Announcing Opera Saratoga’s

SUMMER 2024 Festival

may 28 - July 7

Opera Saratoga is betting the line on a 2024 season of winners, featuring GUYS AND DOLLS , COSÌ FAN TUTTE, and the most exciting gamble of all: a WORLD PREMIERE OPERA by Composer-in-Residence inti figgis-vizueta which will be created organically entirely during the 6 weeks of the festival season.

“This season pays homage to Saratoga Springs’ history as a pleasure-seeker’s paradise, racing, and betting destination while looking to the future by pushing the definition of what opera can be - and how it can be made - forward,” said Mary Birnbaum, General and Artistic Director. “We hope to tempt risk-takers to the festival by dazzling with reinventions of two classics in addition to offering a totally bespoke creation that they can only see in Saratoga.”

Our three mainstage productions will take place at Universal Preservation Hall from June 28 to July 7. Special events will include concerts at The Mansion Inn (June 2), a gala at the Canfield Casino (June 9), and a Tuesday night performance series also at UPH called “Listen to This”, a series which hands the mic to cutting-edge creators who break through boundaries of what opera can be through investigations of classic repertoire and creation of new vocal works (June 4, 11 & 18.) An announcement of those artists/projects as well as the 21 Festival Artists who will join Opera Saratoga will follow.

GUYS AND DOLLS features the one-of-a-kind singing actor Mikaela Bennett (Lincoln Center Award for Emerging Artists, City Center Encores’ The Golden Apple, West Side Story at Glimmerglass), as “saint” Sarah Brown. Frank Loesser, Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows’ beloved gambling musical will feature direction by Mary Birnbaum and musical direction by Andy Einhorn (Broadway’s Carousel and Hello, Dolly!) With scenic design by Kristen Robinson, lighting design by Anshuman Bhatia. Additional collaborators will be announced. GUYS AND DOLLS is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com

Mozart and Da Ponte’s wager opera COSÌ FAN TUTTE stars Grammy nominated bass-baritone Aubrey Allicock as the cynical Don Alfonso who pits spirituality against materialism when he bets that love won’t withstand immediate gratification. Directed by Gisela Cardenas (Princess Grace Fellow) and conducted by Ryan McAdams (Crash Ensemble, Opernhaus Zürich.) 

Finally, the biggest gamble of them all: a WORLD PREMIERE OPERA, devised and composed during the summer season by Composer-in-Residence inti figgis-vizueta, “whose music feels sprouted between structures, liberated from certainty and wrought from a language we’d do well to learn” writes The Washington Post. inti's work explores the transformative power of group improvisation and play, working to reconcile historical aesthetics and experimental practices with trans & Indigenous futures. “The Festival Residency with Opera Saratoga is an incredible opportunity to explore the expressive world of contemporary opera, a first for me as a composer.” figgis-vizueta says. “My highly collaborative approach to music making is a perfect match with this development-focused residency and I’m excited to organically create a work alongside a talented creative team.”

This is the first season curated by new General and Artistic Director, Mary Birnbaum.

Winner’s Circle Tickets will be available in early December. Stay tuned!

Can’t wait for the summer to share in the fun, community and transformational power of Opera Saratoga? We’ve got you covered with programs and events throughout the year!

Opera Saratoga x Juilliard Recital Series

Opera Saratoga’s connection with the Juilliard School runs deep: previous General Director David Lloyd started the Juilliard Opera Company in 1985, and current General and Artistic Director Mary Birnbaum is on Juilliard’s faculty. This recital series at Caffè Lena gives talented young singers a space where they can thrive and experience the support of Opera Saratoga audiences.

February 4, 2024 & April 7, 2024

And at schools and locations throughout the Capital District, Opera Saratoga presents an educational tour of: Katie: The Strongest of the Strong

Commissioned by the Houston Grand Opera and premiered digitally in 2020, this opera celebrates women’s strength and confidence through the inspiring true story of Austro-American weightlifter Katie Sandwina, a circus strongwoman who defied all expectations in the early 1900s.  Sandwina became a suffragist and helped women get the vote, which makes this piece perfect for an election year!

Composed by Faye Chiao and libretto by Anton Dudley.