Pictured above: The 2024 Glimmerglass Festival production of La Calisto, from L to R: Emilie Kealani as Calisto, Craig Irvin as Jove, and Schyler Vargas as Mercury – Photo by Sofia Negron
This month Rob stepped away from rehearsals and performances of La Calisto to give us a quick update about the weeks leading to our amazing opening on Monday, July 22!
Full Steam Ahead!
Glimmerglass 2024 is full steam ahead, thanks to our amazing staff and the incredible team of artists and apprentices we have assembled. We are thrilled to welcome you all back to campus, and I am happy to have a moment to update you in the midst of La Calisto performances.
Just before the Festival began, the whole company came together for the annual Eat & Greet, a fantastic event in the Pavilion hosted by our wonderful Guild members, who provide all the food for the occasion. Not twelve hours later, our staff had to quickly turn the Pavilion into an impromptu rehearsal space for the orchestra!
Four Spectacular Productions
Only a few days later, we sat breathless in awe at the piano dress of Pagliacci, the most arresting and compelling production of this masterwork I’ve seen to date. Our ‘home team’ of director Brenna Corner, choreographer Eric Sean Fogel, set designer James Rotondo, costume designer Erik Teague, lighting guru Robert Wierzel, and hair and make-up legend Tom Watson all made their way up through the ranks at Glimmerglass or have been part of our family for years – and they have put together something quite extraordinary.
There are some 55 people onstage, with our Youth Chorus in superb voice, many local members of the community singing in the Adult Chorus, and our Young Artists and dancers on full display. It is immersive in every sense, using our outdoor campus as well as the whole theater, and it packs all the punch and shock you could ever hope for. We’re giving our audience exactly the ‘slice of life’ (“uno squarcio di vita”) Leoncavallo references in the prologue, representative of our whole community. And of course, Maestro Colaneri is magisterial in this repertoire, fully in his element. You will want to catch this production more than once (not least because the outdoor part of it is different each time).
Our Pirates are dancing up a storm in our adorable technicolor production (which opened July 22nd and runs through August 19th – get those tickets while you can!). Famed Director and Choreographer Seán Curran can teach anyone to dance – as you can see here, this motley band of pirates knows how to put on a show!
La Calisto has absorbed my attention over the last weeks, and I couldn’t be happier with our remarkable cast, who are excelling in this music and finding beauty in every bar.
Carlos Soto’s wild costumes, Charlie Corcoran’s futuristic set, and Mo Zhou’s balanced, buoyant production, full of dance and movement by Eric Sean Fogel, make this a totally fresh take on this early Baroque romp.
Perhaps my greatest excitement for the artform and the industry as a whole is our new production of Elizabeth Cree. This is one heck of a cast, led by forces of nature, Artist-in-Residence Tara Erraught, and baritone John Chest, and it features some electrifying ensemble singing and virtuosic music-making from all involved. Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell are at the height of their powers here, and this is such a taut, exciting, evocative production from director Alison Moritz.
All of this is possible through your support. Glimmerglass is a very special place, and the work we do is rare indeed. Who wouldn’t want to be part of this great family?!
There is still much more to come with the opening performances of Pagliacci, Elizabeth Cree, Rumpelstiltskin, and our preview of The House on Mango Street, Until we see you here at the Festival, happy summer trails!
Yours,
Rob