Photo Flash: First Look at Glimmerglass Festival's AIDA

Nader Abbassi, who has led the Cairo Opera, will conduct. Costumes are by rising fashion designer Bibhu Mohapatra. Lee Savage makes his company debut designing sets. Choreographer Eric Sean Fogel returns to Glimmerglass for Aida after his company debut in 2011 when he choreographed Annie Get Your Gun. Robert Wierzel – a Glimmerglass veteran – serves as lighting designer.

Adina Aaron will sing the title role in the first three performances of Aida, as soprano Michelle Johnson has been placed on vocal rest by her doctor. Johnson, a 2011 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions Winner, will return to the role July 23. Aaron has received acclaim for her performances of Aida at the Savonlinna Festival in Finland, and in Marseille. Bass-baritone Eric Owens, the company's 2012 Artist in Residence, will appear as Amonasro, and Noah Stewart will perform the role of Radamès. Daveda Karanas will sing Amneris, fresh off her acclaimed role debut at Arizona Opera in March.

Aida runs through August 25 at the Alice Busch Opera Theater in Cooperstown, New York. The show runs in repertory with three other mainstage productions: Meredith Willson's The Music Man, Lully's Armide, and Maxwell Anderson and Kurt Weill's Lost in the Stars. Tickets are available at www.glimmerglass.org and through the Glimmerglass Box Office at (607) 547-2255.

Photo Credits: Karli Cadel, William M. Brown, The Glimmerglass Festival

AIDA

Daveda Karanas

Adina Aaron

Daveda Karanas, Noah Stewart and Company

Joseph Barron and Noah Stewart

Noah Stewart and Daveda Karanas

Noah Stewart and Adina Aaron

Adina Aaron and Eric Owens

Noah Stewart

Phillip Gay

Daveda Karanas and Adina Aaron

Daveda Karanas

Noah Stewart and Company

Adina Aaron