Burdette Is Glimmerglass Festival Artist-in-Residence, Don Alfonso

COOPERSTOWN—Acclaimed American bass Kevin Burdette is The Glimmerglass Festival’s 2026 Artist-in-Residence, officials have announced.

“Known for his comic brilliance, commanding voice, and captivating stage presence, Burdette will appear as Don Alfonso in the festival’s new production of “Così,” anchoring a season that invites audiences to reflect on personal and national ideals,” festival officials said in a press release.

Hailed by “The New York Times” as “the Robin Williams of opera,” Burdette has earned acclaim for his distinctive blend of humor, intelligence and vocal mastery. An alumnus of the Juilliard Opera Theater and the University of Tennessee, Burdette is a former member of the Opéra National de Paris Young Artists’ Program and San Francisco’s Merola Opera Program.

Burdette has performed with many of the world’s most prestigious opera companies and symphony orchestras, including Teatro alla Scala, the Metropolitan Opera, the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Santa Fe Opera, Teatro Colón, Opéra de Montréal, Washington National Opera, Dallas Opera, Seattle Opera, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, and National Symphony Orchestra. Known for his dramatic characterizations, he has created more than a dozen roles in world premieres and is regarded as one of the foremost interpreters of buffo repertoire in his generation.

“We are honored to welcome Kevin Burdette as our 2026 Artist-in-Residence,” said Glimmerglass Festival Artistic and General Director Rob Ainsley. “His reputation as one of the field’s most beloved colleagues and his peerless artistry—rich in humor, heart, and humanity—embody everything Glimmerglass stands for: excellence, community, and connection. Audiences are in for an unforgettable “Così” and a vibrant season full of music and storytelling.”

As the 2026 Artist-in-Residence, Burdette will work closely with members of the festival’s Resident Artists Program, an internationally recognized training program for emerging artists. The program provides training and performance experience for talented opera singers, musical theater singers and dancers, coaches and accompanists, conductors, and stage directors at the beginning of their professional careers.

“I am deeply moved to have been asked to serve as the 2026 Artist-in-Residence at The Glimmerglass Festival, an opera company that shaped who I am as an artist and as a person,” Burdette said. “I can think of no more meaningful way to return to this world-class company—this innovative company, this company that is deeply part of who I am—than in the capacity of working with the inspiring and top-tier Resident Artists.

“I look forward to investing in these talented artists, the future of our art form, helping to guide them, just as Glimmerglass guided me decades ago, to become the genesis of the stories they will tell throughout their careers—stories that will resonate with audiences, as they recognize their own uniqueness and commonalities taking shape on stage,” he said.

In addition to “Così,” the 2026 festival will feature a new production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma!” directed by Francesca Zambello; Puccini, Illica, and Giacosa’s “Madame Butterfly”; Gregory Spears and Greg Pierce’s “Fellow Travelers”; and the youth opera “Robin Hood” by Ben Moore and Kelley Rourke.

The season will also include special pavilion events, including “Vignettes: Ellis Island,” a powerful song cycle inspired by real stories of early 20th-century immigrants, and Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht’s “Happy End,” presented as part of a new collaborative partnership with Opera Saratoga.

The 2026 Glimmerglass Festival runs July 10 through August 17. For tickets and more information, visit glimmerglass.org or call the Box Office at (607) 547-2255.