk with Leon Botstein
Sunday, July 28 at noon
Visiting us from the New York Metro Area?
Our luxury coach brings you round-trip from NYC's Upper West Side to the Fisher Center for just $40. Select the coach option available at checkout.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

July 26 at 7:30 pm
July 28 at 2 pm
July 31 at 2 pm
August 2 at 4 pm
August 4 at 2 pm

LOCATION

Fisher Center, Sosnoff Theater

Tickets start at $25

SummerScape Coach from New York City is offered on July 26 & 28 and August 2 & 4.

Tickets go on sale to the general public on February 18. For early access, become a member today.

To gain the world, would you sell your soul?

Faust
Music by Charles Gounod / Libretto by Jules Barbier and Michael Carré, based on Goethe’s Faust: Part One, An Opera in Three Acts

Mar. 16e, 18e, 22e, 24m, 27e & 30e (2019) in the Opera House
In French with Projected English Titles
Production by Francesca Zambello
Production originated at Houston Grand Opera

Is the freedom of youth worth an eternity in hell? It is to the aging Faust, who makes a pact with Méphistophélès to exchange his soul for Earth’s mortal pleasures. With his youth restored, Faust woos the lovely Marguerite, but his troubles are far from over. Along the seductive path to riches and power, Faust realizes his salvation is tragically bound to others, including those he loves most.

WNO takes a look at this French classic with a riveting production featuring a storybook aesthetic and phenomenal cast. From Marguerite's celebrated “Jewel Song” to the beloved soldiers’ chorus, Gounod’s score propels Goethe’s tale of redemption and damnation into a dizzying dance with the devil that will be impossible to forget.

More details and tickets available at http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/event/OTOSD

Tickets available at the door, Tickets: $20 Adult; $15 Senior/Student; $10 Children under 13.
Discount of $2 on tickets bought in advance, call (732) 993-5400 or email info@philomusica.org.

La traviata         
Music by Giuseppe Verdi / Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, from the novel La dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas

As a courtesan, the beautiful Violetta is the life of every party, toasting to high-class pleasures alongside wealthy men. But Violetta holds a devastating secret: she is sick and dying. When the affluent Alfredo confesses his love, happily-ever-after finally seems within reach—until his father condemns his lover’s low social status. Now Violetta must make an impossible choice before death claims her.

We launch the 2018–2019 season with a stunning new production of Verdi’s everlasting story of love and sacrifice. From the famous brindisi drinking song to the heartbreaking “Addio del passato” aria, La traviata captures Violetta’s unforgettable plight and illuminates tensions of social class that ring just as true today.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CASTING FOR ALL PERFORMANCES EXCEPT OCT. 19
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Violetta Valéry:                                             
Venera Gimadieva (10/6, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 21m)
Jacqueline Echols (10/7m, 14m, 20)      
Alfredo Germont:                                           
Joshua Guerrero (10/6, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 21m)
Mario Chang (10/7m, 14m, 20)
Giorgio Germont:
Lucas Meachem (10/6, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 21m)
Michael Chioldi (10/7m, 14m, 20)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CASTING FOR THE OCT. 19 DOMINGO-CAFRITZ YOUNG ARTIST PERFORMANCE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Violetta Valéry:
Marlen Nahhas
Alfredo Germont: 
Joshua Blue
Giorgio Germont: 
Joshua Conyers
Flora Bervoix: 
Deborah Nansteel
Annina:
Alexandria Shiner
Gastone: 
Arnold Livingston Geis
Barone Douphol: 
Michael Hewitt
Marquis d’Obigny:
Samuel Weiser
Dottore Grenvil:
Timothy J. Bruno

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CREATIVE TEAM FOR THE PRODUCTION
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Conductor:                                        
Renato Palumbo             
Director:                                                             
Francesca Zambello
Associate Director and Choreographer:
Keturah Stickann                             
Set Designer:                                    
Peter Davison
Costume Designer:                                        
Jess Goldstein
Lighting Designer:                                           
Mark McCullough

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COME EARLY FOR FREE OPERA INSIGHTS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Informative and entertaining, Opera Insights take you inside the composer's mind, behind the scenes of planning a production, and into the history and social context of each opera. 
These lectures are free, but patrons must present a ticket from any performance of La traviata.

Most Opera Insights begin 1 hour before the performance and last 20–25 minutes. Musicologist Saul Lilienstein's Opera Insights, scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 17, begins 1 hour and 15 minutes before the performance and last 35–40 minutes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
POST-PERFORMANCE TALKBACKS WITH THE ARTISTS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Don't miss your opportunity to engage directly with our artists and share your thoughts on the experience you just had! Here's your chance to ask questions and get the inside scoop on the production from members of the cast and creative team. 
All discussions begin immediately after the performance and are free with your ticket.

La traviata Talkback Dates:
Sunday, Oct. 7
Sunday, Oct. 14
Monday, Oct. 15
Sunday, Oct. 21
 

The American Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Leon Botstein
Directed by Thaddeus Strassberger

Anton Rubinstein’s operatic masterpiece Demon first premiered to great acclaim in 1871. Although performed frequently in Russia, the work remains something of a rarity in the West today.

Based on the renowned fantasy poem by Mikhail Lermontov, Demon boasts rich choral writing and a fiery libretto. The work vividly depicts the isolation and despair of a fallen angel doomed to eternal damnation. All is upended by a chance encounter with the princess Tamara with whom he falls desperately in love. Tamara’s attempts to resist him and her eventual submission end in tragedy.

The 2018 Summerscape production will be conducted by Leon Botstein and directed by the renowned American director Thaddeus Strassberger with sets by Paul Tate dePoo and costumes by Kaye Voyce. An all-Russian cast will be led by the sparkling-voiced soprano Olga Tolkmit (last seen at Bard in Dimitrij) in the role of Tamara alongside baritone Efim Zavalny in his American debut in the title role.
 

Opening Night Reception for Members
Friday, July 27

Opera Talk with Leon Botstein
Sunday, July 29 at noon

Dine with us and save!

Out-of-Town Package—includes mainstage ticket, roundtrip bus from New York City, and three-course meal in the Spiegeltent. Purchase and save up to 25%.

Night Out Package—includes mainstage ticket and three-course meal in the Spiegeltent. Purchase and save up to 15%.

Available for select performances. Ticketing fees apply, gratuity and beverages not included. 

Visiting us from the New York Metro Area?

Our luxury coach brings you round-trip from NYC's Upper West Side to the Fisher Center for just $40. SummerScape Coach from New York City offered Friday, July 27, August 3, and Sunday, July 29, August 5. 

Purchase options available at checkout.
 

July 27 at 8 pm
July 29 at 2 pm
August 1 at 2 pm
August 3 at 2 pm
August 5 at 2 pm

Fisher Center, Sosnoff Theater

Tickets start at $25; $5 tickets for Bard undergraduate and graduate students are made possible by the Passloff Pass and available in advance for select performances.

Puccini’s grand spectacle of legendary China stars Oksana Dyka and Martina Serafin in the role of the ice princess and Marcelo Álvarez as the unknown prince who must thaw her heart or die. Maria Agresta, Hei-Kyung Hong, and James Morris are among the other remarkable artists featured in this cherished Franco Zeffirelli production, led by Carlo Rizzi and Marco Armiliato. Catch Abigail Wright in her fourth season performing in Turandot's chorus with the Metropolitan Opera.

Dates:
Thu Oct 12, 2017 at 8pm
Tue Oct 17, 2017 at 7:30pm
Sat Oct 21, 2017 at 8pm
Wed Oct 25, 2017 at 7:30pm
Sat Oct 28, 2017 at 8pm
Tue Oct 31, 2017 at 7:30pm
Sat Nov 4, 2017 at 1pm
Wed Nov 8, 2017 at 7:30pm
Sat Nov 11, 2017 at 8pm
Thu Nov 16, 2017 at 8pm
Wed Mar 21, 2018 at 7:30pm
Sat Mar 24, 2018 at 1pm
Wed Mar 28, 2018 at 7:30pm
Sat Mar 31, 2018 at 8:30pm
Thu Apr 5, 2018 at 8pm

Image by Peter Aaron '68/Esto

Fisher Center Presents

Dimitrij

By Antonín Dvořák
American Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Leon Botstein, music director
Directed by Anne Bogart

Fri. July 28, 7:30 pm
Sun. July 30, 2 pm
Wed. August 2, 2 pm
Fri. August 4, 7:30 pm
Sun. August 6, 2 pm

False Dmitriy I in coronation robes, Wikimedia Commons

Acclaimed at its 1882 premiere for its strong dramatic moments, original melodies, and masterful choral writing, Antonín Dvořák's Dimitrij was widely regarded as one of the most significant works created for the Czech operatic stage. Based on events of 17th-century Russia, Dimitrij resumes where Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov leaves off—vividly depicting the uncertainty, tribal loyalties, and struggles for power in the wake of the revered tsar's death.
  
Distinguished director Anne Bogart '74 brings this grand opera to life in a new production.

Opera talk with Leon Botstein on Sunday, July 30 at noon

Coach transportation from New York City is available for performances on Friday, July 28, Sunday, July 30, and Sunday, August 6; packages are available.
Click here to learn more.

Image by Yoni Levy

This November, the MTA's Arts for Transit's Opera Collective comes above ground to produce an opera highlighting the mental and physical voices of women, at a time when women struggle to be equally heard.

On November 20 (3pm) and 22 (8pm), six of the female members of Opera Collective and "masterful" (OperaPulse) Music Director/Pianist Mila Henry present composer Milton Granger's The Proposal at St. Malachy's/The Actors' Chapel.

Founded in 2005, Opera Collective makes opera accessible by singing in the subways of New York City, at greenmarkets, and at free public concerts as well as private events and galas. Through this presentation of The Proposal, its members will bring to life a story of the exploration of one woman's mind as she comes face to face with five distinct parts of herself to make a life-altering decision. As all of her alter-egos gather together in her mind, she must hear everyone out, from the Five-Year-Old to the Mother Teresa inside of Herself. With direction by Dona Vaughan's "finely detailed staging" (The Birmingham News), Opera Collective seizes on this rare opportunity to present this one-act, filled with "abundant humor" (Pittsburgh City Paper).

Metropolitan Opera mezzo-soprano Abigail Wright - "full in the low range and balanced throughout with no apparent limit at top" (Tri-City Herald) - plays the conflicted Herself. The first of the five alter-egos to appear is Five-Year-Old, spiritedly sung by Metropolitan Opera soprano Carla Wesby, a founding member of Opera Collective. Co-founder of Opera Collective and in-demand oratorio soloist, soprano Adrienne Patino Dunn, joins as Officer, while Sensuous Woman is played by mezzo-soprano Rebecca Schuessler, who has been hailed as "commanding" and "indomitable" (Metro, San Jose). The "impassioned and musical" (Voce di Meche) soprano Patricia Vital brings Statue of Liberty to life, complimented powerfully by mezzo-soprano Kristen Lamb Kasarjian as Mother Teresa.

For more information contact Opera Collective at operacollective@gmail.com. Tickets are $15 and are available at the door and at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2696801.

Jane Eyre

By Louis Karchin
Libretto by Diane Osen
Based upon the novel by Charlotte Bronte
World Premiere
October 20  7:30 PM and 22 8 PM at the Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College

• Tickets October 20
• Tickets October 22
• Directions

Director: Kristine McIntyre
Conductor: Sara Jobin

Jane Eyre: Jennifer Zetlan
Rochester: Ryan MacPherson
Roderick Ingram / St. John Rivers: Tom Meglioranza
Mrs. Fairfax: Kimberly Giordano
Blanche Ingram: Katrina Thurman
Mr. Mason / Mr. Briggs: Adam Cannedy
Mr. Wood: David Salsbery Fry
Mary / Bessie: Jessica Best
Diana / Mrs. Ingram: Jessica Thompson

Ensemble:
Marisa Karchin
Michelle Kennedy
Caitlin Mead
Rachel Rosenberg
Alize Rozsnyai
Abigail Wright

Production Manager: W. Wilson Jones
Costume Designer: Rachel Townsend
Lighting Designer: Burke Brown
Scenic Designer: Luke Cantarella
Rehearsal Pianist: Isabella Dawis

Image by Cory Weaver

Composed by Pietro Mascagni
Libretto by Luigi Illica
American Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Leon Botstein, music director
Directed by James Darrah

Composed by Puccini’s friend Pietro Mascagni (perhaps best known for his beloved Cavalleria rusticana), Iris debuted in Rome in 1898, ushering in a wave of fin-de-siècle exotic opera. Mascagni’s dreamlike score provides the backdrop for Luigi Illica’s haunting libretto recounting the tragic story of Iris, an innocent young girl tricked into abandoning her elderly blind father and lured to a brothel in Tokyo’s notorious red-light district.

The stellar cast is headlined by Grammy-nominated soprano Talise Trevigne, lauded for her “deep melting sound” (New York Times) as the vulnerable Iris. Austrian Australian tenor Gerard Schneider sings the role of the fickle Osaka, and bass-baritone Douglas Williams portrays the villainous Kyoto. 

Conducted by the “peerlessly adventurous” (New York Times) Leon Botstein, this production by talented young stage director James Darrah features set designs by Emily MacDonald and Cameron Jaye Mock, with projections by Adam Larsen and costumes by Peabody Southwell—all of which combine to highlight the darker themes of this rarely performed opera. 

Performed in Italian with English supertitles. 

A RETURNING FAVORITE

A ballet about the transforming power of love, George Balanchine's A Midsummer Night's Dream, is based on William Shakespeare's comedy about the romantic adventures and misadventures, quarrels and reunitings, of two pairs of mortal lovers and the king and queen of the fairies. The ballet, through its themes of reality versus illusion, change versus constancy, displays love in all its guises.

In the first act there are dances of unrequited love and love that is reconciled. There is a pas de deux for the Fairy Queen, Titania and Bottom, who has been turned into an Ass -- a perfect illustration in dance of the old proverb, "love is blind."

In the second act, which opens with Mendelssohn's familiar Wedding March, there is a pas de deux representing Ideal untroubled love. Midsummer Night, which is June 23rd (St. John's Eve), has long been associated with love and magic. In European folklore it is the one night of the year when supernatural beings such as fairies are about and can interact with the real world. It is also a date that falls near the summer solstice, which in earlier civilizations was traditionally a time for fertility rites and festivals devoted to love.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

DATES

Opening night: 23 May 2017

Booking through until: 28 May 2017

AUDIENCE

Suitable for audiences of all ages

Abigail Wright returns to Turandot at the Metropolitan Opera, September 23, 2015 to January 30, 2016. 

Christine Goerke, Lise Lindstrom, and Nina Stemme, three of opera’s greatest dramatic sopranos, take turns in the title role of the proud princess of legendary China. Tenors Marcelo Álvarez and Marco Berti are Calàf, the brave prince who sings “Nessun dorma” and wins her hand. Franco Zeffirelli’s golden production is conducted by Paolo Carignani.

http://www.metopera.org/opera/turandot-puccini-tickets

On January 30, the production will be Live in HD at a theatre near you! 
http://www.metopera.org/metopera/liveinhd/live-in-hd-2015-16-season