Tickets to Berkshire Opera Festival's 2016 Summer Season Now on Sale

Berkshire Opera Festival's co-founders, Jonathon Loy and Brian Garman, have announced that tickets are on sale now for song recitals that will fill out the festival's 2016 summer season. Two programs will be presented, and general admission tickets for each are priced at $30. They can be ordered through the Berkshire Opera Festival (BOF) website, www.berkshireoperafestival.org, or by calling BOF at (413) 213-6622.

The first program, Breaking Down Barriers, will be performed at Ventfort Hall in Lenox on Wednesday, August 10 at 7:30pm. Featuring songs by Boston's own Amy Beach, Cécile Chaminade, Ethel Smyth, and others, the recital highlights works by female composers of Giacomo Puccini's time whose music was largely overlooked during their lifetimes.

The second program, The "Unknown" Puccini, will be presented at Saint James Place in Great Barrington on Tuesday, August 16 at 7:30pm. It features songs Puccini wrote for voice and piano, and will be an interesting treat for those who know him only as a composer of opera. Both recitals will be performed by cast members of BOF's Madama Butterfly, along with a few very special guests.

Artistic Director Brian Garman remarked, "We're delighted to present these song recitals in our return to Ventfort Hall and our debut at Saint James Place. The programs will feature some familiar tunes alongside wonderful songs that have been unjustly neglected through the years."

These recitals complement BOF's inaugural production of Giacomo Puccini's Madama Butterfly, which will receive three performances at The Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield. It premieres Saturday, August 27, with subsequent performances on Tuesday, August 30, and Friday, September 2. All performances begin at 7:30pm. For tickets, casting, and all other information, visit www.berkshireoperafestival.org.