The Glimmerglass Festival Announces 2016 Season - Stephen Sondheim, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Deborah Voigt and More!

The Glimmerglass Festival, which presents four mainstage productions of opera and musical theater every summer, rounds out each season with a schedule of guest appearances, concerts, public master classes, youth opera performances and more.

The company has released the full details of its ever-expanding summer schedule. With guest artists ranging from U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin and New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to key music figures Stephen Sondheim, Jamie Bernstein and Jamie Barton, the offerings are varied and run steadily throughout the season.

As its core offerings in 2016, the company will present new mainstage productions of Puccini's La bohème, Sondheim's Sweeney Todd, Rossini's The Thieving Magpie (La gazza ladra) and Robert Ward's Pulitzer Prize-winning The Crucible. The Festival runs July 8 through August 27.

Mainstage Guest Appearances

To coincide with the opening of the new production of The Crucible on July 23 at 4 p.m., the company will present, Close-Up on The Crucible with Eric Schneiderman: What really happened at the Salem witch trials and why it still matters. Schneiderman and guests will discuss the Salem witch trials, the "Red Scare" that inspired Arthur Miller's theatrical depiction in The Crucible, and other "trial by fire" moments in American history. The opening night seminar will include an in-depth history of the Salem trials, a mock debate for and against the witches, and performances of works by artists whose work has come under fire. Tickets are $25 and $10 for youths.

In between two performances of Sweeney Todd, composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim will join Jamie Bernstein on the mainstage for a conversation about his work and life in the theater on July 30 at 5 p.m. Tickets are $40 and $15 for youths.

Christine Goerke, 2014 Artist in Residence, will present a public master class with members of the Young Artists Program, the company's training program for emerging performers, on July 31 at 4:30 p.m. Tickets are $40 and $15 for youths.

Back by popular demand, on August 26 at 3 p.m. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will again share her passion for opera and her perspective on law in the arts. The program will feature a balance of performance and commentary, with members of the Young Artists Program enacting selected scenes that deal with law and justice, followed by Justice Ginsburg's insights. This will be her fifth time presenting at Glimmerglass. Tickets are $40 and $15 for youths.

Mainstage Concerts

Jamie Barton, winner of the Richard Tucker Award (2015) and Cardiff Singer of the World (2013), will perform a selection of art songs followed by a presentation of Bon Appetit, Lee Hoiby's one-woman opera inspired by Julia Child, on August 12 at 4:30 p.m. Tickets are $40 and $15 for youths.

An Afternoon of American Song with Deborah Voigt will take place August 5 at 4:30 p.m. The Glimmerglass Festival inaugural Artist in Residence will be joined by members of the Young Artists Program to present arias and ensembles by Stephen Sondheim and Kurt Weill. Tickets are $40 and $15 for youths.

2016 Artist in Residence Jay Hunter Morris will share some of his musical inspirations: guitar, jazz, Wagner, Puccini and more, plus a few tales from the operatic trail. The mainstage concert, entitled At This Moment, will be August 7 at 5 p.m.; tickets are $40 and $15 for youths.

The Glimmerglass Festival will preview its 2016 season with the Springfield Appreciation Concert on July 2 at 3 p.m. Proceeds benefit the Springfield Center Fourth of July committee. Tickets are $5 and may be purchased by calling (315) 858-2691.

Second Stages
The Glimmerglass Festival presents many performances in different locations both on- and off-campus.

Youth Opera: Wilde Tales

Following the huge success of Glimmerglass' first youth opera - last season's world premiere of Ben Moore and Kelley Rourke's Odyssey - the company has commissioned a new youth opera, Wilde Tales, by Laura Karpman and Kelley Rourke that weaves together two engaging fairy tales by Oscar Wilde. The Remarkable Rocket shows how one fiery fellow's arrogance is tamed; The Happy Prince is a story of selfless devotion. By turns touching and hilarious, Wilde Tales is a story of finding beauty where you least expect it. Performed at the intimate barn theater at the Cooperstown Theatre Festival just south of Glimmerglass, it will feature the Glimmerglass Youth Chorus and members of the Young Artists Program. Performances will take place on August 9, 11, 14, 16 and 18. Tickets are $20 and $5 for youths.

The commissioning of Laura Karpman for Wilde Tales received funding from OPERA America's Opera Grants for Female Composers program, supported by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.

ShowTalk

ShowTalk is the company's series dedicated to exploring topics related to the mainstage productions through performances paired with discussions with eminent scholars. The first three Saturdays in August, the company will present the following programs at 10 a.m. at The Otesaga Resort Hotel in Cooperstown:

BOHEMIANS ONSTAGE: BOHÈME(S) TO RENT
Saturday, August 6
$25/$10 youth
Like Puccini, Ruggero Leoncavallo was inspired to write an opera based on Henri Murger's portrait of the artistic life. This program will present excerpts from Leoncavallo's opera, along with other musical and literary selections that feature working artists. Music Director Joseph Colaneri will host the program.

THE CRUCIBLE REDUX: JEFFREY TOOBIN
Saturday, August 13
$25/$10 youth
Jeffrey Toobin, senior legal analyst for CNN and staff writer for The New Yorker, will join special guests to discuss "witch trials" of the 20th and 21st centuries.

SPOTLIGHT ON ROSSINI: JOHN JULIUS NORWICH
Saturday, August 20
$25/$10 youth
After a musical program featuring songs and arias by the composer of The Thieving Magpie and The Barber of Seville, historian John Julius Norwich will return to present "A Few Thoughts on Rossini."

Sensory Friendly Performance

A sensory friendly performance, Perfect Pitch, will be held August 25 in the Pavilion on The Glimmerglass Festival campus. This one-hour, baseball-themed program will explore the music of America's favorite pastime. Accommodations for this performance will be made to create an experience that may be enjoyed by youths or adults with autism and other sensory sensitivities. Tickets are $20 and $10 for youths.

The Lounge

The Glimmerglass Festival will present many performances and events in the Pavilion, located next to the mainstage, as well as at other venues in the surrounding community.

BLACKLIST
Saturday, June 11 | 5 p.m. - Star Theater, Cherry Valley
Tuesday, August 2; Monday, August 8 | 5 p.m. - Pavilion
$20/$10 youths
Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible in response to the effects of the "Red Scare" on America's artistic community. This wasn't the first time - or the last - a government felt threatened by its creative citizenry. Blacklist will introduce some of the works and personalities that have provoked the authorities, from Beaumarchais to Bernstein.

BOHEMIANS ONSTAGE: BOHÈME(S) TO RENT
Sunday, June 26; Monday, August 15 | 5 p.m. - Pavilion
$20/$10 youths
Like Puccini, Ruggero Leoncavallo was inspired to write an opera based on Murger's portrait of the artistic life. This program will present selections from Leoncavallo's opera, along with other operas and musicals that center on working artists.

FOR THE BIRDS
Monday, July 18; Tuesday, August 9 | 5 p.m. - Pavilion
$20/$10 youths
Are magpies really larcenous? Just how romantic is the turtledove? This program will consider the facts of bird behavior alongside avian representations in art, music and literature.

THIS IS THE LIFE
Monday, July 25 | 5 p.m. - Pavilion
$20/$10 youths
Patricia Schuman (Sweeney Todd, An American Tragedy) and David Pittsinger (The Crucible, Camelot) will present an autobiographical journey through the American Songbook.

LOST LUGGAGE (L'occasione fa il ladro)
Friday, July 29; Friday, August 19 | 4:30 p.m. - Pavilion
Tuesday, August 16 | 5 p.m. - Pavilion
$20/$10 youths
In Rossini's one-act comedy, an inadvertent luggage exchange sets in motion a madcap chain of theft and deception - all in the service of love.

THE HOLIDAY EXPERIENCE - ONE NIGHT ONLY
Thursday, August 18 | 10 p.m. - Pavilion
$20/$10
Countertenor John Holiday (Caesar in Cato in Utica) will return for a special evening featuring some of his favorite jazz, gospel and R&B pieces.

STARS' NIGHT OUT
Tuesday, July 26; Monday, August 1 | 5 p.m. - Pavilion
Thursdays, July 28; August 11, 18 | 10 p.m. - Pavilion
$20/$10 youths
The principal artists of the 2016 Festival will present a varied musical program.

PERFECT PITCH
Monday, August 22 | 5 p.m. - Pavilion
Thursday, August 25 | 2 p.m. (Sensory friendly) - Pavilion
$20/$10 youths
A baseball-themed program that will explore the music of America's favorite pastime.

2017 Preview and Brunch: Francesca Zambello
Sundays, August 7, 14 and 21 | 11 a.m. - Pavilion
$55/$10 youths
Artistic & General Director Francesca Zambello will preview the 2017 season with members of the Young Artists Program.

Baseball Hall of Fame Performances

Thursdays, August 4-18, at 2 p.m., members of the Young Artists Program will present a baseball-themed concert at the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Standard admission applies.

Backstage

Many complimentary activities are available before and after mainstage productions, allowing audience members to interact with cast and crew. The following free events do not require a reservation.

Previews
An hour prior to every mainstage performance, a member of the music staff offers a preview of the show.

Backstage Tours
Backstage tours take place every Saturday in August at 11 a.m.

Changeover Talks
Members of the production department narrate as the crews change the scenery from one production to another during Changeover Talks. These take place in between performances every Saturday in August.

Q&As
After many performances audience members may remain in the theater for a question-and-answer session with the cast and conductor.

Ticketed events are available only to subscribers until January 25, when single tickets to the 2016 Festival go on sale. For more information, visit www.glimmerglass.org or call the Glimmerglass Festival Box Office at (607) 547-2255.

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