Opera Saratoga announced its 2024 summer festival, featuring three new productions at Universal Preservation Hall from June 27 to July 7. For more information on tickets and the season, visit here.
Opera Saratoga, formerly known as Lake George Opera, began with a production of Die Fledermaus at the Diamond Point Theatre on July 5, 1962, playing to an audience of 230. The Company now calls Saratoga Springs home and performs for more than 25,000 people. Opera Saratoga celebrates its 60th Anniversary this season, serving the communities of Saratoga Springs, the Lower Adirondack, and New York State Capital areas by providing access to world-class opera through the production of an annual Summer Festival, as well as year-round activities including extensive educational programs, mentorship of emerging operatic artists, and unique opportunities for the public. The company has performed 106 fully-staged works by 66 composers, including 42 works by American composers and 14 premiere productions.
“This season pays homage to Saratoga Springs’ history as a pleasure-seekers paradise and betting destination while looking to the future by pushing the definition of what opera can be – and how it can be made – forward,” said Mary Birnbaum, General and Artistic Director. “We hope to tempt risk-takers to the festival by dazzling them with reinventions of two classics in addition to a totally unique creation that they can only see in Saratoga.”
In 2023, the company hired its 10th Artistic and General Director, Mary Birnbaum. She has directed opera and music theater around the world, including staging critically acclaimed productions of L’Orfeo, Proving Up, and The Rape of Lucretia at The Juilliard School and The Classical Style at Carnegie Hall. She has also directed productions at Opera Philadelphia, Seattle Opera, Opera Columbus, Virginia Opera, Virginia Arts Festival, the Ojai Festival, Montclair Peak Performances, and Boston Baroque in the U.S, as well as in Taiwan (National Symphony Orchestra), Central America (National Theatre of Costa Rica and Guatemala), Australia and Israel.
She most recently directed the world premiere of In A Grove by Christopher Cerrone and Stephanie Fleischmann at Pittsburgh Opera and will direct the world premiere oratorio ÉMIGRÉ at the New York Philharmonic in collaboration with the Shanghai Symphony. On the faculty of the Juilliard School since 2011, she teaches acting to singers and serves as a Dramatic Advisor to the MMGD program. She also teaches and coaches for the Lindemann Young Artists Program at the Metropolitan Opera.
For more information on tickets and the season, visit here.
GUYS AND DOLLS
June 29–July 7
Universal Preservation Hall
The first of the trifecta, Guys and Dolls, features Mikaela Bennett (City Center Encores’ The Golden Apple, West Side Story at Glimmerglass), as Sarah Brown. The beloved gambling musical will feature direction by Mary Birnbaum, choreography by Caili Quan, and musical direction by Andy Einhorn (Broadway’s Carousel and Hello, Dolly!.), with scenic design by Kristen Robinson, lighting design by Anshuman Bhatia and costume design by Oana Botez. In addition to those already announced, the cast of Guys and Dolls will feature William Socolof as Nathan Detroit, Ariadne Greif as Miss Adelaide, Shavon Lloyd as Sky Masterson, Maximillian Jansen as Nicely Nicely Johnson, and Aubrey Allicock as Arvide Abernathy.
COSÌ FAN TUTTE
June 28–July 7
Universal Preservation Hall
Next is Mozart’s wager opera Così fan tutte, featuring GRAMMY-nominated bass-baritone Aubrey Allicock as the cynical Don Alfonso. The opera will also feature Nicoletta Berry as Despina, Julia Stuart as Fiordiligi, Anna Kelley as Dorabella, Maximillian Jansen as Ferrando, and Michael Hawk as Guglielmo.
INTI FIGGIS-VIZUETA WORLD PREMIERE OPERA
June 30 & July 5
Universal Preservation Hall
Finally, the biggest gamble of them all: a world premiere opera, devised and composed during the summer season by Composer-in-Residence inti figgis-vizueta. inti’s work explores the transformative power of group improvisation and play, working to reconcile historical aesthetics and experimental practices with trans & Indigenous futures. “The Festival Residency with Opera Saratoga is an incredible opportunity to explore the expressive world of contemporary opera, a first for me as a composer,” figgis-vizueta said.
LISTEN TO THIS: VOICES FROM THE FUTURE!
June 4, June 11, and June 18
Universal Preservation Hall
Listen to This is a three-part concert series that hands the mic to cutting-edge creators who break through boundaries of what opera can be through the lens of access and healing. The series is composed of: The Other Side of Silence, Winterreise, and finally, i woke up in the sky.
THE OTHER SIDE OF SILENCE
Tuesday, June 4 will feature work by RPI Director of Institute Ensembles Robert Whalen who is collaborating with librettists Mark Steidl, Katherine Skovira, and Sara Pyszka on a new opera for synthetic and acoustic voice The Other Side of Silence written by and for people who use Alternative Assistive Communication.
The Other Side of Silence explores what it means to be our true self, and which of our voices—our inner or outer voice— represents our identity. The Other Side of Silence examines technology’s role in the fabric of human society as seen through the lens of an AAC user – someone who uses a synthetic voice to communicate with the world.
WINTERREISE
On June 11, Director George Miller, Bass-Baritone William Socolof, and Pianist Chris Reynolds collaborate on the workshop of a contemporary staging of Schubert’s seminal song cycle Winterreise. Originally from Albany and Saratoga Springs, respectively, Miller and Reynolds bring their many accolades back to the Capital Region.
i woke up in the sky
On June 18, composer-performer Catherine Brookman shares her album i woke up in the sky with Opera Saratoga’s audiences. Her music deals with the experience of time passing, collapsing, unfinished business, heartbreak, loneliness, and depression.
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