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DESTINED TO GLIMMERGLASS: A 50TH ANNIVERSARY CAMPAIGN
DReam DESTINED TO
The Glimmerglass Festival is a destination for the soul. Nowhere in America is there a more perfect retreat for artists and audiences.
Fifty years ago, community members came together to found Glimmerglass in the auditorium of Cooperstown High School. It was magic from the beginning. Now is the perfect time to ask ourselves how we sustain the vision of our founders while also expanding the very real influence opera and musical theater can have.
Productions and artists need space, time, and freedom to develop—precious resources in today’s competitive world of instant gratification and 30-second sound bites. Glimmerglass has provided a crucible of calm and focus since its inception, helping generations of artists achieve their full potential and creating decades of uniquely memorable productions.
Now, more than ever, we need to listen… to feel. Now, more than ever, we need to Glimmerglass.
DESTINED
TO GLIMMERGLASS: THE 50TH
ANNIVERSARY CAMPAIGN is a fundraising effort and a movement. With your support, we look forward to another 50 years of joy in our little corner of heaven on the lake.
mWe have a vision, and with your support, we look forward to another 50 years of joy and awe on the lake.
“We are championing this campaign because Glimmerglass is where the future of opera is shaped. The Festival is producing contemporary, canon-shaping work that brings new and bigger audiences into the world of opera and musical theater each summer. We can’t imagine Cooperstown, or the opera world, without it.”
—Allison Hill-Edgar and Michael Young Board of Trustees and Campaign Leadership
The Glimmerglass
Festival has stood at the cultural forefront
for the
last
half-century,
leading the field in the Baroque revival, in ground-breaking world premieres, and in a forward-thinking inclusion of Golden Age musical theater as a vital part of the American canon. The talented people who flock to our idyllic grounds each summer engage in apprenticeship and young artists programs that shape careers and offer life-changing opportunities.
Candide, 2023
A cultural leader defining the future of American opera and musical theater for today’s audiences.
DESTINED TO GLIMMERGLASS: THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY CAMPAIGN WILL CENTER OUR FESTIVAL AS: 1
2 3
The nation’s finest training ground for the next generation of theatrical makers.
An international destination where everyone sees their story reflected on our stages and in our community.
Romeo
L d
Elizabeth Cree, 2024
Glimmerglass is shaping the art form—blending the worlds of opera and musical theater with an American sensibility available nowhere else.
For those whose natural curiosity leads them to seek ever greater artistic highs, the all-encompassing and genre-spanning mediums of opera and musical theater are an inevitable destination. This is art at its most collaborative, transcendent, and human.
DESTINED TO GLIMMERGLASS: THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY CAMPAIGN empowers the Festival to:
EXPAND THE CANON and incubate new works for a new era through initiatives like Project Pipeline and the Youth Opera.
COLLABORATE AND INNOVATE in all our work, finding new models for the industry.
GIVE ARTISTS more opportunities to celebrate their voices and perspectives.
MAINTAIN OUR COMMITMENT to the highest possible artistic standards, remaining a world-class cultural beacon for Central New York and the industry.
Blue, 2019
En gegaDESTINED TO
No one introduces the next generation to the world of opera like Glimmerglass.
Our renowned training programs introduce new generations to opera and musical theater, nurturing their passions and honing their craft in a professional, rigorous, and joy-filled setting.
We provide a comprehensive training ground for the nation’s most talented theater students. Through a unique combination of practical, professional, and educational experiences led by our skilled team, we apply the lessons of theater to how we both live and work.
~DESTINED TO GLIMMERGLASS: THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY CAMPAIGN empowers the Festival to:
EXPAND ITS PIPELINE to offer unparalleled opportunities at every stage of an artist’s career.
BUILD A NETWORK FOR ARTISTS to further their careers on acclaimed stages around the globe.
RECRUIT THE MOST EXCITING NEW TALENT
from around the country.
DEVISE UNIQUE PROGRAMS curated by our talented young artists with the guidance of renowned industry leaders.
DELIVER TRANSFORMATIVE, RIGOROUS professional development experiences not offered elsewhere.
OUR APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM is the finest in the country. Through practical training, oneon-one mentorship, and a range of workshops, we offer early-career professionals experience and knowledge in every aspect of production and administration.
OUR YOUNG ARTISTS PROGRAM brings together students and early-career artists from leading universities and conservatories for comprehensive musical and vocal coaching; acting, movement, and diction classes; and seminars on the business of opera. Young Artists gain unparalleled professional experience performing supporting roles and covering leading roles throughout the season.
OUR YOUTH OPERA brings performers together even earlier—when they are in grade school—to perform in a professionally staged production. They participate in a full schedule of rehearsals and performances, often working toward the world premiere of a new opera.
Our work is in service of the art, of the artist, and of the community.
That’s why music lovers and new audiences from around the globe flock to our Festival each summer.
To introduce new audiences to Glimmerglass, both locally and globally, we must think differently about how we foster the next generation for opera and theater—how we expand our reach not just through celebrated productions and programs but through audience development efforts. It’s time for the “secret” of Glimmerglass to be out.
Exp
~DESTINED TO GLIMMERGLASS: THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY CAMPAIGN empowers the Festival to:
INVEST IN OUR STAFF AND RESOURCES so we can continue the strategic, comprehensive work of reaching new people.
COLLABORATE WITH PARTNERS in our region to welcome people of all backgrounds to Central New York.
PROMOTE LOCAL ECONOMIC VITALITY
by working with partners to amplify all of the ways you can visit Cooperstown.
FOSTER A COMPANY CULTURE that prioritizes equity, diversity, and inclusion.
MAKE OUR WORK ACCESSIBLE to everyone through creative ticketing initiatives.
TO
Expand DESTINED
DESTINED TO
“When you’re on stage, in the spotlight of a heightened dramatic moment … the attention is at your fingertip, and you can hear a pin drop. In that moment, there is an indescribable exchange of energy between audience and performer. Glimmerglass makes that moment possible.”
—Emilie Kealani
Glimmerglass Young Artist
This is one of the most exciting times for the classical performing arts in American history.
Over the last century, America has played a dominant role in developing classical art, infusing traditional Western roots with a new global vitality.
As a country, we now lead the world in producing contemporary opera. New technologies are available that bring the visual experience into the 21st century. Community partnerships are at an alltime high. More aspiring artists are pouring out of schools and conservatories than ever before.
Glimmerglass is playing a vital role in this new era—pushing innovation in the art we produce, in the way we engage a new generation, and in the way we contribute to our rural community. With your support, we are destined to do even more…today, next season, and for the next 50 years.
La Calisto, 2024
“Our sublime setting and rural location in Central New York require focus and camaraderie from our creatives and promote attention and community in our audiences. I have witnessed the power of Glimmerglass in the parting tears of our Young Artists and Apprentices, in the stunned, speechless appreciation of our audiences, and in the unbridled joy and triumph of our children.
The meaning I have found in my life through art is ever-present here; our summer is one long ‘aha’ moment.”
—Rob Ainsley Artistic & General Director
Give DESTINED TO
The Glimmerglass Festival is among the top opera festivals in the world. With your support, the magic, art, and opportunities found only on the banks of Lake Otsego will continue to shine for our community—next door and around the world—for the next 50 years.
There are so many ways to participate. To learn more about our plans, contact us at (607) 547-0700 x299 or development@glimmerglass.org.
Discover more at glimmerglass.org/campaign.