Student Blog: Summertime Opera in Rural Upstate New York

When I pictured myself visiting New York, I never imagined I would be driving through the greenery of a rural area with mountains alongside a gorgeous glimmering lake. This may sound silly, but I always assumed everywhere in New York State had the urban busyness like New York City. I was pleasantly surprised seeing how incredibly wrong I was when I arrived in Cooperstown, New York, to spend my summer working as a Communications Apprentice for The Glimmerglass Festival, an internationally acclaimed opera company.

I’m from San Antonio, Texas, and have never visited New York before. When the amazing opportunity to spend my summer with Glimmerglass appeared, there was no hesitation to say yes. A dream to work alongside and learn from industry professionals came true.

Now that I’m here, I’ve found myself in the middle of a beautiful nowhere. A beautiful nowhere which also happens to be where opera is being produced by world-class artists. It feels random, but it is extraordinary.

I was interviewing a Glimmerglass year-round staff member for a newsletter piece the other day, and he talked about how he enjoys the rural atmosphere surrounding the theater and preferred it over a big city, where large performing arts companies are usually located. Considering the village aura and lack of public transportation in Cooperstown, I wondered how an opera company could be so highly renowned residing in such a small town. Well, I quickly realized the answer.

Glimmerglass is treasured by its region and attracts audiences from around the world because there is this special communal love for the performing arts where opera theater enthusiasts are unified in celebration of artistry and the magic created onstage. The ruralness itself even enhances this love for the arts as the beautiful terrain is setting the mood for the glorious productions in the making. Already having witnessed how unique this company is by sitting in tech rehearsals and attending design seminars, I feel pretty lucky to be spending my summer contributing to such a passionate place working to share live stories with such a passionate community.

This all being said, I’m happy to be writing about my experiences as an Apprentice at Glimmerglass for Broadway World this summer. Much of my work in communications here so far has actually been new for me, as I’m coming in as a Theatre Arts Major and Music Minor knowing more how to promote productions through social media rather than how to write press releases (wrote my first one last week!). Nonetheless, I’m very excited to gain more confidence and experience as a writer, and share what I’m learning with you all.

Thanks for reading!