Glimmerglass Festival Announces Hupper Family Festival Artists Program

COOPERSTOWN—The Glimmerglass Festival has announced the launch of the Hupper Family Festival Artists program, a new initiative designed to provide rising operatic and musical theater talent with a critical stepping stone between training and full-fledged professional careers. According to a press release, the program is made possible through a family gift in memory of longtime Glimmerglass trustee and devoted arts advocate Joyce McC. Hupper and her husband John R. (Jack) Hupper. The program will support two early-career singers each summer, beginning with mezzo-soprano Taylor-Alexis DuPont and bass Sergio Martinez as the inaugural Festival Artists for the 2025 season.

The Hupper Family Festival Artists program builds on Glimmerglass’s renowned Resident Artists Program by offering additional performance opportunities, exposure and career support to artists at a pivotal point in their professional journey, officials said.

“In today’s rapidly changing arts landscape, many of the vital intermediate opportunities that once nurtured early-career artists have dwindled,” the press release reads. “The Hupper Family Festival Artists program is Glimmerglass’ bold response: a sustained, artist-centered initiative to keep talent thriving on our stages.

Each season, two singers will be selected from among recent Resident Artist alumni to return to Glimmerglass in featured roles. In addition to performing in two named roles each season, they will receive a solo performance opportunity, participate in industry-facing events, including auditions for agents and presenting companies, and be highlighted in Glimmerglass media, marketing, and print publications. The 2025 inaugural Festival Artists are mezzo-soprano Taylor-Alexis DuPont ’22 and ’23 and bass Sergio Martinez ’20, ’22, and ’23, both former Resident Artists whose talent and artistry made a lasting impression during their residencies.

“Glimmerglass has long been a home for emerging artists finding their voice and discovering the full scope of their artistic potential, and Taylor-Alexis and Sergio are extraordinary artists and true ambassadors of the Glimmerglass spirit,” said Rob Ainsley, artistic and general director of The Glimmerglass Festival.  “Thanks to the generosity of the Hupper family, we’re able to offer young professionals the artistic space, public spotlight, and career momentum they so richly deserve, while giving our audiences a chance to witness these exciting artists take their next steps. This program reflects the festival’s commitment to being not just a place where talent is discovered, but where it’s sustained.”

Joyce and Jack Hupper’s legacies at Glimmerglass are both broad and deep, according to officials. In particular, as a trustee, Joyce Hupper was known for her sharp intellect, calm pragmatism, and love of opera—always bringing a thoughtful perspective to board deliberations and season planning. She championed the festival to her wide circle of friends, introduced many to Glimmerglass during the summer season and at the annual gala, and gave generously at every level, often asking how she could “do more,” the press release reads. In recognition of her extraordinary service, the board named her an Honorary Life Trustee in 2022, its highest distinction.

“Our mother believed that board members should be more than stewards—they should be ambassadors,” said Gail Hupper, Joyce and Jack’s daughter, speaking on behalf of the Hupper family. “She took that role seriously, always looking for ways to share Glimmerglass’ work with new audiences and to champion the artists who made it so special. She was particularly proud of Glimmerglass role in supporting emerging young artists through what is now called the Resident Artists Program. By helping some of the most promising alumni/ae of that program take the next step in their careers, the Hupper Family Festival Artists program honors Mom’s legacy and strengthens Glimmerglass’ position as an important incubator of opera’s next generation of voices.”