Opera Saratoga expands reach with prestigious new collab
Saratoga’s own opera company will touch communities across New York State as part of a ‘darkly fun’ music theater tour.
Saratoga’s own Opera Saratoga and the famed Glimmerglass Festival will reach new communities across New York State thanks to a groundbreaking new collaborative partnership. This collab will bring the musical satire Happy End on a state-wide tour, and be a part of both companies’ 2026 festivals.
“This new model of co-producing a regional tour is intended to seed opera audiences state-wide by bringing this darkly fun evening of music theater all over New York State,” says Opera Saratoga’s General and Artistic Director, Mary Birnbaum. “We are so excited to be partnering with the Glimmerglass Festival to bring one of Kurt Weill’s cabaret operas to music venues all over New York State.”
Happy End is a “sharp, jazz-infused musical satire,” according to Glimmerglass’ 2026 season announcement touting the 70-minute production where “religion and capitalism collide.” Stand-out songs include “Surabaya Johnny” and “Bilbao Song.”
“The show stars the 2024 winner of the Lotte Lenya competition, Ana Karneža, who is also the first disabled graduate of the Juilliard Drama division,” Birnbaum says, “as well as eight opera stars of the future.”
Karneža is Slovenian and has performed Weill’s music in Europe, including at Germany’s Kurt Weill Fest for the legendary composer’s 125th birthday in March. (Weill enjoyed success in both the Germany, where he was born, and the U.S., where he spent his later years.) The award is named after Weill’s wife, who is widely considered the foremost interpreter of both Weill’s work and other operas of the time.
Happy End will be part of OS’s 2026 summer festival and be performed July 28 and 31 at Glimmerglass in Cooperstown. The show features music and lyrics by Weill and book by Elisabeth Hauptmann.
Abby Tegnelia is on the board of Opera Saratoga but all opinions are her own.
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