Opera Saratoga announces first-ever holiday opera La Bohème to celebrate 65th season

Saratoga Springs, NY – To kick off a year-long celebration of Opera Saratoga/Lake George Opera Festival’s 65th anniversary, Opera Saratoga announces the first holiday opera in the company’s history. Opera Saratoga will produce a special 80-minute concert version of Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème at Universal Preservation Hall on December 5 at 7 p.m. featuring emerging opera stars from the Juilliard School and beyond, in collaboration with the Skidmore chorus and members of Excelsior Vocal ensemble. The concert will be music directed and accompanied on piano by Adam Nielsen (The Juilliard School, Metropolitan Opera) and directed by Mary Birnbaum, Opera Saratoga’s General and Artistic Director. The Skidmore Chorus will be conducted by Floydd Ricketts and include members of the Excelsior Vocal Ensemble (Artistic Director Andrew Burger).

“We chose La Bohème to honor the heritage of Opera Saratoga/Lake George Opera Festival, which began its first season 65 years ago with this beloved Puccini classic,” said director Mary Birnbaum. “It’s a magical introduction to opera—Puccini’s story of young artists in love is heartfelt and accessible, especially for first-time operagoers. The opera begins on Christmas Eve and later moves to the festive streets of Paris, making it the perfect way to celebrate the holidays with our community.”

Birnbaum adds, “We hope to welcome both adults and children who have never experienced opera before and those who are seasoned opera lovers—and to dazzle them with young artists performing some of the most beautiful music in the operatic repertoire.”

To add to the warm welcome, newcomers to the opera will be given the opportunity to buy $25 tickets to the event in a special presale on at noon on Tuesday, Sept 2 – first-come first serve, and limited quantity with the code: NEWCOMERS.

This concert is part of an amplified year-round presence of Saratoga's hometown opera, which historically has a world-renowned summer festival season in May/June. Following an end-of-summer party with a performance by Nielsen and Ariadne Greif, who sang Song to the Moon from Rusalka, Marine from Les illuminations and Part of Your World from The Little Mermaid. Opera Saratoga will next throw a musical pop-up and cocktail party from 4 to 6 p.m. at the new Standard Fare on September 11. Christine Taylor Price, star of last season's She Loves Me, will sing opera and Broadway standards, and there will be bites and signature cocktails from Phila Street's newest hotspot, which is currently fully committed through most of September.

When: Friday, December 5, 7pm

Where: Universal Preservation Hall

25 Washington Street, Saratoga Springs 12866

Ticket information:

For tickets visit www.atproctors.org

September 2: Newcomers $25 presale

Direct link with the NEWCOMERS code embedded: https://tickets.proctors.org/TheatreManager/95/online?presale&code=NEWCOMERS&F_HTML_REDIRECT_COUPON=btnGetEventList

September 16: Donor presale

September 23: Tickets available to general public

For more information: https://atuph.org/event/opera-saratoga-presents-la-boheme/

For more information and to subscribe to our mailing list, please visit https://www.operasaratoga.org/

Opera Saratoga, formerly known as Lake George Opera, began with a production of Die Fledermaus at the Diamond Point Theatre on July 5, 1962, playing to an audience of 230. The Company now calls Saratoga Springs home and performs for more than 25,000 people annually. Opera Saratoga celebrates its 60th Anniversary this season. The company serves the communities of Saratoga Springs, the Lower Adirondack and New York State Capital areas by providing access to world-class opera through the production of an annual Summer Festival, as well as year-round activities including extensive educational programs, mentorship of emerging operatic artists, and unique opportunities for the public to experience opera in both our home theater and non-traditional venues that leverage and embrace the unique cultural, historic, and natural resources of the area. To date, the company has performed 106 different fully staged works by 66 different composers, including 42 works by American composers and 14 premiere productions. In 2023, the company hired its 10th Artistic and General Director, Mary Birnbaum.