New leader brings more than 25 years of experience spanning opera production, nonprofit leadership, and corporate strategy.
COOPERSTOWN, NY — The Glimmerglass Festival today announced the appointment of Caleb Wertenbaker as its new Managing Director, effective March 16, 2026. In this role, Wertenbaker will partner with Artistic & General Director Robert Ainsley to oversee the Festival’s operations, finances, and administration, supporting the organization’s continued artistic and institutional growth.
Wertenbaker brings a multidisciplinary background spanning opera and theater production, nonprofit governance, and corporate strategy to his new role. Over more than 25 years, he has led teams, managed complex budgets and touring productions, and worked with artists, technicians, and executives to translate creative vision into operational reality. A former Stage Operations intern at the Festival, he has maintained a long connection to Glimmerglass and to the surrounding region. In his new role as Managing Director, Wertenbaker will oversee the Festival’s operations, finance, and human resources functions and work closely with Ainsley, senior staff, and the Board of Trustees to support the organization’s financial stewardship, administrative operations, and long-term strategic planning.
In his most recent position as Senior Corporate Strategist at TAIT, Wertenbaker supported enterprise-level strategic initiatives and executive collaboration across global teams. Previously, as Director of Strategic Initiatives at productionglue (a TAIT company), he helped guide organizational restructuring and strengthen leadership alignment during a period of significant growth, contributing to expanded revenue and improved decision-making through new reporting systems and strategic planning processes. Earlier in his career, Wertenbaker worked extensively in theater and opera, designing more than 85 productions for companies across the United States and serving in leadership roles, including Production Manager and Director of Production, for organizations such as the Boston Early Music Festival. His work has also included international touring production management and close collaboration with union crews and multidisciplinary artistic teams.
“Caleb brings a powerful combination of artistic understanding, strategic thinking, and operational leadership to this role,” said Ainsley. “His ability to bridge creative vision with financial and organizational clarity will be invaluable as we continue strengthening the Festival’s future. That he has such deep existing knowledge of the local community is an added bonus.”
Wertenbaker holds an MBA from the Yale School of Management, an MA in Scenography from Central Saint Martins, and a BA from Oberlin College.
“…I’ve long admired Glimmerglass as one of the country’s great summer opera festivals. I’m delighted to join the Glimmerglass family and look forward to becoming more deeply involved in this extraordinary community.”
“I’m thrilled to be joining an organization that has been part of my life for as long as I can remember,” said Wertenbaker. “Some of my earliest memories of opera are here. As a child, I attended productions at the high school, and I still vividly remember the opening season at the Alice Busch Opera Theater — especially Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. My family has deep roots in Cherry Valley, and I’ve long admired Glimmerglass as one of the country’s great summer opera festivals. I’m delighted to join the Glimmerglass family and look forward to becoming more deeply involved in this extraordinary community.”
Each summer, the Festival brings together internationally acclaimed artists and emerging talent for a season of performances, concerts, and community events. Wertenbaker’s appointment reflects the Festival’s commitment to strengthening the operational and strategic foundations that support its artistic mission and long-term sustainability.
The Festival’s 2026 season, running July 10 through August 17, explores the evolving idea of America through a wide-ranging lineup of opera and musical theater. The season includes new productions of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!, Puccini, Illica, and Giacosa’s Madame Butterfly, a new English translation of Mozart and Da Ponte’s Così, and the contemporary opera Fellow Travelers by Gregory Spears and Greg Pierce. Additional programming includes the youth opera Robin Hood by Ben Moore and Kelley Rourke, the Pavilion event Vignettes: Ellis Island by Alan Louis Smith, and Kurt Weill, Bertolt Brecht, and Elisabeth Hauptmann’s Happy End, presented in partnership with Opera Saratoga, Finger Lakes Opera, and Seagle Festival.
ABOUT THE GLIMMERGLASS FESTIVAL
The Glimmerglass Festival is a summer destination in Upstate New York where audiences from
across the country and the world experience world-class opera, musical theater, and cultural
events in a beautiful, relaxing setting. Attracting over 25,000 people per summer, the Festival is
a professional non-profit opera company dedicated to presenting four fully staged productions
each year. Special performances, cabarets, concerts, and lectures throughout the season
supplement these four productions. The company has a longstanding commitment to creating
an inclusive, equitable, and diverse experience for all, including a commitment to investing in
the next generation of theater professionals and performers.
MISSION STATEMENT
Produce new, little-known, and familiar operas and musical theater in innovative productions;
Provide professional training and performance opportunities for emerging artists and interns;
Engage important artists who inspire the highest standards of achievement; Inspire dialogue
around meaningful issues of the day through song and story; Collaborate with regional
organizations, schools, and businesses to enhance life in Central New York.
The Glimmerglass Festival is made possible through the generosity of numerous organizations and individuals.
2026 Season Sponsors include Maurice and Carolyn Cunniffe, Elizabeth M. and Jean-Marie R. Eveillard, Ted Snowdon and Duffy Violante, New York State Council on the Arts, The Clark Foundation, The Pearce Foundation, Jacqueline B. Mars, and Denise Littlefield Sobel.
Additional support is provided by the Kurt Weill Foundation, The Savada-Stevenson Family, and Eugene and Jean Stark.