The Alice Busch Opera Theater
The Alice Busch Opera Theater
Glimmerglass Opera’s Alice Busch Opera Theater opened in 1987 and is located on the shore of Otsego Lake, the “Glimmerglass” of James Fenimore Cooper’s Leatherstocking Tales. The theater is on farmland donated by the late Glimmerglass Board Chairman Emeritus Tom Goodyear and his mother, Jeanette Bissell Goodyear.
The Alice Busch Opera Theater was the first American hall designed specifically for opera in the 21 years following the opening of the new Metropolitan Opera facility in 1966. The Alice Busch Opera Theater is intimate, with a single wrap-around balcony and box seats. None of its 914 seats is farther than 70 feet from the stage.
The Alice Busch Opera Theater
Designed by Hugh Hardy of Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates, with acoustics by Peter George, the theater features sliding side walls, a unique element that allows the audience to enjoy fresh air prior to performances and during intermissions. In designing the Alice Busch Opera Theater, Hardy worked to evoke Central New York’s rural, agrarian architecture. The ceiling of the theater features a traditional Double Wedding Ring quilt pattern; there are other touches that integrate the theater with its surroundings, including its barn-like architecture.
The Alice Busch Opera Theater is an integral part of The Glimmerglass Experience. Its beautiful surroundings and excellent acoustics provide a remarkable operatic encounter.
