Bayreuth Artist Talk: Jordan Shanahan
2025-08-19 10:30 - 11:30 (Europe/Berlin) | Arvena Kongress Hotel, Eduard-Bayerlin Str. 5a, Bayreuth, 95445, Germany
Join us in 2025 for the Bayreuth Artists Talks Series, an engaging opportunity to connect with the exceptional performers of the Bayreuth Festival. These intimate sessions offer audiences a rare glimpse behind the scenes as artists reflect on their careers, share insights into their roles and creative processes, and discuss the unique experience of performing at Bayreuth. With a relaxed and informal setting, these conversations provide a deeper understanding of the works the artists bring to life on stage, making each event a memorable encounter with the people behind the music.
Jordan Shanahan (Kurwenal in Tristan und Isolde, Klingsor in Parsifal, Kothner in Die Meistersinger) has made a name for himself internationally, particularly with his charismatic interpretations of dramatic roles. In the 2024/205 season, he sang Monterone in Rigoletto at the Metropolitan Opera, his debut in Portugal at the Casa da Música in Porto with Zemlinsky’s Lyrische Symphonie, a new production of Die Frau ohne Schatten as Barak at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and his house debut at the Vienna State Opera as Telramund in Lohengrin with Christian Thielemann. In addition to the standard repertoire, Jordan Shanahan has also made a name for himself in contemporary repertoire and with roles such as Joseph de Rocher in Dead Man Walking, Robert Oppenheimer in Dr. Atomic, The Protector in Written on Skin and Il Uomo Senza Sangue.
This in-person-only event will take place at the Arvena Kongress Hotel in Bayreuth, Germany.
Tickets are $15 in advance online, €15 cash or credit card at the door. Get the Series: all five artists talks plus Parsifal Mythologies for $60 (a $30 savings). Pre-purchase is recommended to expedite entry and seating.

Bayreuth Artist Talk: Michael Spyres
2025-08-20 10:30 - 11:30 (Europe/Berlin) | Arvena Kongress Hotel, Eduard-Bayerlin Str. 5a, Bayreuth, 95445, Germany
Join us in 2025 for the Bayreuth Artists Talks Series, an engaging opportunity to connect with the exceptional performers of the Bayreuth Festival. These intimate sessions offer audiences a rare glimpse behind the scenes as artists reflect on their careers, share insights into their roles and creative processes, and discuss the unique experience of performing at Bayreuth. With a relaxed and informal setting, these conversations provide a deeper understanding of the works the artists bring to life on stage, making each event a memorable encounter with the people behind the music.

Michael Spyres (Siegmund in Die Walküre, Walther in Die Meistersinger) is one of the most accomplished tenors of his generation with already 10 DVDs and 30 CDs to his name. Born and raised in the Ozarks in an extremely musical family, he has been celebrated in the world’s most prestigious international opera houses, festivals and concert halls. Acclaimed in the widest range of repertoire, he has tackled every genre from Baroque to Classical to 20th century music, while firmly establishing himself as an expert within the Bel Canto, Romantic, and French Grand Opera genres. Michael has sung at many of the world’s most prestigious opera houses, concert halls and festivals such as the Teatro alla Scala, Metropolitan Opera, Wiener Staatsoper, Royal Opera Covent Garden, Paris Opéra National, Bayerische Staatsoper, Teatro Real Madrid, Liceu Barcelona, Lyric Opera Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, La Monnaie Brussels, Dutch National Opera, Semperoper Dresden, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées of Paris, Carnegie Hall, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Bunka Kaikan Hall Tokyo, Salzburg Festival, Aix-en-Provence Festival, Rossini Opera Festival Pesaro, the Edinburgh Festival and the BBC Proms.
Since 2015 Michael has had the honor to be the only International Opera Star who is not just a performer but also an impresario. Mr. Spyres has been the Artistic Director of his hometown opera company, the Ozarks Lyric Opera, and has been involved in every aspect of the renaissance of his regional company. In addition to being the active Artistic Director he has translated libretti and actively teaches masterclasses while guiding young artists’ careers. The last years have seen him produce numerous events as well as 15 operas and 5 gala concerts. In 2021, Michael was honored with the highest honor officially bestowed to artists in France, the prestigious Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres designation by the government of France.

This in-person-only event will take place at the Arvena Kongress Hotel in Bayreuth, Germany.
Tickets are $15 in advance online, €15 cash or credit card at the door. Get the Series: all five artists talks plus Parsifal Mythologies for $60 (a $30 savings). Pre-purchase is recommended to expedite entry and seating.

Parsifal: Sources and Mythologies: a Talk with Thomas Launius
2025-08-21 10:30 - 12:00 (Europe/Berlin) | Arvena Kongress Hotel, Eduard-Bayerlin Str. 5a, Bayreuth, 95445, Germany
This talk will explore the origins and evolution of the Grail Legends, beginning with their first written form in the late 12th and early 13th centuries, created as a response to the early decline of Christianity in Europe. We’ll then examine how these legends resurfaced between 1775 and 1900, during a time of social upheaval and the rise of German cultural identity, inspiring new artistic and psychological interpretations. The ancient tradition of Storytelling in Europe, both in its original oral form and then later as written, understood that a Storyteller never “created” a story, but rather, inherited it, and then it was their sacred responsibility to be faithful to that original inheritance while at the same time developing it to speak authentically to a new generation. Turning towards Wagner’s Parsifal, we will explore some of the ways Wagner adapted and shaped the material he inherited and how the final result has its own special message.
About the speaker: Thomas Launius was born into a military family and spent his early years living in England, Germany, Japan, and the United States. He came of age in Louisiana and earned a degree in Physics from Louisiana State University, along with a minor in Vocal Performance. Trained as a tenor, he sang in university and regional opera productions for five years before turning to the academic study of story and symbol. He later earned a doctorate in Mythology and spent over three decades as a professional storyteller and speaker.
In 2017, Thomas fulfilled a lifelong dream by relocating to Bavaria, not far from Munich. Since 2019, he has worked as a professional tour guide, specializing in historically rich and mythologically resonant experiences throughout Munich, Salzburg, and especially Neuschwanstein Castle—the fairytale fortress built by King Ludwig II as a tribute to Richard Wagner. Drawing on his background in mythology, music, and narrative craft, Thomas creates immersive tours that bring to life the operatic vision behind the castle’s creation and illuminate the deep connections between Wagner’s works and the cultural landscape of Bavaria.
This discussion will be followed by an extended audience Q&A and discussion session.

Bayreuth Artist Talk: Matthew Newlin
2025-08-22 10:30 - 11:30 (Europe/Berlin) | Arvena Kongress Hotel, Eduard-Bayerlin Str. 5a, Bayreuth, 95445, Germany
Join us in 2025 for the Bayreuth Artists Talks Series, an engaging opportunity to connect with the exceptional performers of the Bayreuth Festival. These intimate sessions offer audiences a rare glimpse behind the scenes as artists reflect on their careers, share insights into their roles and creative processes, and discuss the unique experience of performing at Bayreuth. With a relaxed and informal setting, these conversations provide a deeper understanding of the works the artists bring to life on stage, making each event a memorable encounter with the people behind the music.

Matthew Newlin (Eisslinger in Die Meistersinger, Junger Seemann in Tristan und Isolde, 4th Knappe in Parsifal) has been a member of the ensemble at Deutsche Oper Berlin since 2013, where he regularly performs such leading roles as Tamino, Don Jose, Alfredo, and Count Almaviva. He enjoys an international career, performing in major theatres across Europe, and can be heard in recordings of Handel’s Semele and Samson. Matthew’s versatile singing, excellent musicianship, and natural stagecraft affords him success in a wide range of repertoire, from the Baroque to the Modern. This coming season he’ll also be performing the role of Siegmund in Die Walküre at Deutsche Oper Berlin.

This in-person-only event will take place at the Arvena Kongress Hotel in Bayreuth, Germany.
Tickets are $15 in advance online, €15 cash or credit card at the door. Get the Series: all five artists talks plus Parsifal Mythologies for $60 (a $30 savings). Pre-purchase is recommended to expedite entry and seating.

Bayreuth Artist Talk: Michael Nagy
2025-08-23 10:30 - 11:30 (Europe/Berlin) | Arvena Kongress Hotel, Eduard-Bayerlin Str. 5a, Bayreuth, 95445, Germany
Join us in 2025 for the Bayreuth Artists Talks Series, an engaging opportunity to connect with the exceptional performers of the Bayreuth Festival. These intimate sessions offer audiences a rare glimpse behind the scenes as artists reflect on their careers, share insights into their roles and creative processes, and discuss the unique experience of performing at Bayreuth. With a relaxed and informal setting, these conversations provide a deeper understanding of the works the artists bring to life on stage, making each event a memorable encounter with the people behind the music.
Michael Nagy (Beckmesser in Die Meistersinger; Wolfram von Eschenbach Tannhäuser, 2011-13), began his musical career with the Stuttgart Hymnus Boys’ Choir. He studied singing, Lied interpretation and conducting with Rudolf Piernay, Irwin Gage and Klaus Arp in Mannheim and Saarbrücken and enhanced his education in master classes held by Charles Spencer, Cornelius Reid and Rudolf Piernay. Michael Nagy became an ensemble member of the Komische Oper Berlin before moving on to Frankfurt Opera, where he was able to develop his repertoire in roles such as Paragon (The Magic Flute), Count Almaviva (The Marriage of Figaro), Wolfram (Tannhäuser), Valentin (Faust), Prince Yeletsky (Pique Dame), Marcello (La Bohème), Albert (Werther), Frank/Fritz (Die tote Stadt), and Dr. Falke (Die Fledermaus).
His 2024-25 concert season offered a wide repertoire with performances including Arnold Schoenberg’s Gurre-Lieder and Schoenberg’s Jakobsleiter under the baton of Ingo Metzmacher at the Elbphilharmonie. He sang The Creation with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Brahms’ Requiem in Utrecht and Amsterdam, Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen in Warsaw, as well as Mahler’s 8th Symphony with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.
This in-person-only event will take place at the Arvena Kongress Hotel in Bayreuth, Germany.
Tickets are $15 in advance online, €15 cash or credit card at the door. Get the Series: all five artists talks plus Parsifal Mythologies for $60 (a $30 savings). Pre-purchase is recommended to expedite entry and seating.

Parsifal Farewell Luncheon
2025-08-24 12:00 - 14:00 (Europe/Berlin) | Oskar: Das Wirtshaus am Markt, Maximilianstraße 33, Bayreuth, Bayern, 95444, Germany
Join Bayreuth attendees for a final lunch on Sunday, 24 August before the end of the Festival. We’ve got a large table reserved at Oskar: Das Wirtshaus am Markt in the heart of the old city and a reliable provider of traditional Bavarian fare. Enjoy a refreshing Weissbier or lemonade, and wrestle with a Schweinshaxe while simultaneously wrestling with the ideas of Wagner’s Festival-for-the-Consecration-of-the-Stage. We’re keeping this lunch strictly from noon till 2:00 p.m. in order to give everyone time to change before the 4:00 performance. Guests are of course responsible for their own checks.
RSVP by Wednesday, 20 August at 12:00 noon CEST. If the event is full, submit your name and e-mail address in the form below to be added to the waitlist and be notified by e-mail of any openings.

Reports from Bayreuth: Meistersinger Panel Discussion
2025-09-11 19:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | National Opera Center, 330 Seventh Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY, 10001, United States
Our annual event highlighting the summer festival season, this year we devote our program to the Bayreuth Festival’s new production premiere: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg directed by Matthias Davids. Join us in a panel discussion discussing this work in context with those who attended the Festival, examining how the musical and dramatic interpretation reframe Meistersinger within today’s cultural landscape, sparking debate about tradition, innovation, and Wagner’s enduring relevance.
We’ll begin with insights from our two scholarship winners, who will share their experiences attending the Festival this summer. The program continues with a panel discussion on the new Meistersinger von Nürnberg production: a staging by Matthias Davids that has sparked widespread conversation. The conversation will examine what makes a production “Wagnerian,” how effective the comedy is across text, music, and staging, and how technologies like Live-in-HD and streaming are reshaping opera today. Panelists include Jillian Murray, Griffin Kaiser, and Sanford Schwartz. This event is designed to spark thoughtful debate about tradition, innovation, and Wagner’s enduring relevance. Ample time will be devoted to audience Q&A and discussion, allowing members to add their voices and perspectives.
The event will be followed by a social hour with refreshments.
Livestream: the event will be livestreamed (viewable up to 36 hours after the start of the event). WSNY Members will receive livestream link automatically by e-mail; no need to pre-register.
