Francesca Zambello has announced she will step down as artistic and general director of upstate New York’s Glimmerglass Festival following the 2022 season, which will mark her 12th year in her leadership role.
The season will begin July 8 with The Sound of Music, as directed by Zambello. The production was initially slated for 2020, though put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic.
A new production of Carmen will follow, with Artist in Residence Denyce Graves at the helm. The mezzo-soprano, whose repertoire has included the Bizet title role, will also headline a two-night-only encore presentation of the Sandra Seaton play-with-music The Passion of Mary Cardwell Dawson, which premiered at Glimmerglass’ 2021 outdoor season.
Rounding out the lineup: Tenor Overboard, a “jukebox opera” of sorts weaving Rossini hits with a libretto by playwright Ken Ludwig; a double bill of Jerre Dye and Composer in Residence Kamala Sankaram’s Taking Up Serpents and Damien Geter and Lila Palmer’s Holy Ground; and a youth opera production of The Jungle Book, by Sankaram and Kelley Rourke.
“My years with The Glimmerglass Festival have been the best of my life,” Zambello, who is also the artistic director of Washington National Opera, wrote of her departure. “This is not goodbye; it is a time of transition and excitement for this company I adore. I am excited to witness and support the beginning for the next era of the ever-evolving Glimmerglass Festival.”
