September 19, 2023: Recent Wagner Productions. Our well-traveled Society members will report on productions of Wagner operas in the U.S. and abroad, including Opera Atlanta’s Das Rheingold, the Bayreuth Festival’s Parsifal, and Ring Cycles in Budapest and Vienna. We will also have a presentation by bass-baritone Joseph Parrish, our 2023 Bayreuth stipendiat, and a talk with two young WSNY members about their first Bayreuth experience. After the presentations we will host a social hour with refreshments. Tuesday, September 19, 7:00 p.m. at the National Opera Center, 330 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY. Free for members, $15 for non-members, live in-person or online (video stream available 48 hours after start of program).WSNY Members:
Attend in-person and register here.Livestream: WSNY Members will receive the link automatically via e-mailNon-WSNY Members:
In-Person & Livestream tickets here. Accessibility:The Opera America building has ground-level entry with elevators to the 7th floor. Wheelchair accessible; modular seating will be arranged to accommodate wheelchairs and walkers. Handicap-accessible restrooms are available on the same floor. The venue is located on the west side of 7th Avenue between 28th-29th Streets, closer to 29th Street. Sidewalk curb cuts at the 29th Street corner are uneven; for easier access and tactile paving enter from the 28th Street corner (at the downtown #1 subway station).
Members receive special prices for all events, so please be sure your membership is current. Click here to renew or join online. See our Events Calendar for the full schedule.
August 21-25: Bayreuth Festival events – full info here
July 19, 2023: Annual Meeting. For WSNY Members – full info here.
May 21, 2023: Annual Singers’ Recital – full info here
June 7, 2023: Maestro Thomas Guggeis on Conducting Wagner – full info here
April 17, 2023: Wagner & German Nationalism – full info here
March 19, 2023: Lohengrin Seminar – full info here
February 11, 2023: 
A collaboration between the Wagner Society of New York and the Metropolitan Opera Guild and is a showcase of Lohengrin, on the occasion of the new Met production. – more info here
February 17, 2023: Wagner’s Music in Classic Hollywood Cartoons: presentation by Prof. Daniel Goldmark – full info here
November 1, 2022: Recent Wagner Productions
This membership appreciation live event, held at National Opera Center New York City, celebrated new and renewing members of the Wagner Society of New York. A panel of enthusiastic Wagnerians described and assessed new productions from Berlin, Bayreuth, Leipzig and Santa Fe. Presentations by Donald Crawshaw, Mark Grube, Raymond Ko, and F. Peter Phillips included production photos. A special reception and membership toast followed.
Photo: Oper Leipzig
October 11, 2022 Joseph W. Polisi: Beacon to the World: A History of Lincoln Center
In a special presentation by Wagner Society of New York, Joseph W. Polisi offered a summary of the creation and growth of Lincoln Center, drawn from his recent book, Beacon to the World: A History of Lincoln Center.
About the Author
Joseph W. Polisi led The Juilliard School for thirty-four years (1984–2018), the longest presidential term in the history of the school. Upon stepping down from his distinguished tenure in June 2018, he became Chief China Officer, supervising overall development of The Tianjin Juilliard School. Born in New York City, Dr. Polisi is an accomplished bassoonist who has performed as soloist, chamber, and orchestral musician throughout the United States as well as in major New York City venues.
About the Book (Yale University Press 2022)
This comprehensive history of Lincoln Center for the Performing Art guides us through the complex convergence of the worlds of politics, finance, and the performing arts throughout the years of the Center’s history, including roles played by Robert Moses, John D. Rockefeller 3rd, Leonard Bernstein, Alice Tully, Beverly Sills, and many others. > Click here for more
September 13, 2022 Wagner Masterclass
The New York Chamber Music Festival, in collaboration with WSNY, presented a Wagner Masterclass with Carole Farley and Scott Carlton, and collaborative pianist Craig Ketter.
The program included Wagner Duets and Trios from Tristan und Isolde, Der Fliegende Holländer, Lohengrin and Die Walküre. Ms. Farley and Mr. Carlton worked on points of dramatic interpretation, diction and style, with:
* Wagner Society of New York Singers Award/Grant Recipient. Photo: Neil Friedman.
Thursday, June 30 2022 Hans Neuenfels (1914-2022): directo
r of the Bayreuth 2010-1015 (“rats”) Lohengrin.
Commentary by colleagues, with illustrations and excerpts from his memoirs.
Moderator: Scott Carlton (member of Bayreuth chorus for Neuenfels’ Lohengrin.)
This event is now posted on our YouTube Channel: click here to view it!
Monday, April 18, 2022: Interview with Stefan Vinke, heldentenor
Aegisth in Elektra and Siegfried in the 2019 Met Ring, guest of honor on the Ring cruise. Interview Host: Fred Cohn.
Now on YouTube! Click here to view.
Sunday, March 6, 2022 From Richard I to Richard III: Wagner, Strauss and Questions of Influence: Lecture by John Muller, Juilliard Professor
Long-time Juilliard professor John Muller will give an illustrated lecture on the connections between Wagner and Richard Strauss, noting the two upcoming Strauss operas in the Met season: “From Richard I to Richard III: Wagner, Strauss, and Questions of Influence.”What about Richard II? Muller tells us: “There is no Richard II, that’s the point. There had to be an interregnum after Wagner. This idea goes back to Hans von Bülow, who made the remark about Richard I and III.”
This event was presented live at Klavierhaus in New York City and via livestream. Lecture materials:
Sunday, January 30, 2022 Recital by Jeffrey Swann, Pianist
Program :
Jeffrey Swann is a renowned international recitalist. He is also a Wagner scholar: he has given many lectures with piano illustrations and recently gave a superb talk at WSNY’s Meistersinger Seminar, which is now on the free WSNY YouTube Channel. He teaches piano at NYU Steinhardt. He recently presented a Beethoven Sonata Series at Bargemusic in Brooklyn and has recorded the complete Beethoven Sonatas.
The recital was presented both live and livestream. Click here to watch the livestream!
Monday, December 13, 2021, 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm EST
Renowned Met Chorus Master Donald Palumbo, who directed 200 chorus members in the Metropolitan Opera’s recent revival of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, gave a talk to the WSNY community. We are privileged that he can share this evening with us. The interview will be hosted by Susan Brodie (reviewer, Classical Voice North America). Holy Trinity is a large, beautiful church located between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue, with Byzantine revival architecture and Guastavino tiles. Social distancing is feasible. For this live event, the usual Covid protocols will be observed. A name list will be at the door.
Monday, November 8, 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm ET (live and via livestream)
Sir Antonio Pappano, conductor of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg at the Met and Music director of the Royal Opera House, was interviewed by Fred Cohn at this exclusive WSNY event, which took place live at the National Opera Center in New York City. It was also livestreamed.
Photo: Musacchio & Ianniello
The Wagner Society of New York is a 501(c)(3) membership organization; members contribute to its events, publications, and assistance to promising Wagnerian singers. To join or renew, you may click here to renew or join online. Thank you for your support!
REMINDER: If you haven’t renewed your membership, or wish to become a member of WSNY, click here to renew or join online, to keep au courant, or download our membership form and mail it with your check or credit card information.
P.O. Box 230949, Ansonia Station
New York, NY 10023-0949
Phone: (800) 573-6148
E-mail: info@wagnersocietyny.org