Chautauqua Opera Company’s 2024 Season
Chautauqua Opera Company’s 2024 season will feature two productions. Opening the season is Love and Longing by the Lake, a trio of chamber operas, including two world premieres from The Summer Place, music by Rene Orth and Kamala Sankaram and libretto by Jerre Dye. Four performances of this triple bill will be staged down the hill from Chautauqua’s Athenaeum Hotel. Engelbert Humperdinck’s beloved Hansel and Gretel will receive one performance in the Amphitheater with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra. Chautauqua Opera Conservatory will also mount two productions. Nino Rota’s I Due Timidi will be staged in the Amphitheater in collaboration with the Music School Festival Orchestra (MFSO), conducted by Music Director Timothy Muffitt, with Handel’s Alcina rounding out the Conservatory season in McKnight Hall.
View all of the Opera Company and Opera Conservatory events below and mark your calendars! We can’t wait to see you this summer.
Upcoming Events
June 27 @ 3:15 pm Week One (June 22–29)
Chautauqua Opera Company presents an Afternoon of Song
Athenaeum Parlor
Chautauqua Opera Company presents an Afternoon of Song
Join us for an afternoon of song, featuring our 2024 Young Artists.
Operalogue: Love and Longing by the Lake
Join us for an operalogue to learn more about the music, with performances by young artists.
June 28 @ 6:00 pm Week One (June 22–29)
Chautauqua Opera Company presents Love and Longing by the Lake
Chautauqua Institution
Chautauqua Opera Company presents Love and Longing by the Lake
A trio of chamber operas performed on the lawn of the Athenaeum Hotel, including two world premieres from The Summer Place, a new opera inspired by oral histories and true accounts of life at Chautauqua Institution across the decades. Conceived to be performed outdoors on the grounds of Chautauqua, The Summer Place is a fitting celebration of Chautauqua in its sesquicentennial year. This hour-long evening of opera is rounded out with the -charming and poignant story of Pepito.
A.E. Reverie (world premiere)
Music by Kamala Sankaram
Libretto by Jerre Dye
A.E. Reverie unfolds the night after Amelia Earhart gracefully landed her plane at Chautauqua in 1929. After witnessing Amelia’s empowering Amphitheater lecture, a young woman stares at the night sky, dreaming of taking her own life to new heights.
Love, Loss, and the Century Upon Us (world premiere)
Music by Rene Orth
Libretto by Jerre Dye
In Love, Loss and the Century Upon Us, we find young lovers from different worlds strolling beside Chautauqua Lake in 1899. The Athenaeum hotel, ablaze with the brilliance of electricity for the very first time, is the backdrop for their courtship and reflections of the impact of this historic transformation.
Pepito
Music by Nicolás Lell Benavides
Libretto by Marella Martin Koch
In Pepito, written in 2019, a lonely shelter dog is yearning for his old family until a young couple, Camila and David, visit, seeking the ideal canine companion. When Camila immediately forges a bond with the dog, Pepito, the shelter manager, questions whether Camila and David are truly prepared to take on a new pet.
A.E Reverie and Love, Loss and the Century Upon Us were co-commissioned by Chautauqua Opera Company and Opera Memphis, with the generous support of the Chautauqua Opera Guild, Jeanie Mercer and Breen Bland. The libretto of The Summer Place was commissioned in full by the Chautauqua Opera Guild.
June 29 @ 8:15 pm Week Two (June 29–July 6)
Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra: Beethoven’s Ode to Joy
Amphitheater
Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra: Beethoven’s Ode to Joy
Rossen Milanov, conductor
Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus
Adam Luebke, music director
Oznur Tuluoglu, soprano
Ronnita Miller, mezzo-soprano
Dennis Shuman, tenor
Seoyong Lee, baritone
The Chautuauqua Symphony Orchestra commemorates Chautauqua’s sesquicentenniel in a program that evokes the best in human values. The CSO’s frequent collaborator, the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus, under the direction of Adam Luebke, joins the CSO for Howard Hanson’s “Song of Democracy,” a celebration of the collective voice and aspirations of humanity. The program continues with Beethoven’s iconic Symphony No. 9, famously known as the “Ode to Joy.” Beethoven’s masterwork stands as a timeless testament to the enduring power of joy and brotherhood. Join us for an unforgettable evening of music that uplifts the soul and inspires a deeper connection to the universal ideals of liberty and dignity of all people.
Program:
Howard Hanson: Song of Democracy
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125
July 5 @ 3:00 pm Week Two (June 29–July 6)
Operalogue: Love and Longing by the Lake
Smith Wilkes Hall
Operalogue: Love and Longing by the Lake
Join us for an operalogue to learn more about the music, with performances by young artists.
July 5 @ 6:00 pm Week Two (June 29–July 6)
Chautauqua Opera Company presents Love and Longing by the Lake
Chautauqua Institution
Chautauqua Opera Company presents Love and Longing by the Lake
A trio of chamber operas performed on the lawn of the Athenaeum Hotel, including two world premieres from The Summer Place, a new opera inspired by oral histories and true accounts of life at Chautauqua Institution across the decades. Conceived to be performed outdoors on the grounds of Chautauqua, The Summer Place is a fitting celebration of Chautauqua in its sesquicentennial year. This hour-long evening of opera is rounded out with the -charming and poignant story of Pepito.
A.E. Reverie (world premiere)
Music by Kamala Sankaram
Libretto by Jerre Dye
A.E. Reverie unfolds the night after Amelia Earhart gracefully landed her plane at Chautauqua in 1929. After witnessing Amelia’s empowering Amphitheater lecture, a young woman stares at the night sky, dreaming of taking her own life to new heights.
Love, Loss, and the Century Upon Us (world premiere)
Music by Rene Orth
Libretto by Jerre Dye
In Love, Loss and the Century Upon Us, we find young lovers from different worlds strolling beside Chautauqua Lake in 1899. The Athenaeum hotel, ablaze with the brilliance of electricity for the very first time, is the backdrop for their courtship and reflections of the impact of this historic transformation.
Pepito
Music by Nicolás Lell Benavides
Libretto by Marella Martin Koch
In Pepito, written in 2019, a lonely shelter dog is yearning for his old family until a young couple, Camila and David, visit, seeking the ideal canine companion. When Camila immediately forges a bond with the dog, Pepito, the shelter manager, questions whether Camila and David are truly prepared to take on a new pet.
A.E Reverie and Love, Loss and the Century Upon Us were co-commissioned by Chautauqua Opera Company and Opera Memphis, with the generous support of the Chautauqua Opera Guild, Jeanie Mercer and Breen Bland. The libretto of The Summer Place was commissioned in full by the Chautauqua Opera Guild.
Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra: Opera and Pops
Stuart Chafetz, conductor
Steven Osgood, General & Artistic Director of Chautauqua Opera Company
Chautauqua Opera Company Apprentice and Studio Artists
Chautauqua Opera Company Apprentice and Studio Artists join Stuart Chafetz, Principal Pops Conductor, and the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra for the much-anticipated annual Opera & Pops concert. From the soaring arias of beloved operas to the show-stopping numbers of Broadway’s greatest hits, this concert promises to enchant audiences with its diverse repertoire and dynamic performances. Whether you’re a fan of classical vocal artistry, Broadway show tunes, or modern pop hits, this concert offers something for everyone, showcasing the versatility and virtuosity of our talented performers. Join us for a night of unforgettable music that transcends genres and captivates hearts.
Operalogue: Love and Longing by the Lake
Join us for an operalogue to learn more about the music, with performances by young artists.
July 12 @ 6:00 pm Week Three (July 6–13)
Chautauqua Opera Company presents Love and Longing by the Lake
Chautauqua Institution
Chautauqua Opera Company presents Love and Longing by the Lake
A trio of chamber operas performed on the lawn of the Athenaeum Hotel, including two world premieres from The Summer Place, a new opera inspired by oral histories and true accounts of life at Chautauqua Institution across the decades. Conceived to be performed outdoors on the grounds of Chautauqua, The Summer Place is a fitting celebration of Chautauqua in its sesquicentennial year. This hour-long evening of opera is rounded out with the -charming and poignant story of Pepito.
A.E. Reverie (world premiere)
Music by Kamala Sankaram
Libretto by Jerre Dye
A.E. Reverie unfolds the night after Amelia Earhart gracefully landed her plane at Chautauqua in 1929. After witnessing Amelia’s empowering Amphitheater lecture, a young woman stares at the night sky, dreaming of taking her own life to new heights.
Love, Loss, and the Century Upon Us (world premiere)
Music by Rene Orth
Libretto by Jerre Dye
In Love, Loss and the Century Upon Us, we find young lovers from different worlds strolling beside Chautauqua Lake in 1899. The Athenaeum hotel, ablaze with the brilliance of electricity for the very first time, is the backdrop for their courtship and reflections of the impact of this historic transformation.
Pepito
Music by Nicolás Lell Benavides
Libretto by Marella Martin Koch
In Pepito, written in 2019, a lonely shelter dog is yearning for his old family until a young couple, Camila and David, visit, seeking the ideal canine companion. When Camila immediately forges a bond with the dog, Pepito, the shelter manager, questions whether Camila and David are truly prepared to take on a new pet.
A.E Reverie and Love, Loss and the Century Upon Us were co-commissioned by Chautauqua Opera Company and Opera Memphis, with the generous support of the Chautauqua Opera Guild, Jeanie Mercer and Breen Bland. The libretto of The Summer Place was commissioned in full by the Chautauqua Opera Guild.
July 14 @ 1:00 pm Week Three (July 6–13)
Moschel Memorial Recital – Everett Jewish Life Center
Everett Jewish Life Center
Moschel Memorial Recital – Everett Jewish Life Center
Program to be announced closer to performance date.
Opera Conservatory: Alcina
Alcina by G.F. Handel
July 16 & 18, 2024
Marlena Malas, Director*
John Matsumoto Giampietro, Associate Director
Welcome to the island of illusions. Peer beyond the palms to discover the beautiful Alcina, a sorceress skilled in the art of seduction. Her passion burns red hot–until she tires of her conquests and turns them into wild beasts or stone. When dashing knight Ruggiero succumbs to this femme fatale’s dangerous charms, his fiancée Bradamante takes on a daring disguise to free her betrothed and break the curse. But is Alcina finally falling for the man of her dreams?
The Chautauqua Opera Conservatory is an intensive educational program that seeks to offer the highest caliber of training for the young singer, 18 and older. Under the leadership of Marlena Kleinman Malas*, a select group of 20 singers study, coach and perform in an idyllic setting on the grounds of the Chautauqua Institution.
*The Chautauqua Community joins the world in mourning the passing of Marlena Malas on December 4, 2023. We honor her more than four decades of leadership and service to our Opera Conservatory.
July 18 @ 3:15 pm Week Four (July 13–20)
Chautauqua Opera Company presents an Afternoon of Song
Athenaeum Parlor
Chautauqua Opera Company presents an Afternoon of Song
Join us for an afternoon of song, featuring our 2024 Young Artists.
Opera Conservatory: Alcina
Alcina by G.F. Handel
July 16 & 18, 2024
Marlena Malas, Director*
John Matsumoto Giampietro, Associate Director
Welcome to the island of illusions. Peer beyond the palms to discover the beautiful Alcina, a sorceress skilled in the art of seduction. Her passion burns red hot–until she tires of her conquests and turns them into wild beasts or stone. When dashing knight Ruggiero succumbs to this femme fatale’s dangerous charms, his fiancée Bradamante takes on a daring disguise to free her betrothed and break the curse. But is Alcina finally falling for the man of her dreams?
The Chautauqua Opera Conservatory is an intensive educational program that seeks to offer the highest caliber of training for the young singer, 18 and older. Under the leadership of Marlena Kleinman Malas*, a select group of 20 singers study, coach and perform in an idyllic setting on the grounds of the Chautauqua Institution.
*The Chautauqua Community joins the world in mourning the passing of Marlena Malas on December 4, 2023. We honor her more than four decades of leadership and service to our Opera Conservatory.
Operalogue: Love and Longing by the Lake
Join us for an operalogue to learn more about the music, with performances by young artists.
July 21 @ 5:00 pm Week Four (July 13–20)
Chautauqua Opera Company presents Love and Longing by the Lake
Chautauqua Institution
Chautauqua Opera Company presents Love and Longing by the Lake
A trio of chamber operas performed on the lawn of the Athenaeum Hotel, including two world premieres from The Summer Place, a new opera inspired by oral histories and true accounts of life at Chautauqua Institution across the decades. Conceived to be performed outdoors on the grounds of Chautauqua, The Summer Place is a fitting celebration of Chautauqua in its sesquicentennial year. This hour-long evening of opera is rounded out with the -charming and poignant story of Pepito.
A.E. Reverie (world premiere)
Music by Kamala Sankaram
Libretto by Jerre Dye
A.E. Reverie unfolds the night after Amelia Earhart gracefully landed her plane at Chautauqua in 1929. After witnessing Amelia’s empowering Amphitheater lecture, a young woman stares at the night sky, dreaming of taking her own life to new heights.
Love, Loss, and the Century Upon Us (world premiere)
Music by Rene Orth
Libretto by Jerre Dye
In Love, Loss and the Century Upon Us, we find young lovers from different worlds strolling beside Chautauqua Lake in 1899. The Athenaeum hotel, ablaze with the brilliance of electricity for the very first time, is the backdrop for their courtship and reflections of the impact of this historic transformation.
Pepito
Music by Nicolás Lell Benavides
Libretto by Marella Martin Koch
In Pepito, written in 2019, a lonely shelter dog is yearning for his old family until a young couple, Camila and David, visit, seeking the ideal canine companion. When Camila immediately forges a bond with the dog, Pepito, the shelter manager, questions whether Camila and David are truly prepared to take on a new pet.
A.E Reverie and Love, Loss and the Century Upon Us were co-commissioned by Chautauqua Opera Company and Opera Memphis, with the generous support of the Chautauqua Opera Guild, Jeanie Mercer and Breen Bland. The libretto of The Summer Place was commissioned in full by the Chautauqua Opera Guild.
Operalogue: Hansel and Gretel
Join us for an operalogue to learn more about the music, with performances by young artists.
July 24 @ 7:30 pm Week Five (July 20–27)
Chautauqua Opera Company presents Hansel and Gretel
Amphitheater
Chautauqua Opera Company presents Hansel and Gretel
This timeless fairytale follows two siblings bravely navigating a mysterious forest, and their perilous encounter with a mischievous witch and her delectable gingerbread house.
Chautauqua’s Amphitheater is the perfect setting to bring Engelbert Humperdinck’s mesmerizing and lush score to life with the full power of the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, sung in English and transporting audiences of all ages into a fantastical realm.
July 29 @ 8:15 pm Week Six (July 27–August 3)
Music School Festival Orchestra with the Chautauqua Opera Conservatory: I due timidi
Amphitheater
Music School Festival Orchestra with the Chautauqua Opera Conservatory: I due timidi
Featured on this concert will be the 2023 winners of the SAI Competition, all from the Opera Conservatory.
I due timidi by Nino Rota
Marlena Malas, Director*
John Matsumoto Giampietro, Associate Director
Timothy Muffitt, Music Director
Nino Rota’s one-act romantic/comic opera I due timidi is the story of two young people who, having seen each other from across the courtyard, have fallen madly in love and are desperate to find the courage to speak to each other. When calamity befalls Raimondo, namely a window-shutter falling on his head and knocking him out, he feels the need to reveal his emotions to his beloved. What happens next is a charming, bittersweet love story about Raimondo and Mariuccia, who are too shy to speak to each other, too timid to let their feelings be known, and the grim consequences of the failure to communicate our true feelings.
The Chautauqua Opera Conservatory is an intensive educational program that seeks to offer the highest caliber of training for the young singer, 18 and older. Under the leadership of Marlena Malas, a select group of 20 singers study, coach and perform in an idyllic setting on the grounds of the Chautauqua Institution.
Comprised of top-tier students from conservatories and universities in the U.S. and abroad, Music School Festival Orchestra members participate in a variety of musical activities during their summers at Chautauqua including chamber music and private lessons along with their meticulous orchestral training. Alumni from the MSFO can be heard in many of the world’s top orchestras and chamber ensembles and can be found on music faculties worldwide. The MSFO is led by Artistic Director Timothy Muffitt, who serves as Music Director of the Lansing Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Laureate of the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra.
*The Chautauqua Community joins the world in mourning the passing of Marlena Malas on December 4, 2023. We honor her more than four decades of leadership and service to our Opera Conservatory.