Letter from Kathleen Eisele

Glimmerglass: Try It, You’ll Like It!

If you are a patron of or volunteer at The Glimmerglass Festival, when did you develop an interest or taste in the art forms of opera and musical theater? If you have never attended a live opera or musical performance at the world-renowned Alice Busch Opera Theater on State Route 80 Cooperstown, what keeps you from doing so?

For 10 seasons, The Guild of The Glimmerglass Festival has sought to introduce students of all ages to performances at The Glimmerglass Festival so that exposure to these art forms will help people decide if they would like to see and hear more. In addition, since educators frequently ask students to be part of a team or talk with them about the value of teamwork, our student programs seek to expose students to the multi-creative team that puts musical productions on to the stage.

In partnership with The Glimmerglass Festival, the guild is hosting two free student events this summer. Registration is required on the guild’s website: glimmerglassguild.org.

Students in grades 7 through 12 are invited to the July 14 dress rehearsal of “Cosi” at “An Evening at a Festival Dress Rehearsal.” “Cosi” is the festival’s new production of Mozart’s classic opera. It will feature a newly translated English libretto by Dramaturg/Librettist Kelley Rourke and will be set in an American college. Our program will begin at 4:15 p.m. with a campus tour and will include some explanation of the work that is done to prepare for a performance premiere. The rehearsal will begin at approximately 7 p.m.

Our second “Day at the Festival for Students” will be at the August 7 matinee performance of the youth opera “Robin Hood.” The music for this one-hour opera—sung in English with a cast of children/teens and two Festival Resident Artists—was written by Ben Moore with a libretto by Kelley Rourke. Our pre-performance program will begin at 10 a.m. and include a campus tour and preparation for the show with artists involved in preparing or performing in the show. The guild will serve a simple lunch, and participants will receive free tickets to balcony seats.

This youth opera was first performed in 2017. It can hold the interest of young children. Older students (and adults who have never seen an opera before) will also enjoy it and may enjoy seeing their peers on the main stage of the theater.

If you and some of the students in your life are interested in an opportunity to explore whether or not you would appreciate the music (vocal and instrumental), acting, scenery, costumes, make-up, hair design, lighting, and storytelling at The Glimmerglass Festival this summer, please register your students and yourself (as chaperone) for one or both of these guild events.

You won’t know if you like opera and musical theater until you try them out!

Kathleen Eisele
Chair, Education/Community Engagement Committee,
The Guild of the Glimmerglass Festival