The season will include new productions of Puccini's Madame Butterfly, Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel, Strauss' Ariadne in Naxos and Tobias Picker's An American Tragedy. The productions will run in repertory July 11-Aug. 24, 2014, in the Alice Busch Opera Theater in Cooperstown, NY.
Goerke is known for her many Strauss and Wagner roles, including Elektra, Ariadne, Brünnhilde and Senta. Goerke will work closely with members of the Glimmerglass Festival Young Artists Program, the company's apprentice program for emerging artists.
"I was a Young Artist 20 years ago at Glimmerglass, and it was my first apprentice program," Goerke said in a statement. "What this company does for young singers, you can't begin to know...This program is so special; this place is so special."
"I wanted to remind people that the music of the last century is extremely audience friendly and that contemporary music does not have to be intimidating," Glimmerglass Festival artistic and general director Francesca Zambello added. "The 2014 productions will show you how quickly we go from Puccini to Picker, all with a sense of character and story, and with inspiring melodies."
Madame Butterfly, a tragic love story about a Japanese maiden and an American sailor, will open the season. The cast includes Yunah Lee as Cio-Cio San and Aleksey Bogdanov as Sharpless. Zambello will direct and Joseph Colaneri will conduct. The scenery will be by Michael Yeargan with lighting by Robert Wierzel. Carousel will be directed by Charles Newell and conducted by Doug Peck. The classic musical about a carnival barker who falls in love with a young mill worker will be choreographed by Daniel Pelzig, with costume designs by Jessica Jahn and lighting by Mark McCullough.
The cast of Ariadne in Naxos, which addresses the competition between high and low art for the public's attention, will feature Goerke as Ariadne and Rachele Gilmore as Zerbinetta. Catherine Martin will sing the role of Composer, and Corey Bix will sing the part of Bacchus. The opera will be conducted by Kathleen Kelly and directed by Zambello, with sets by Troy Hourie, costumes by Bibhu Mohapatra and lighting by Mark McCullough.
An American Tragedy, a story of love and ambition set in the industrial revolution based on the Theodore Dreiser novel, will feature June Anderson as Elvira Griffiths and Aleksey Bogdanov as Samuel Griffiths, the factory owner. Conducted by George Manahan and directed by Kate Whoriskey, the production will feature sets by Alexander Dodge and lighting by Robert Wierzel.
Along with the mainstage productions, the festival will feature special concerts, lectures, backstage tours and question-and-answer sessions with the creative teams.
Tickets and more information are available by calling (607) 547-2255 or visiting glimmerglass.org.
