Destined to Glimmerglass: The 50th Anniversary Campaign

We hope you’ll consider making a gift to support Destined to Glimmerglass: The 50th Anniversary Campaign. Your commitment will help celebrate the past 50 years of Glimmerglass and secure the future of the Festival.

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Be a Part of The Legacy

Gifts of $10,000 or more to The 50th Anniversary Campaign will be recognized on a newly constructed donor wall to commemorate this significant milestone.

If you wish to make a multi-year commitment or learn more about additional ways to give, including bank transfers and stock gifts, please contact Kathy Buck at (607) 547-0700 x299 or kbuck@glimmerglass.org.

As we celebrate 50 remarkable years of Glimmerglass, we want to hear from YOU. Whether it’s a memory of your first festival experience, a magical moment during a performance, a treasured photo with friends, or a behind-the-scenes story, every memory adds to the rich tapestry of Glimmerglass history.

Share your story with us using our “Your Story” online form, and don’t forget to upload any photos that capture the essence of your experience. Your submission may be featured on our social platforms as part of this special anniversary celebration, honoring the moments that make Glimmerglass unforgettable!

Destined to Glimmerglass – Our stories

Where you live and breathe opera

The summer of 2022 was an unusually busy one for American soprano Alyson Cambridge. At The Glimmerglass Festival, she featured in not one, not two, but three productions — The Sound of Music, The Passion of Mary Cardwell, and the world premiere of Holy Ground.

“That summer was an absolute whirlwind,” Alyson reflects. “What stands out now is how supportive everyone was — I was rallied behind, believed in, and given this amazing opportunity. It couldn’t have happened anywhere but Glimmerglass.”

For Alyson, the experience exemplifies what is unique about Glimmerglass: a supportive atmosphere for artists at every stage of their career that rewards risk-taking, experimentation, and artistic growth. “Working at Glimmerglass, you simply live and breathe opera,” says Alyson. “A special part of the experience is working alongside Resident Artists. They learn from you and vice versa.”

The Resident Artists Program was established at Glimmerglass in 1988. For three months, artists are immersed in a rigorous and nurturing environment. They are treated as professionals and provided with fair compensation as they receive musical coaching, attend classes in diction and acting, and are given instruction in skills such as audition techniques, role preparation, and the business aspects of managing a career.

Glimmerglass provides a stage for emerging artists. It also provides a stage for emerging work. “Globally, opera is an interesting position,” says Alyson. “Places like Glimmerglass are critical to making sure the form we love finds its place — and its audience — in the future. That means bringing in new voices, new work, and new patrons.”

The Festival is doing that, engaging a range of audiences by infusing opera’s traditional Western roots with a new global vitality. Glimmerglass is renowned as a place where new, dynamic work is developed by and performed by the brightest talents in the world of opera.

Alyson has performed on legendary stages around the world, but she says there is something special about visiting and performing in Cooperstown. “There is always an undeniable energy here,” she says. “On campus and in the community, people are inspired by the work happening at Glimmerglass. I love to bring people here to experience the magic — especially friends who may not yet be opera lovers…yet. Where else can they cruise on a lake, picnic with fascinating people, and see world-class opera? It’s unlike anything else. Glimmerglass is unforgettable.”

GLimmerglass is family

Glimmerglass is family. That sentiment has been echoed by hundreds of artists, technicians, staff, and audiences that have visited the Glimmerglass Festival throughout its 50-year history. For some, however, the sentiment is literal.

Enter Kara, Matt, Lilly, Gavin, and Kian Grady. Parents Kara and Matt both grew up in Cooperstown, and Kara has clear memories of visiting Glimmerglass in middle school to see a production of Paul Bunyan. Today, Glimmerglass is truly a family affair for the Grady’s, with every single member of the family taking the stage in at least one show.

In 2022, all five were on stage, along with two nephews. “It was something I’ll never forget,” says Kara. “We were coming out of the COVID pandemic, and people were just starting to come back to the theater. It felt important to be enjoying art and doing it together. I’m so grateful to Glimmerglass for that experience.”

Their daughter Lilly has grown up at Glimmerglass, participating at the Festival yearly since she was nine years old. “At first, it was the amazing singing and the costumes and theatrics that drew me in,” says Lilly. “As I became more seriously involved, this bigger perspective opened to me. I saw how the pieces fit together and how the artists were working together. People like Brenna Corner and Francesca Zambello have been real inspirations to me and allowed me to think seriously about the theater as a career.”

Even when not on stage, the Grady’s rarely miss a performance. They are dedicated patrons of the Festival and have introduced countless friends and extended family members to Glimmerglass. As owners of Stagecoach Coffee — a morning staple and community hub in Cooperstown — the Grady’s have seen first-hand how Glimmerglass stimulates tourism and the economy in the region.

“Our region is beautiful because it brings these different crowds together,” says Kara. “It’s a mix of perspectives, and the visitors and artists that come here all lend something unique. It’s great for culture, and it’s great for our businesses.”

Now firmly a part of Glimmerglass history, the Grady’s are thinking about the future. For Lilly, that means learning to sew and trying her hand at costume construction, taking directing courses, and looking into apprenticeships at Glimmerglass. For Kara, she wants Glimmerglass to keep doing what it’s doing — giving young people opportunities, staging new work, and making opera accessible.

“I have to pinch myself sometimes,” says Kara. “I leave work, rush to change, and 30 minutes later, I’m in a chorus audition or rehearsal on stage with world-class professionals and legends of the opera world. Plus, I get to do it with my family. Where else could that happen but Glimmerglass?”

To Glimmerglass and Back again

Fresh out of college, Justin Steensma chanced upon a job listing for the role of Box Office Manager at The Glimmerglass Festival. Fast forward 25 years; Justin is living in Cooperstown, working as sales manager for the Metropolitan Opera, and is a passionate patron of Glimmerglass. His five seasons in the box office ignited a love for opera, and the medium has been a key part of Justin’s life ever since.

“I have such fondness for my early years at Glimmerglass,” says Justin. “It’s incredible how the Festival has grown since then; there are so many new opportunities. The spirit hasn’t dimmed in 25 years, however. That feeling of collaboration and magic is as strong as ever.”

For Justin, that magic is the Festival’s greatest asset at a time when opera houses around the world are focused on reaching new audiences. At Glimmerglass, once-in-a-lifetime performances happen in an intimate and idyllic setting. Unlikely pairings, daring experiments, and boundary-pushing performances happen every summer on the Glimmerglass stage.

Justin and his husband purchased a home in Cooperstown in 2022 — they immediately got back to “Glimmerglassing.” “For me, Glimmerglassing is an immersive experience where you see everything and experience all the opportunities this Festival presents,” says Justin. “Just recently, a few performances that stood out to me were concerts featuring Tara Erraught and Natalie Merchant. Both were totally surprising, amazing, and intimate performances. By bringing in artists like this and staging unique performances, Glimmerglass distinguishes itself. You can’t see shows like that anywhere else.”

One-off performances, educational opportunities, and youth events are all new additions since Justin left Glimmerglass. He says they have taken the Festival to new heights, and initiatives like this are essential, and they set an example for opera houses everywhere.

Always eager to introduce others to the magic of Glimmerglass and the Cooperstown region, Justin is a frequent host of friends from New York and beyond. Glimmerglass is the center of a cultural ecosystem that includes something for every type of visitor. Justin says that friends have enjoyed the Fenimore Art Museum, The Fenimore Farm and County Village, Hyde Hall, and the region’s many parks and lakes. “Another recent favorite has been the Rail Explorers,” Justin laughs, describing the pedal-powered railroad vehicles. “Our friends are blown away by all there is to do and all the amazing cultural opportunities. Glimmerglass brings that all together.”

Talented, brilliant, and friendly people like Justin call the Cooperstown area home in part because of Glimmerglass. “The Festival is simply one of my favorite places on earth,” he says. “Glimmerglass has always held a special place for me, and it makes this feel like home.”

Opera is alive at Glimmerglass

Joel Morain, A/V coordinator for the Glimmerglass Festival, isn’t looking for the spotlight. In fact, he’s hoping the audience doesn’t know he’s there at all.

“If you see me, there’s a problem,” Joel laughs. “My job is to disappear and allow you to lose yourself in the wonder of what’s happening on stage.”

“Opera is a tool that rewards creativity,” says Joel. “And it can’t be done alone. The 53 people in our orchestra pit alone could have about 2000 years of experience between them. Our technical team’s goal is to share that creativity and experience with the audience as seamlessly as possible.” Joel and his team are essential to making that happen — they deliver spellbinding productions to audiences in a one-of-a-kind setting.

That’s why audiences are drawn to Glimmerglass. Here, they get more than a production. “At Glimmerglass, opera is alive,” Joel says. “Nothing here is overly manufactured. It’s an authentic, shared experience. Think about 1500 people together pretending that a piece of plywood is a rock. That’s powerful!”

Overlooked gems. Canonical productions. World premieres. Glimmerglass brings all of these together each season. That’s what has kept audiences and staff members engaged for 50 years.

Joel joined Glimmerglass in 1997, but he’s never been more passionate about his work than he is today. When he’s not designing audiovisual landscapes, he’s giving campus tours or supporting “Changeover” talks that welcome the public behind the scenes of Glimmerglass productions.

Joel works those talks with his wife, Abby Rodd, the Festival’s Director of Production. The two met at Glimmerglass and share a deep love for the Festival and the art of opera. With a home in Cherry Valley and positions with the volunteer fire department, the pair are full-fledged residents of the region.

He says the Festival perfectly complements the other cultural opportunities in the area and provides a vital opportunity for young artists and technicians.”

“Everyone who comes here, from the audience to the performers, to the folks behind the scenes, is changed by this place,” Joel says. “The Festival expresses itself through the decades of people who have watched and created these wonderful little creations that I’m lucky enough to be a part of.”

We’re grateful for our community of donors who have supported this special 50th Anniversary Campaign. The future of Glimmerglass is made possible through your generosity.

The Glimmerglass Festival is deeply appreciative to the Clark Foundation for its generous support of the 50th Anniversary Campaign.

Allison Hill-Edgar and Michael Young
Campaign Co-Chairs

Destined to Glimmerglass: Our donors

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Last updated: April 11, 2025