FULL CIRCLES

Former Glimmerglass Young Artists and Apprentices return to the Festival in leading roles.

By Nick Richardson

The Glimmerglass Festival not only attracts an international audience for worldclass opera and musical theater, it also attracts the brightest up-and-coming talent working on- and off-stage. The Festival’s Young Artists and Apprenticeship Programs bridge the gap for those looking to gain professional experience in the industry. These promising trainees work alongside seasoned, established artists in every aspect of the company. The Young Artists Program prepares singers, pianists, music coaches, and stage directors, while the Apprenticeship Program supports theatrical technicians, designers, and administrators. Our Young Artists and Apprentices come from all walks of life, and many of them study at the nation’s leading educational institutions. Glimmerglass is particularly committed to making the industry a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment.

Beyond training the next generation of opera-makers, Glimmerglass is especially proud to welcome back previous Young Artists and Apprentices (formerly called Interns) to lead the company today. We caught up with only a few of our many returning alumni to see how they’ve grown and find out what they’re looking forward to this summer.

Former Young Artists

MEREDITH ARWADY

Then: Young Artist, 2004

Now: Guest Artist (Old Lady in Candide, Gertrude in Romeo and Juliet)

“I’m always very drawn to those companies that invest in people early on and then like to celebrate that investment,” says Meredith Arwady, and Glimmerglass has much to celebrate in her. She is a winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and a GRAMMY Award, with credits at major opera houses worldwide.

Her season as a Young Artist introduced her to a new way of working. “I had never had a real professional repetitive experience. I had made a professional debut, but not something where you have so many performances. Singing became a job in a way that it had never felt like a job before. And it was a good job! It was fun! You live your life, and you do your job, and then you find a balance. Balance is something we’re still trying to find for the rest of our careers.”

Arwady adds that the Festival’s long performance runs allowed her greater creative freedom. “Every show I felt like it gave the character time and space to grow. When you’re in the sixth or seventh performance, you can try something else. It’s not like it’s opening or the only performance, so it was interesting to see the small changes and to see the joy of live theater—something with enough time where you grow and change as a performer throughout the run.”

Nearly 20 years after her Young Artist season, and with a full career already underway, Arwady still has new experiences to look forward to this summer: making a role debut (Old Lady in Candide) and introducing her son to Cooperstown.

Jasmine Habersham

Then: Young Artist, 2014 and 2015

Now: Guest Artist (Almirena in Rinaldo, Clorinda in Love and War)

This summer marks soprano Jasmine Habersham’s fourth season with the Festival. Last year at Glimmerglass she made star turns in two world premieres: Ken Ludwig’s Tenor Overboard and Holy Ground by Damien Geter and Lila Palmer. She’s excited to spend this season in the world of Baroque opera, which includes her role debut as Almirena in Rinaldo by Handel. A seemingly limitless performer, Habersham has tackled all sorts of opera styles in houses around the world, from Verdi’s Rigoletto at Opera North (UK) to Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro at Madison Opera.

She coincidentally prepared for those two operas during her time as a Glimmerglass Young Artist. “I sang ‘Caro nome’ [from Rigoletto] in a masterclass with the legendary Jessye Norman, and I also sang Susanna [Le nozze di Figaro] in a scenes program for Ruth Bader Ginsburg. It was in these moments that I got first-hand experience singing these roles,” says Habersham. “It’s wonderful to look back and realize that those moments really came in handy for my future.”

Though she admits that “it’s not every day you get to sing for Jessye Norman and Ruth Bader Ginsburg—and on the same day,” Habersham made even more meaningful connections here at the Festival. “I was surprised by all the supportive relationships that I cultivated,” she says. “From fellow singers to patrons to community members, I have been supported by them all in such positive ways.”

Teresa Perrotta

Then: Young Artist, 2019 and 2020

Now: Guest Artist (Mimì in La bohème)

When Teresa Perrotta started at Glimmerglass, she never could have imagined making her international debut with the company. In our 2019 Festival season, she covered the lead role of Marie Antoinette in The Ghosts of Versailles. Glimmerglass then mounted that production at the Royal Opera in Versailles, and Perrotta had to step into Marie’s shoes just three hours before opening night. She sang the role for the entire French run. “People write a whole chapter in their autobiographies about cool moments like this,” says Perrotta.

She credits her time in Glimmerglass’s Young Artist Program for trusting her and preparing her for such a large role. “They kind of took my hand and guided me through it. I had a lot of coachings that summer, almost every day for the first few weeks. They were like, ‘This is how you need to learn something that’s hard. It has to be right. It has to be accurate.’ Glimmerglass set that foundation of how prepared I should be.” This training has served her well, for she has since covered—and performed on short notice—roles at major companies around the country, including Alice in Falstaff at Santa Fe Opera and Fifth Maid in Elektra at Washington National Opera.

Perrotta returns to the Festival fresh off her win at The Metropolitan Opera’s Laffont Competition this spring. “What better place to start this next step of my career?” she asks. “This is my first Puccini role. Bohème is such a staple of the repertoire, something that I’ve watched on YouTube since I was a freshman in undergrad. To be able to do it here, I’m just absolutely spoiled.”

BRIAN VU

Then: Young Artist, 2015 and 2016

Now: Guest Artist (Title role in Candide, Tancredi in Love & War)

Brian Vu’s career keeps circling back to Glimmerglass. After two seasons as a Young Artist, Vu got his first ever guest artist contract singing Riff in Francesca Zambello’s production of West Side Story, which played at the Festival in 2018. He returns this season to make yet another debut of sorts. “I am so pumped to sing my first title role as a tenor,” says Vu. The former baritone made the switch to singing tenor in 2020 after his voice changed in 2019.

Though his vocal transition didn’t take place at Glimmerglass, the lessons learned here helped Vu navigate the change. “Approaching your production and your colleagues with grace has been my biggest lesson from Glimmerglass. Kindness goes a very long way, especially for yourself. This tenor transition has reminded me of that. I struggled at the beginning, but that doesn’t mean I’m not a good or worthy singer. It’s just a part of life. You’ll trip and fall—and your voice will crack—but then you’ll pick yourself up.”

Candide is more than a role debut or even a voice part debut for Vu. “There are a lot of full circle moments here for me. My first summer as a Young Artist in 2015, I was part of the ensemble and a Spanish Inquisitor in this production of Candide. To revisit the script and the music just takes me back to when we first created the production.” As for this year’s revival, Vu says, “The cast they’ve assembled is the right combination of people to make the story really authentic and truthful.”

FORMER APPRENTICES (INTERNS)

Mykai Eastman

Then: Stage Operations Intern, 2019

Now: Chief Equity Officer

From working backstage, to assistant directing, to now working in administration, Mykai Eastman’s time at Glimmerglass has taken him through nearly all aspects of the company. “What initially drew me in was the chance to push myself to succeed on a scale of technical production I’d never experienced before,” he says. “Being part of the legendary Glimmerglass Ops was an opportunity I will cherish for the rest of my career.”

So far, his career has branched out across multiple artistic disciplines. “Since my internship, I’ve been able to use what I have learned behind the scenes to influence and elevate my career as a theater director. I have gone on to write and direct a number of productions, and I recently made my regional theater debut at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts as Assistant Director for The Color Purple.” In addition to writing and directing, you can find Eastman acting on stages across Denver.

After finishing his undergraduate studies in theater and pre-law, he returned to school to earn a graduate degree in professional communication, which comes in handy in his latest role at the Festival. “When I was offered a permanent position at the Festival as Chief Equity Officer, it was an easy decision to accept,” says Eastman. “Glimmerglass has given me so much in my life, and I am most looking forward to helping the company achieve new heights as leaders in advancing arts equity!”

SASHA GLINSKI

Then: Scenic Art Intern, 2014 Now: Charge Scenic Artist

For Sasha Glinski, the revival of Candide presents a new challenge for her: restoring a set she helped paint years ago. “It is quite a time warp to pull out Candide,” says Glinski. “Our set has been around the globe—and in many different storage units. We have to figure out how to get it ready to go on stage and make it look even better than it did in 2015. It’s a lot of work, but we have the opportunity to make sure our scenery looks good and still upholds the Glimmerglass name as it travels around the world on rentals.”

Glimmerglass rents out select sets and costumes to other opera companies. “It’s something I love about working here,” says Glinski. “At other theaters, you work around the clock to paint a set, it’s on stage for two weeks, and then it goes in the trash. Here, we get to take our time making something look really nice, and then we can keep it for years and rent it out. It’s also really neat from a waste reduction standpoint.”

Glinski looks forward to sharing this work with her Apprentices. “Having a couple seasons as Scenic Charge under my belt, I feel like I’m able to give the Apprentices a little more attention this season. This year I would like to prioritize Apprenticeship learning within my department. It’s cool to be able to do that 10 years after I was an Intern myself.”

WYATT NYMAN

Then: Stage Operations Intern, 2013 Now: Production Coordinator

Wyatt Nyman has climbed his way up the ladder at Glimmerglass and then some, working first in stage operations for multiple seasons before becoming a full-time carpenter, and later transitioning into his administrative role as Production Coordinator. Of all his jobs, Nyman is perhaps most proud of his efforts in re-envisioning and implementing the Apprenticeship Program. “It’s really neat to have the opportunity to give back,” he says. “As an Intern, I absorbed all this information, and now the way that I can show my thanks is to pass that information down the chain, making sure that the company’s values are passed down to the next generation of technicians, artists, and administrators.”

One of those values, health and safety, remains a top priority in both how the Festival operates and what the Festival teaches. “As soon as you walk through the door for orientation, we emphasize its importance—not only here, but when you go elsewhere.” Numerous Apprentices, including Nyman, have stories about applying that knowledge at theaters nationwide, shaping the industry for the better.

Looking back on his past 10 seasons at Glimmerglass, Nyman compares the Festival’s growth to his time on the stage operations crew: “The early part of the season was challenging because there were lots of obstacles and challenges in putting the sets together. Changeovers would take four, five, even six hours, and we thought, ‘We’re never going to get this down.’ But then come July and August we hit our stride, and that six-hour changeover all of a sudden took only an hour. I feel like, metaphorically speaking, we are hitting that July-August phase as a theater where we’re finding our stride. It’s a really exciting and rewarding time.”

JAMES F. ROTONDO III

Then: Scenic Design Intern, 2017

Now: Scenic Designer for The Rip Van Winkles

Fresh out of college, James Rotondo arrived at Glimmerglass with one opera design experience under his belt. He finished his summer adding six more shows to his résumé. “Something exciting about the design internship was how many projects there were simultaneously to work on, and the number of people that you work with. Being able to sit in on four professional techs simultaneously, with four different, very well-established designers, was amazing. I also had the opportunity to design two things. To have an opportunity where you are actually working on such large-scale opera is incredible.”

That vast exposure cultivated a continued working relationship with both the Festival and many of its visiting designers and directors. He returned to Glimmerglass as an assistant to designer Peter J. Davison in 2019 (La traviata, Show Boat), helped Davison design the “Glimmerglass on the Grass” stage in 2021, and single-handedly designed last year’s youth opera, The Jungle Book. Outside of Glimmerglass, he has worked on operas with director Brenna Corner every year. “Probably 90% of my work comes back to being an Intern in 2017.”

Returning to the Festival means paying it forward to up-and-coming designers. “When I was an Intern, there were four designers that I looked up to and spent all my summer with. Now I’m back and I’m one of those designers with an Apprentice to mentor, to foster that same relationship that I had with my designers, and to instill that sense of magnitude. This is an opportunity, and you can grow from being here.”