Wagner Society of New York

Steingraeber & Söhne Factory Tour
2024-08-24 12:30 - 13:30 (Europe/Berlin) | Steingraeber Haus, Friedrichstraße 2, Bayreuth, Bayern, 95444, Germany
Enjoy a private tour of the piano factory, established in Bayreuth in 1852. Furnishing instruments to both Wagner and Liszt, and manufacturer of the Gralsglockenklavier for Parsifal, we’ll learn about the history and traditions of this sixth-generation, family-owned company. The tour will allow opportunity for questions throughout the visit.

Götterdämmerung / Farewell Luncheon
2024-08-25 12:00 - 14:00 (Europe/Berlin) | Oskar: Das Wirtshaus am Markt, Maximilianstraße 33, Bayreuth, Bayern, 95444, Germany
Join Ring attendees for a final lunch on Sunday, 25 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 totality of Der Ring des Nibelungen. We’re keeping this lunch strictly from noon till 2:00 p.m. in order to give everyone time to change before Götterdämmerung. Guests are of course responsible for their own checks.

Six Part Course: “Wagner: Questions of Influence and Originality”
2024-09-11 17:30 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | National Opera Center, 330 Seventh Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY, 10001, United States
A six-part course , “Wagner: Questions of Influence and Originality,” taught by Juilliard Professor John J.H. Muller, IV.
The course poses the question: To what degree is any artist original? What role do the achievements of other artists, earlier and contemporary, play in influencing a composer as “original” as Richard Wagner? Wagner occupies a special position in the history of music, both for his body of work and for his influence. Wagner’s own development was not linear; the past, present, and future of opera are present in all his works.
Schedule:
Dates are six non-consecutive Wednesdays from 5:30-7:00 p.m. as follows:
September 11
September 18
September 25
October 9
October 16
October 23
All six classes are offered as a series, not individually, and the course price is $300 for WSNY members, and $375 for non-members.
The Experience: This course is conceptual in nature, rather than focusing on a single opera or musical issue – though these will certainly be referred to – nor is it “Wagner 101”. Students will likely have a familiarity with the plots to the works and basic issues relating to Wagner’s career, dramatic concept, music, and achievements. An introduction to Wagner’s musical forbears will be covered in the first session.
Students will be provided with handouts and an extensive bibliography for further enrichment. Lectures will be accompanied by audio and video excerpts, and there will be time for Q&A, generally at the end of class.
Venue & Accessibility: Classes will be held in-person only in the MacKay Studio of the National Opera Center, 330 Seventh Avenue (between 29/28 Streets), 7th Floor, New York, NY
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).

Reports from the 2024 Bayreuth Festival
2024-09-12 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | National Opera Center, 330 Seventh Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY, 10001, United States
This annual event provides the unique opportunity for our members to learn some of the events and developments in this year’s Bayreuth Festival. We will offer an illustrated discussion of the new production of Tristan und Isolde starring Andreas Schager and Camilla Nylund; receive a report from a Society member on his first visit to the Festival; hear from the three young artists whom the Society sponsored as part of the Festival’s Scholarship Program; and welcome a special guest, American bass Jordan Shanahan, who sang the role of Klingsor in the Jay Scheib “augmented reality” production of Parsifal.

Atsuko Imamura on the new production of Tristan und Isolde

Conductor Tengku Irfan on his experience as a Bayreuth Scholarship Award Winner

Doru Bercea on his first time at the Festival

Members discuss the Bayreuth experience during social hour

Members discuss the Bayreuth experience during social hour

The event will be followed by a social hour with refreshments, and 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.

A View from the Prompter's Box with Craig Rutenberg
2024-10-31 18:30 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | National Opera Center, 330 Seventh Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY, 10001, United States
“The prompter is the ultimate safety net for the performance: a helper, part conductor, part assistant stage director, knowing the problem spots with individual singers — an in-the-moment problem solver. Those are just a few of the skills required.” – Craig Rutenberg

"I think the best description I've ever heard of what a prompter does is, we are the safety net. That was Maestro Levine's term for it. And if a conductor or director - more and more nowadays - doesn't see the need for a safety net - they're hanging themselves out to dry pretty badly."

On prompting a chorus: "There are certain, ahem, chorus masters who say: 'Don't bother the chorus.' The chorus comes to me and says, 'Please! We need your cues! Don't care what he says... we need you!' So it's always a delicate balance there. "

Social hour after Mr. Rutenberg's talk

Former Head of Music Staff at the Metropolitan Opera, Craig Rutenberg explains what a prompter does, what preparation prompters undergo in a particular production, and how a good prompter can rescue performers from disaster. He will also discuss the various responsibilities of the music staff at the Met — from rehearsal pianist to diction coach to assistant conductor to prompter.
This informal talk with Mr. Rutenberg will be led by conductor Tyson Deaton and discuss how prompting Wagner is different from, say, Mozart or Puccini; the differences between prompting solo singers as opposed to difficult ensembles such as Die Meistersinger; developing sensitivity to the individual needs of artists; the function of a prompter in the rehearsal room vs. the stage, and physical/technical aspects of positioning; memorable moments while prompting and in rehearsals, and of course what happens when things go wrong – or surprisingly right!

The event will be followed by a social hour with refreshments, and 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.
Program Change: Regrettably Ms. Joan Dornemann is unavailable for her originally scheduled talk. We thank Craig Rutenberg for accepting our invitation to this interview.
About the Speaker: Craig Rutenberg, a native of New Haven, CT, is best known as an accompanist and vocal coach. He is former Head of Music at The Metropolitan Opera and has coached nationally and worldwide for the opera companies in San Francisco, Chicago and Houston as well as at The Paris Opera, Covent Garden and The Glyndebourne Festival. Mr. Rutenberg has appeared in recital and recorded with Thomas Hampson, Ben Heppner, Christine Brewer along with many others. Future plans include coaching at several universities in the USA in addition to visits to China, Sweden, Italy and the Czech Republic.
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).

Parsifal, Act II: A Film in Progress
2024-11-19 19:30 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Dolby Screening Room, 1350 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY, 10019, United States
Parsifal, Act II: A Film In-Progress
We present a special preview screening of the complete Act II of Parsifal, from a new film adaptation currently six years in the making. This multimedia adaptation blends performance, painting, and dazzling visuals to bring Wagner’s last work to life for the big screen.
Director’s Statement:
My formal introduction to Richard Wagner was in 2018, when I first saw the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Parsifal. Profoundly moved and aware that I had experienced something that far exceeded my own understanding, I sought to make sense of what I had witnessed that evening. As someone who was not a musician, singer, or music theorist, the most logical approach to this work seemed to be through my field of study: Filmmaking.
In the autumn of 2018, my creative collaborator, Anthony Miksad, and I began the early stages of pre-production on this cinematic adaptation of Wagner’s final drama. Enlisting a team of talented artists and peers (as we were, at the time, both students at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn), we assembled a production crew that would work together to bring Wagner’s Parsifal to the big screen. Thanks to the assistance and generosity of the late Lady Valerie Solti, we were able to reach an agreement to use her husband, Sir Georg Solti’s, 1972 recording of Parsifal with the Vienna Philharmonic as our soundtrack. After rigorous auditions, we found a superb group of theater actors who would perform these roles in synchronization with the vocal and musical performances of this great recording.
“Cruel one! If you now feel in your heart only the pain of others, then you can feel mine!” – Kundry, Act II, Scene 2, tr. by Derrick Everett

Parsifal is a story of characters who are desperately trying to make their pains known to one another. Overwhelmed by their own suffering, they do not possess the ability to recognize the inner-wounds present in those around them.
How were we to reflect this tremendous concept at the core of Wagner’s drama in our film’s own mise-en-scène? How could the world of Parsifal be adequately realized? If leaving behind an old way of being is the first step on the path to understanding, then it seemed that Wagner presented us with a story of people moving from one world to another.
“Now I seek Him from world to world to meet Him once again.” – Kundry, Act II, Scene 2, tr. by Derrick Everett
This adaptation presents the struggle of these troubled characters caught between these “worlds”. The set pieces are constructed from centuries-worth of paintings to create visual on-screen environments. As these paintings begin to transform around our heroes, the boundaries of their reality begin to vanish to reveal a deeper, more physical world around them.
Over six years in the making, our film still has a long road ahead in its production. We firmly believe that this preview screening of Act II will serve as an insight into how we are exploring the curiosities and questions found in Wagner’s Parsifal.
Griffin Kaiser, Director

In-Person only at the Dolby 88 Screening Room, 1350 Avenue of the Americas
Doors at 7:00 p.m.
Film begins at 7:30 p.m., runtime 90 minutes
Followed by a social hour with dessert & refreshments
Accessibility: Venue is ADA accessible. Entrance is on 55th street at 6th Avenue, next door to Pret à Manger. There are sidewalk cutouts on the corner and an accessible entrance. Once through building security turnstiles, the movie theater-style-seating venue is on the lobby level, to your left. There are several stairs to the lobby level restroom but fully-accessible restrooms will be available by taking the elevator to another floor.

Intermission Meet-Up: Saturday, 7 December Matinée of Die Frau ohne Schatten
2024-12-07 | The Metropolitan Opera, 30 Lincoln Center Plz., New York, NY, 10023, United States
Intermission Meet-Up: Saturday, 7 December Matinée of Die Frau ohne Schatten – the performance before our Seminar – come say Hi to fellow WSNY members from near and far. It’s a great chance to mingle with fellow opera enthusiasts, share your thoughts on the performance so far, and connect with like-minded people who appreciate great music and conversation. Whether you’re a long-time member or new to the Society, we’d love to see you there and hear your insights. You’ll find us on the Dress Circle level (center) during both intermissions – and can recognize our loyal members by their Wagner silhouette lapel pins.

Photo: Ken Howard / The Metropolitan Opera

Seminar: Die Frau ohne Schatten
2024-12-08 12:00 - 16:15 (America/New_York) | Bohemian National Hall, 321 E 73rd St., Third Floor, New York, 10021, United States
Photo: Ken Howard / The Metropolitan Opera
This is the Society’s annual “deep dive” into a Wagner-related work currently in the repertory of the Metropolitan Opera. This year we will visit a work that many regard as Richard Strauss’s masterpiece: Die Frau ohne Schatten. Join us in a conversation about Richard Strauss’s most richly scored and opulently exotic work, with a highly symbolic and intellectual libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, a mixture of fairy-tale, magic, and Freudian psychology.
Speakers include Prof. Bryan Gilliam of Duke University, Dr. Anna Balas of the New York Psychoanalytic Society and Institute, Prof. Larry Wolff of New York University, and our very popular Singers’ Roundtable featuring members of the cast of the Met production. Critic and lecturer David Shengold will return as our Moderator.
Program:
PDF Download: WSNY Die Frau ohne Schatten Seminar Program

12:00 p.m.
Welcome by Chairman John Ryan and Moderator David Shengold

12:05 – 12:55 p.m.
Prof. Larry Wolff, “Die Frau ohne Schatten, World War One, and the Departure of Emperors and Empresses”

12:55 – 1:15
break

1:15 – 2:00 pm
Dr. Anna Balas, “Shadowless Women: A Psychoanalytic Perspective”

2:00 – 2:15 p.m.
break

2:15 – 3:00 p.m.
Met Cast Roundtable:
Michael Volle (Barak the Dyer)
Lise Lindström (Dyer’s Wife)
Elza van den Heever (Empress)
Jessica Faselt (Voice of the Falcon)
other cast members TBA

3:00 – 3:15 p.m.
break

3:15 – 4:00 p.m.
Prof. Bryan Gilliam, “Die Frau ohne Schatten and the Problem of Marriage”

Spend the day exploring an opera that author Sherrill Hahn Pantle said “stands before the audiences of the last quarter of the twentieth century as the incarnation of a lost innocence and the realization of a lost hope.”
Books and other items relating to Strauss and Wagner will be available for sale and refreshments will be served. Continue the conversation over dinner or a drink: for post-event gatherings, we recommend Bohemian Spirit, the Czech restaurant located on the first floor of Bohemian National Hall.
Discount Tickets: WSNY Members get 15% off the Met’s run of Die Frau ohne Schatten this season – check your email for details.
Livestream is available; or watch up to 36 hours after the program (midnight Tuesday, December 10).
About the speakers:

Anna Balas MD is a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst for adults and children in private practice on the UES in Manhattan. She is a training and supervising analyst at the New York Psychoanalytic Society and Institute, the oldest in the US. She teaches on Normal and Pathological Narcissism and on Psychic Trauma. Dr. Balas is also Associate Professor at the Payne Whitney Division of the Weill Cornell Medical Center. She has an interest in transcultural factors and creativity. She is the author of a chapter entitled “Yearning for Intimacy: Bela Bartok’s Duke Bluebeard’s Castle” in a volume entitled Opera on the Couch: Music, Emotional Life and Unconscious Aspects of the Mind, editors S. Goldberg and L. Rather (Routledge, 2022).

David Shengold is a critic and lecturer and resides in New York City. He regularly writes for Opera (with Opera News) as well as Opéra Magazine, Opernwelt and other publications. He has done program essays for companies including the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Washington National Opera, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, and the Wexford and Glyndebourne festivals.

Bryan Gilliam Ph.D. is Professor Emeritus at Duke University (Department of Music and German). He has published five books on Richard Strauss, most recently Rounding Wagner’s Mountain: Richard Strauss and Modern German Opera (Cambridge University Press). He is writing a sixth one on Salome for Oxford Keynotes. Beyond scholarly venues, he has given lectures at various national and international festivals such as Bayreuth, Salzburg, and Mostly Mozart, among others; as well as opera and concert venues: Lincoln Center Great Performances, New York Philharmonic, American Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Santa Fe Opera, and the San Francisco Opera. Besides Strauss, he has published on Anton Bruckner, Kurt Weill, and Erich Wolfgang Korngold.

Larry Wolff Ph.D. is Julius Silver Professor of History at New York University. At NYU he has previously served as Executive Director of the Remarque Institute and as Co-Director of NYU Florence at Villa La Pietra. His most recent book (a book about Die Frau ohne Schatten) is The Shadow of the Empress: Fairy-Tale Opera and the End of the Habsburg Monarchy (2023). His books also include The Singing Turk: Ottoman Power and Operatic Emotions on the European Stage from the Siege of Vienna to the Age of Napoleon (2016), The Idea of Galicia: History and Fantasy in Habsburg Political Culture (2010), and Inventing Eastern Europe: The Map of Civilization on the Mind of the Enlightenment (1994). He writes frequently about opera, publishing essays and reviews in the Times Literary Supplement, the New York Review of Books, the New York Times, the New Yorker, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and the Hudson Review. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Venue & Accessibility: Bohemian National Hall, 321 East 73rd Street (between 1st Street-2nd Avenue), Third Floor
There are smooth sidewalk cutouts at 73rd & Second Ave.; those at First Ave. are uneven. Look for the access ramp to Bohemian Spirit Restaurant to the left of the Hall; the venue is fully accessible. WSNY Seminar is on the 3rd Floor, via elevators, and seating can be arranged to accommodate walkers and wheelchairs. ADA compliant restrooms are conveniently located on the same floor.

Wagnerian Techniques in Film Scores: Howard Shore’s Lord of the Rings
2025-01-08 18:30 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | National Opera Center, 330 Seventh Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY, 10001, United States
Wagnerian Techniques in Film Scores: The Motivic Structure of Howard Shore’s Lord of the Rings

In his decades-long career as a musician, Doug Adams has remained in-demand as a performer, a composer/arranger, an author, and a lecturer. He was selected by Howard Shore to observe and document his work on The Lord of the Rings films – a score performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, eventually exceeding 13 hours, and consistently cited as one of the best film scores ever written. Adams subsequently spent just under ten years writing the book, The Music of the Lord of the Rings Films. He joins the Wagner Society to analyze and compare the use of motives as a structural component in Wagner and in Shore. What if Wagner had the opportunity to score a modern film?
The program will be preceded by a brief Annual Membership Meeting. The Meeting is being held in January, rather than later in the year as previously, as a result of a recent change to the Society’s fiscal year end. The purpose of the Annual Meeting is to elect the 2025-26 Board of Directors and the transaction of such other business as may properly come before the meeting. Your vote is needed! Members who cannot attend in person may send in (by mail or electronically, returning it to arrive no later than noon Tuesday, January 7, 20254) the form (sent by postal mail and online here) to designate a proxy.
The event will be followed by a social hour with refreshments, and 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.
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).

Ring Without Words at the New York Philharmonic
2025-01-18 19:30 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | David Geffen Hall, 10 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY, 10023, United States
Join fellow members in this exciting performance of Lorin Maazel’s Ring without Words: On the heels of her success at the Bayreuth Festival, Nathalie Stutzmann conducts the New York Philharmonic this wordless distillation of The Ring Cycle at David Geffen Hall. Prime group tickets for the Saturday, January 18, 2025 7:30 p.m. performance at a 15% discount and no fees – seating is limited. 75 minutes, no other works on the program; full concert information online here.
Seating: Our block of seats are “Orchestra 1”, rows K-N in the center section. (See illustration.)
Accessibility: For venue accessibility please find all information online here; if you need wheelchair seating please email us and we will be happy to accommodate.
To follow: The Wagner Society plans a post-performance celebration – details to follow.
Note: availability ends November 15, 2024 or when sold-out.

Ring without Words Encore Reception
2025-01-18 21:00 - 22:00 (America/New_York) | Ackman Family Patron Lounge – David Geffen Hall, 10 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, 10023, United States
The Wagner Society of New York and the New York Philharmonic Young New Yorkers are co-hosting a post-performance reception on Saturday, January 18 after the Ring Without Words concert.
Join us in the Ackman Family Patron Lounge for a reception immediately after the performance. Enjoy an open bar offering beer, wine, and soft drinks as well as a dessert buffet. Our co-hosts for the evening are the New York Philharmonic’s Young New Yorkers, a patron program for young music lovers and philanthropists ages 21-45 who wish to support the future of the NY Phil.
RSVP: this event is only for WSNY Members who have tickets to the January 18, 2025 New York Philharmonic concert. There is no public admission to this event and access to the reception is only for performance ticketholders. Kindly RSVP by 12:00 noon on Thursday, January 16.
Location: The Ackman Family Patron Lounge is located on the West Side of the First Tier of David Geffen Hall.
Accessibility: David Geffen Hall is fully accessible. More information online here.

Organ Recital with Christopher Houlihan
2025-02-23 17:00 - 17:45 (America/New_York) | Cathedral of St. John the Divine, 1047 Amsterdam Ave., New York, NY, 10025, United States
Organist Christopher Houlihan performs transcriptions of Wagner’s compositions and other works, in this program co-presented with the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. The program will last 45 minutes.
Program:
Franz Liszt: Fantasy and Fugue on the Chorale “Ad nos, ad salutarem undam”, S. 259
Richard Wagner: Foot washing, anointing, and Good Friday Music from Parsifal (Edwin Henry Lemare, transcription)
Organist Christopher Houlihan
The organist Christopher Houlihan has established an international reputation as a “passionate and intelligently virtuoso musician” (Gramophone), hailed for “glowing, miraculously life-affirming performances” (Los Angeles Times). His playing has been praised as “eloquent” (The New York Times), and “dazzling” (The Wall Street Journal). Houlihan has concertized at major concert venues throughout the United States, including the Kennedy Center, the Kimmel Center, Davies Symphony Hall, and Walt Disney Concert Hall, where he performed with the principal Brass of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The Los Angeles Times raved about his debut, proclaiming, “Houlihan is the next big organ talent.”
Houlihan serves on the music faculty of Trinity College, Hartford, as the John Rose Distinguished College Organist, Director of Choral Chapel Music, and Artist-in-Residence. Since 2022, he is also Artistic Director of the Albert Schweitzer Organ Festival Hartford, presenter of one of the premier North American competitions for young organists.
All are welcome; admission is free and an RSVP is not required. Please note that this performance immediately follows the 4:00 p.m. Evensong; please enter the Cathedral Church in such a manner as not to disrupt the service.
Accessibility: The Cathedral is wheelchair accessible via a ramp just north of the main entrance, off of Amsterdam Avenue below 113th Street. Map online here.

Anton Bruckner & Richard Wagner
2025-03-20 18:30 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | National Opera Center, 330 Seventh Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY, 10001, United States
Conductor Jakob Lehmann presents an exploration of the fascinating relationship between Anton Bruckner and Richard Wagner – a connection that was characterized by one-sided admiration and disappointed hopes. The younger revered the elder, even if the latter did not always fulfill his few promises. For Bruckner, however, Wagner always remained the ‘master of all masters.’ Particular attention will be paid to the myth of Bruckner’s “Wagner symphony” and the facts behind it. Audio examples will show how performance traditions of both composers have changed over the years, from the first recorded performances to today’s interpretations.

Jakob Lehmann on Bruckner & Wagner March 2025

For further reading: Bruckner in Bayreuth from the Anton Bruckner Institut Linz (in German)

Social hour after the evening's lecture

“There is so much mythmaking going on in the 20th century, and especially once the Third Reich started to get their hands and their ideology on Bruckner. There is so much mythmaking that has nothing to do with historical precedent – and still today – that mythmaking is influencing the actual musical interpretations of these pieces. And what I think may not really be clear enough to us is that with many other composers, we have tried to make a clean slate: But in Wagner and Bruckner, that just hasn’t happened yet in the way that it maybe should have happened. And this is something that I’ve personally been very interested in exploring.”
About the speaker: Conductor Jakob Lehmann is the Artistic Director of the chamber orchestra Eroica Berlin, and Associate Artistic Director of New York based Bel canto festival Teatro Nuovo. The week after his appearance with the WSNY he will lead period instrument ensemble Juilliard415 in a performance of Beethoven’s Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus, Symphony No. 1 and Symphony No. 2, live at Alice Tully Hall, and streamed on Juilliard.live and WQXR on Saturday, March 29 at 7:30 p.m.
The event will be followed by a social hour with refreshments.
Source Material: Mr. Lehmann emphasized the importance of the book Bruckner in Bayreuth, a publication of the Anton Bruckner Institut Linz (2019, Musikwissenschaftlicher Verlag Wien – in German).
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.
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).

Last Call: Play by Peter Danish
2025-03-21 20:00 - 21:30 (America/New_York) | New World Stages, 340 W 50th St., New York, NY, 10019, United States
Two Musical Legends. One Last Drink.
Join Wagner Society of New York members for a performance of the new play, “Last Call,” inspired by the final meeting of Herbert von Karajan and Leonard Bernstein.
“For half a century, American conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein and Austrian conductor Herbert von Karajan were the world’s most celebrated figures in classical music – and the fiercest of rivals. Their influence transcended music into popular culture, politics, and almost every facet of the modern landscape. Late in their lives these titans of classical music unexpectedly crossed paths one last time at the Sacher Hotel in Vienna. Inspired by true events, Last Call brings us to this meeting as both men struggle to find common ground through their music and their lives over one last drink. The play mixes storytelling and music, giving audience members a glimpse into the complex minds of these two music titans.”
Bernstein and von Karajan are played by two of Germany’s leading actresses, American-born Helen Schneider (Norma Desmond in the German Sunset Boulevard, Sally Bowles in the German Cabaret) as Bernstein and Lucca Züchner (On the Town, Cabaret) as von Karajan. “Music, central to both conductors’ lives, plays a significant role in Last Call. Although it is a play rather than a musical, the production features an expressive and atmospheric soundscape … Bernstein and von Karajan’s debates about their artistic methods and philosophies are underscored by musical segments, enhancing emotional depth and providing poetic resonance to their conversations.” – Court Stroud, Forbes. Author Peter Danish is a best-selling playwright, filmmaker, and composer. Full information online here. The performance lasts 90 minutes with no intermission.
A Special Opportunity: Our members are invited to stay after the performance for a special, private post-performance ‘talkback’ with the creative team including playwright Peter Danish.
Tickets: Our block of tickets – prime seating at a 15% discount – is for the Friday, March 21 8:00 p.m. performance. PDF e-tickets will be e-mailed to you.
Venue & Accessibility: New World Stages, 340 W 50th St. between Eighth and Ninth Avenues. There are no steps to the box office. There is an elevator and an escalator providing access from the box office lobby to the orchestra and mezzanine levels of the theatre. Wheelchair or transfer seats (aisle seat with folding armrest) available upon request. Full accessibility information online here.

Tenor Shawn Roth in Recital
2025-04-13 15:00 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | Scandinavia House, 58 Park Ave., New York, NY, 10016, United States
The winner of the 2024 Lauch Memorial Award from the Wagner Society of New York, tenor Shawn Roth is a promising and exciting young artist. He was the winner of the 2021 Marilyn Horne Song Competition, and has also won awards in The Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, the Meistersinger Competition, the Houston Saengerbund, the Eleanor McCollum Competition, and Neue Stimmen. In fall 2024, Roth joined the roster of the Butler Studio at Houston Grand Opera. Roth’s 2024-2025 season includes Heinrich der Schreiber in Tannhäuser and covering Tony in West Side Story (Houston Grand Opera), and Don José in Carmen (Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestra). In the summer of 2025, he looks forward to returning to Des Moines Metro Opera, where he will sing the role of Pašek in The Cunning Little Vixen and cover Erik in Der fliegende Holländer.

Program:

“Ein Schwert verhieß mir der Vater” from Die Walküre – Richard Wagner

watch the video from his 2024 prize-winning performance online here

“An die ferne Geliebte” – Ludwig van Beethoven
~Pause~
“Pace non trovo” – Franz Liszt
Wesendonck Lieder – Wagner
“Winterstürme wichen dem Wonnemond” from Die Walküre – Wagner
Artyom Pak, piano accompanist

The recital will be followed by a reception with refreshments.
Venue & Accessibility: The recital takes place in Victor Borge Hall in Scandinavia House, 58 Park Ave. between E 37th and E 38th Streets, and is wheelchair accessible.
Tickets: WSNY Members $20, Non-Members $30; WSNY Student Members free, Student non-members $20

Houston Tannhäuser Intermission Reception
2025-04-25 20:30 - 21:00 (America/Chicago) | Houston Grand Opera, 501 Texas Ave., Houston, TX, 77002, United States
Join fellow WSNY Members, representatives of the Houston Grand Opera, and other special guests for an intermission reception during the Friday, April 25 premiere of Tannhäuser at the Houston Grand Opera. Note that the ‘Dresden’ version will be performed, with minor cuts, and two intermissions. WSNY Members are kindly requested to RSVP before Friday, April 18, 2025.

Atlanta Opera Siegfried Events
2025-04-26
Members of the Wagner Society of New York have been invited to special events around the Saturday, April 26, 2025 performance of Siegfried at Atlanta Opera.
Join us for these offers and events:
1. Ticket Discount Code: WSNY members, check your e-mail for code
2. Pre-Performance Symposium hosted by Atlanta Opera on Saturday, 26 April from 10am-2pm – details online here.
3. Intermission meet-up: at the concession near the main entrance
4. Post-Performance nightcap at the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly – no RSVP required
5. Group brunch on Sunday, April 27 at 11:00am – RSVP by Fri 4/25 noon online here

Atlanta Siegfried Post-Performance Brunch
2025-04-27 11:00 - 12:30 (America/New_York) | 9 Mile Station, 675 Ponce de Leon Ave. NE, Atlanta, GA, 30308, United States
Join WSNY Members and Guests for a post-performance brunch at 9 Mile Station, a rooftop restaurant at Ponce City Market in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward. The restaurant offers sandwiches, salads, brunch items, entrées, and a full bar – check out the menu here. Enjoy a casual meet-up to discuss Siegfried and take in the sweeping views of the Atlanta Skyline. Ponce City Market, originally a Sears, Roebuck & Co. warehouse and showroom, has been converted to a multi-use dining, shopping, and entertainment space.
The $25 fee holds your seat and will be credited against your bill; it is forfeited in case of a no-show. Diners are responsible for their portion of the check and an automatic 20% gratuity; please bring cash. RSVP by Fri. 4/25 at noon.
Location:
Nine Mile Station is located on the rooftop of Ponce City Market in Atlanta’s historic Old Fourth Ward.
From the courtyard: Look for an orange kiosk with a lighted “The Roof” sign at the East end entrance to the Food Hall by Anthropologie and Posman Books.
From the BeltLine: Head through the corridor and down to the end of the wooden walkway. At the end, take the outdoor elevator or stairs down to the courtyard. From there, go left towards Anthropologie. Just outside Anthropologie look for the Kiosk with a lighted “The Roof” sign at the East end entrance to get to The Roof.
There you will find our helpful staff that can direct you to Nine Mile Station.
Parking: Ponce City Market offers both valet parking and self-parking. You will be able to pay for parking at one of the kiosks or on the ParkMobile app (zone 222). Please allow at least 30 minutes to park, check-in, and access The Roof.

Pre-Performance Meet-Up: Simone Young & Bruckner 6
2025-05-02 13:15 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | David Geffen Hall, 10 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY, 10023, United States
Pre-Performance Meet-Up: Friday, May 2 Matinée of Simone Young directing the New York Philharmonic in Bruckner’s Sixth Symphony, Schumann’s Cello Concerto, and and Schoenberg’s Notturno – come say Hi to fellow WSNY members from near and far. It’s a great chance to mingle with fellow opera enthusiasts, share your thoughts on the performance, and connect with like-minded people who appreciate great music and conversation. Whether you’re a long-time member or new to the Society, we’d love to see you there and hear your insights. You’ll find us on the Orchestra level by the merchandise kiosk – and can recognize our loyal members by their Wagner silhouette lapel pins. The house opens 45 minutes before the performance – come say Hi before you take your seat.

Reception with Conductor Simone Young - For Special Contributors
2025-05-02 16:30 - 18:00 (America/New_York)
Conductor Simone Young will again join the Wagner Society of New York, this time for a private reception following her matinée performance of Bruckner’s Sixth Symphony with the New York Philharmonic.
For Special Contributors (Patrons and above) only – a separate invite will be sent via e-mail.

Singers Competition Finals
2025-05-20 14:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Merkin Hall, 129 W 67th St., New York, NY, 10023, United States
Photo: Roger Malouf, Deborah Surdi, Cori Ellison, James Morris, Ken Benson, and Tyson Deaton at the 2024 Singers Competition Finals

Hear the future of Wagnerian singing: Our annual Singers Competition Finals will take place on Tuesday, May 20 and this year, for the first time, our members are invited to attend the final auditions, where they can be introduced to some of the most promising young Wagner voices from around the world. The Wagner Society of New York is proud to have supported young artists through grants and awards for over 30 years. Awards are funded by generous Society members who established the Robert Lauch Memorial Endowed Fund and the Ursula Springer Endowed Fund, and by those who continue to honor their legacy with their contributions. This year, Finalists will be presenting excerpts from Wagner and other works of similar dramatic vocal character. Our 2025 special guest judge will be renowned Wagnerian soprano Jane Eaglen, alongside Cori Ellison, Tyson Deaton, Ken Benson, Roger Malouf, and Deborah Surdi.
Learn more about the Singers Awards and competition requirements online here.
Finalists: To be announced
Venue & accessibility: Merkin Hall, Kaufman Music Center, 129 W 67th Street (betw. Broadway and Amsterdam), New York, NY 10023. The auditorium and restrooms are completely accessible.
Admission: Attendance is open to WSNY Members only. Tickets are offered as “pay what you wish,” with all ticket revenue directed to the Society’s Fund for Singers.

Pre-Performance Meet-Up: Salome at the Met
2025-05-21 19:15 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
Pre-Performance Meet-Up: Wednesday, May 21 performance of Salome at the Metropolitan Opera – come say Hi to fellow WSNY members from near and far. It’s a great chance to mingle with fellow opera enthusiasts, share your thoughts on the performance, and connect with like-minded people who appreciate great music and conversation. Whether you’re a long-time member or new to the Society, we’d love to see you there and hear your insights. You’ll find us on the Dress Circle level (center) – and can recognize our loyal members by their Wagner silhouette lapel pins. The house opens 45 minutes before the performance – come say Hi before you take your seat.

Book Launch: Wagner and the Creation of the Ring
2025-06-11 18:30 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | National Opera Center, 330 Seventh Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY, 10001, United States
Join the Wagner Society of New York in a special U.S. Book Release: Story of the Century: Wagner and the Creation of the Ring and a talk by its author Michael Downes. Part cultural history, part biography, this is the fascinating story of Richard Wagner’s life, influences, gift for storytelling, and artistic revolution, culminating in his dramatic journey to write The Ring Cycle. Downes states that “the Ring is a story not only from the nineteenth century, but also about it.”
Having garnered favorable reviews (Gramophone, Opera News, Edinburgh Music Review) from its November 2024 U.K. release (Faber & Faber) and named one of the 5 best music books of the year by Presto, we are proud to co-host this U.S. book launch with publishing house Pegasus Books. Credit Card orders for hardcover copies of the work will be available for pre-sale – order online here.
The event will be followed by a social hour with refreshments.
About the author: Michael Downes is a celebrated conductor, writer, lecturer, and co-author of The Wagners: The Dramas of a Musical Dynasty (Princeton University Press). He is the director of music at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland. Before moving to Scotland, he conducted numerous choral, operatic, orchestral, and contemporary music groups across England.

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.
Venue & 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).

Pre-Bayreuth Happy Hour Meet-Up
2025-07-22 18:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Reichenbach Hall, 5 West 37th Street, New York, NY, 10018, United States
Bayreuth Festival Happy Hour – A Pre-Festival Meet-Up in NYC
Are you going to the Bayreuth Festival this summer and want to meet other attendees? Have questions about your first visit to the Green Hill? Want to share some knowledge and memories about a previous visit? Just like talking about Wagner? Join us for a casual happy hour at Reichenbach Hall, spacious and welcoming Bavarian-style beer hall in Midtown Manhattan.
Whether you’ve attended for years or are just beginning your journey into the world of Wagner, this is a wonderful opportunity to meet others who share your passion. Bring a friend, bring your questions, and raise a glass of Hefeweizen with us as we count down the days to curtain-up in Bayreuth!
Find us: We’ll be at the high-top tables just inside to the right as you enter Reichenbach Hall.
Guests are kindly responsible for their own food and drink tabs.

Bayreuth Post-Walküre Dinner
2025-08-16 22:00 - 23:59 (Europe/Berlin) | Bürgerreuth Restaurant, an der Bürgerreuth 20, Bayreuth, 95445, Germany
Post-Walküre Dinner at Bürgerreuth Restaurant
Saturday, 16 August, approx. 10:00 p.m.
an der Bürgerreuth 20, 95445 Bayreuth – link to map
Interested in an al fresco Italian dinner with other English-speaking Festival attendees after Die Walküre? We’ve reserved the outdoor space at Bürgerreuth, a 5 minute walk from the Festspielhaus, and will arrange for appetizers to be ready on our arrival. Enjoy a lively conversation with other devoted Wagner fans, meet old friends and make new connections. Join us for a drink, and order à la carte as you like – pay your own way individually at the restaurant. In case of cold or inclement weather, we will have a space inside the restaurant.
This event is reserved for a limited number of attendees. RSVP by Thursday, 14 August at 12:00 noon EST. 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.
Please select your appetizer in advance.
(prices current at time of booking)
Appetizers:
Prosciutto di San Daniele, 19,80 €
Air-dried ham from San Daniele in Friuli with Cantaloupe
Filetto al Carpaccio, 15,80 €
Thin slices of raw beef with lemon, olive-oil and freshly shaved slices of parmesan
Vitello Tonnato, 15,80 €
Thin slices of roasted veal with tuna sauce
Mozzarella di Bufala alla Caprese, 16,80 €
Original Buffalo mozzarella from campania prepared with olive oil, tomatoes, basil and oregano
Prosciutto di San Daniele e Mozzarella di Bufala, 19,80 €
Air-dried ham from San Daniele in Friuli and buffalo mozzarella from Campania

Bayreuth Artist Talk: Ekaterina Gubanova
2025-08-18 10:30 - 23:30 (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.
Ekaterina Gubanova (2025: Kundry in Parsifal, Brangäne in Tristan und Isolde; Venus in Tannhäuser 2019-24) is acknowledged as one of the leading mezzos of our days. Born in Moscow she first studied piano before being trained as an opera singer at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatoire, the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and as a member of the Young Artists Program at the Royal Opera House in London. Since then, she regularly guests at the major opera houses and festivals worldwide, such as the Metropolitan Opera New York, the Lyric Opera Chicago, La Scala in Milano, the Rome Opera, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the Opera national de Paris, the Vienna State Opera, the Bavarian State Opera, the Berlin State Opera, the Hamburg State Opera, the Bolshoi Theatre, the Mariinsky Theatre, the Gran Teatro del Liceu Barcelona, the Teatro Real Madrid as well as the Bayreuth festival.
The 2024/25 season sees Ekaterina Gubanova in new productions of Das Rheingold (Fricka) at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, and Rusalka (Foreign Princess) at the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples. Later in the season, she also returns to the Paris Opera for Don Carlos and to the Vienna State Opera for a new production of Tannhäuser.
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: 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.
