Glimmerglass Festival Unveils 2024 Details

COOPERSTOWN—The Glimmerglass Festival announced the details of its 2024 season, titled “Identity & Illusion,” last Wednesday, December 13. Exciting highlights include a new production of the gothic thriller “Elizabeth Cree” by the Pulitzer Prize-winning team, Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell; the first glimpse of “The House on Mango Street,” a new opera by three-time Grammy nominee Derek Bermel and librettist Sandra Cisneros; an immersive new production of the classic thriller “Pagliacci” from newly appointed Artistic Director of Pacific Opera Victoria Brenna Corner, with pre-show outdoor concerts curated by the artists themselves; and a world premiere youth opera by 2022 winner of the San Francisco Conservatory’s Emerging Black Composers Project, Jens Ibsen, and Cecelia Raker.

2024 Artist-in-Residence Tara Erraught (Opera de Paris, Wigmore Hall, Metropolitan Opera) leads an international group of guest artists making their Glimmerglass debuts, including Craig Irvin (Wexford Festival Opera, Minnesota Opera), Christian Mark Gibbs (Metropolitan Opera/LCT, Washington National Opera, Camelot on Broadway), Taylor Raven (San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera), Elizabeth Sutphen (Glyndebourne, Spoleto Festival, Opera Frankfurt), and Robert Stahley (Lyric Opera of Chicago, LA Philharmonic) as well as the triumphant returns of Eve Gigliotti(Metropolitan Opera, Opera Philadelphia), Amber Monroe (Washington National Opera, Santa Fe Opera), Troy Cook (Hamburg State Opera, Covent Garden), and Schyler Vargas (Arizona Opera, Carnegie Hall), all alumni of the Glimmerglass Young Artists Program. 

“The Glimmerglass family is created each season out of the special alchemy that arises when international artists at the peak of their profession work as peers alongside America’s most exciting emerging artists and apprentices,” said Artistic and General Director Rob Ainsley. “While introducing our audiences to new artists I have worked with and admired throughout my career, there will also be many familiar faces eager to make the most of their next big opportunity. I couldn’t be more excited for the excellent directors and conductors making their solo mainstage debuts with us this season. Each will bring fascinating new perspectives to their productions.”

Leading a thrilling roster of guest artists, Glimmerglass welcomes Irish star mezzo-soprano Tara Erraught as Artist-in-Residence for the 2024 season. Acclaimed worldwide, Erraught has been lauded for her “beautifully formed mezzo-soprano voice” (“New York Times”) and heralded as the “New Bel Canto Queen” (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung). Notable recent performances include her role debut of the title role in “Iphigénie en Tauride” at the Opéra de Paris and her role debut as Maria Stuarda at Irish National Opera, where she was described as having “a voice that inspired pity that would have moved even the stoniest of hearts” (Bachtrack). Erraught has held concerts across the globe, including at the Royal Albert Hall and Carnegie Hall, and is a recipient of the prestigious Pro meritis scientiae et litterarum, awarded by the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and Art. For her debut with Glimmerglass, Erraught will star in the title role in “Elizabeth Cree” and provide mentorship for members of Glimmerglass’s highly competitive Young Artists Program.

Joining Erraught as Glimmerglass Festival 2024 guest artists are 2017 BBC Singer of the World finalist, baritone John Chest; baritone Troy Cook, who originated the role of Father Palmer with Minnesota Opera in the world premiere of the Pulitzer Prize-winning opera “Silent Night”; multifaceted talent of stage and screen, tenor Christian Mark Gibbs, most recently seen in the Broadway revival of “Camelot” (2023) at the Lincoln Center Theatre; mezzo-soprano Eve Gigliotti, an innovative vocal artist who infuses her performances with “finely crafted characterizations” (NY Classical Review); baritone Craig Irvin, who brings a “dynamic range, a sturdy swagger, and a beautiful, smooth vocal quality” (Utah Arts Review) to his performances; 2023 winner of the George and Nora London Foundation Competition, soprano Amber Monroe; mezzo-soprano Taylor Raven, praised as a “vocal sensation” (Washington Classical Review) with a “deep range” (OperaWire); tenor Robert Stahley, known for his “richly embodied, charismatic” (Arts National) performances; soprano Elizabeth Sutphen, praised for her “exquisite” (“The Guardian”) coloratura soprano and “crisp comedic instinct” (“Opera News”); and baritone Schyler Vargas, praised for his “powerful baritone” (“Washington Post”) and returning to Glimmerglass after his crowd-pleasing turn as Maximilian in the 2023 production of “Candide.”

The 2024 Glimmerglass Festival will run from July 22 through August 20, 2024, with mainstage productions including Gilbert & Sullivan’s “The Pirates of Penzance,” Cavalli’s “La Calisto,” Leoncavallo’s “Pagliacci,” and “Elizabeth Cree.” The festival will also feature an exciting new works initiative called Project Pipeline, curated by Ainsley. Project Pipeline is a broadening of The Glimmerglass Festival’s commitment to new work and contemporary opera, designed to mobilize the festival’s unique artistic resources to support the development of works-in-progress, give opportunities to talented emerging voices, and open a window on the creative process to the festival’s audience.

For Project Pipeline’s inaugural season, the festival will present a discussion about the creative process with the creative team responsible for “Elizabeth Cree”; the world premiere of the youth opera “Rumpelstiltskin and the Unlovable Children” by Jens Ibsen and Cecelia Raker; and a summer workshop of “The House on Mango Street,” based on Sandra Cisneros’ classic 1984 novel of the same name.

Glimmerglass Festival will also offer a variety of free events throughout the season, including preview talks held before every mainstage performance, backstage tours exploring the Alice Busch Opera Theater, production and costume workshops, and changeover talks between Saturday matinee and evening performances to explain the complicated process of transitioning sets from one production to another as the audience watches the magic happen on stage. 

For more information, visit www.glimmerglass.org.