Glimmerglass Plans 4 Shows On Lawn

Opera will be back on Otsego Lake’s shores this summer.

The Glimmerglass Festival announced today it will build an outdoor stage on the festival grounds, where it will present four operas.

The 2021 season will run July 15 through Aug. 17 with performances of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute,” Verdi’s “Il Trovatore,” Offenbach’s “Songbird” (La Périchole), and the world premiere of “The Passion of Mary Cardwell Dawson,” a new play with music about the founder of the National Negro Opera Company.

“We have re-imagined the Glimmerglass experience for the 2021 season,” said Francesca Zambello, Festival artistic & general director. “While this move outdoors is primarily for the health and safety of our company members, audience members and community, it is in harmony with what people love about Glimmerglass – innovative art and performances in a beautiful location.”

The Andrew J. Martin-Weber Lawn Stage will be built on the south side of the property, and the law will be divided into distanced “Festival Squares,” each shared by up to four people of the same party. Patrons are encouraged to bring low-profile chairs or blankets and more to enjoy their portion of the Festival Lawn.

Andrew Martin-Weber, Metropolitan Opera advisory director, made “the outdoor stage possible,” said Zambello.

In addition to the Squares, the Festival will offer Glimmerglass Boxes, booths which provide cover and seating for up to six people of the same party. Festival Tables are also available for audience members in the same party.

Tickets go on sale March 31. For more information, visit www.glimmerglass.org.