Aspen Opera Theater and VocalARTS Program
Renée Fleming, co-artistic director
Patrick Summers, co-artistic director
The ground-breaking Aspen Opera Theater and VocalARTS program launched in Aspen in summer 2021.
Designed and led by the foremost opera minds of our time, the program offers a uniquely complete training for young singers for a future in the opera industry. Emphases include opera and concert work, emphasizing performance at the highest levels, and knowledge of the business, off-stage comportment, finances, contacts, and more.
Artist Fellows participate in two semi-staged productions led by distinguished conductors and directors, a gala Cabaret Evening, weekly opera scenes classes and song recitals, and events in private homes.
2024 Productions:
Matthew Aucoin's Music for New Bodies
July 1
Directed by Peter Sellars and conducted by Timothy Weiss
Premiered in April 2024, this major new work is from the creative team of MacArthur award-winning composer Matthew Aucoin, whose commissioning credits include the Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall, and Lyric Opera of Chicago, and director Peter Sellars, celebrated for his operatic collaborations with John Adams, Tyshawn Sorey, and the late Kaija Saariaho. Inspired by the writings of visionary poet Jorie Graham and pioneering environmentalist Rachel Carson, Aucoin and Sellars’s new work offers an immersion in vast planetary processes.
Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel
July 19
Directed by Joanna Gleason and conducted by Patrick Summers
See talented singers from the Aspen Opera Theater and Vocal ARTS program and a full orchestra conducted by Houston Grand Opera director Patrick Summers in a semi-staged performance of the beloved fairy-tale opera Hansel and Gretel. Humperdinck began his career as an assistant to Wagner, and while you may detect many of the lessons he learned from his hero, there’s also a lightness which was Humperdinck’s own. He successfully balances the darker aspects of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale with humor and charm, making this perfect entertainment for both children and adults. Enjoy the magic of Humperdinck’s opera at this one-night-only performance!
Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro
August 12, 15, 17
Directed by Sara Erde and conducted by Matthew Aucoin
The Aspen Opera Theatre and VocalARTS program presents a fully-staged performance of Mozart’s comic masterpiece in the charming and intimate Wheeler Opera House. With a plot as relevant today as it was in the 18th century, the lascivious Count uses his status to take advantage of people, especially women. In the runup to the wedding between his servants Figaro and Susanna, the Count hopes to revive the custom of the “right of the lord” to have his way with Susanna. The crafty Figaro, with help from Susanna and the Countess, foils his plans. Chaos and subplots ensue, leading to a touching conclusion and joy all around.
2024 Opera Encounters:
Aspen Opera Theater and VocalARTS faculty coach the program's major emerging talents in opera scenes on Saturday mornings at 10 am in the beautiful Wheeler Opera House. Enjoy excerpts from the repertoire, ravishing voices, and insightful coaching.
- June 29
- July 6
- July 13
- July 20
- July 27
- August 3
- August 10
- August 17
