Glimmerglass Opera
Glimmerglass Opera
5
About
A popular opera and musical theater company, offering innovative productions and theatrical events every summer.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.8
259 reviews
Excellent
223
Very good
26
Average
5
Poor
2
Terrible
3
Sarushkaya
Rochester, NY1,667 contributions
Aug 2024 • Solo
I have heard of the Glimmerglass Opera since I lived in Western NY, but never visited.
What prompted me to come on a whim were two particular productions, The Pirates of Penzance and Calisto.
I have not seen these operas in many years. I am from NYC and used to live a block from the Gibert & Sullivan Society and frequent their presentations. Calisto was last seen by me in another opera house many years ago.
Both Glimmerglass productions are excellent in every respect. Vocally, musically, scenery, costumes.
I truly enjoyed coming to this beautiful opera house in upstate New York.
There is special accessible parking, and they provide cart transport from car to gate before and after the performance.
What prompted me to come on a whim were two particular productions, The Pirates of Penzance and Calisto.
I have not seen these operas in many years. I am from NYC and used to live a block from the Gibert & Sullivan Society and frequent their presentations. Calisto was last seen by me in another opera house many years ago.
Both Glimmerglass productions are excellent in every respect. Vocally, musically, scenery, costumes.
I truly enjoyed coming to this beautiful opera house in upstate New York.
There is special accessible parking, and they provide cart transport from car to gate before and after the performance.
Written 11 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RSscenicrailroadMRG
Richfield Springs, NY5 contributions
Aug 2022 • Friends
Sound of Music is my favorite musical and I was so excited to have this be my first experience at the Glimmerglass Opera house because the show was amazing. The acting was fantastic and everyone's voice was phenomenal.
They have a cute little gift shop along with food and beverages to purchase. Nice selection of quick bites and local beers and wine.
Mask wearing was mandatory but I had no issue with that. The performers are at least owed that.
Well worth the experience and hope to attend many more times.
They have a cute little gift shop along with food and beverages to purchase. Nice selection of quick bites and local beers and wine.
Mask wearing was mandatory but I had no issue with that. The performers are at least owed that.
Well worth the experience and hope to attend many more times.
Written 17 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
A Tripadvisor Member
We have been subscribing to the Glimmerglass Opera season since 1996 and ever since doing our annual pilgrimage to Cooperstown to see some remarkable opera performed in a remarkable place.
The Alice Busch Opera House is a fantastic construction with retractable side walls in a cow paddock overlooking the lake. This opera house has only one compromise,no airconditioning, but it is generally not needed during the balmy summer evenings.
The productions are first class as are the performers. Many new productions for New York City are developed here before opening in the city or elsewhere in the country. This is not old fuddy duddy opera. The performers as well as the behind the scenes crew are young and very talented. Always willing to try something new.... leading to some very avant guard productions.
The Alice Busch Opera House is a fantastic construction with retractable side walls in a cow paddock overlooking the lake. This opera house has only one compromise,no airconditioning, but it is generally not needed during the balmy summer evenings.
The productions are first class as are the performers. Many new productions for New York City are developed here before opening in the city or elsewhere in the country. This is not old fuddy duddy opera. The performers as well as the behind the scenes crew are young and very talented. Always willing to try something new.... leading to some very avant guard productions.
Written 5 August 2002
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Pam T
1 contribution
Aug 2024 • Friends
The performance of Pirates of Penzance was outstanding, but it was SO HOT in the venue, and the crowd was huge, generating even more heat. I see that there were reviews back over a decade ago complaining about how hot or very cold it was. I'm shocked that they haven't invested yet in altering the theater for climate control.
Written 3 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
danielle m
Forestburgh, NY6 contributions
Jul 2018 • Family
My husband and I took our 2 grandchildren to see West Side Story on July 16, 2018. The tickets cost $530. I didn't mind paying that price because it was an event I thought we would all enjoy together. The production was good, Maria was exceptional but truthfully, the heat ruined it for everyone. The people all around us were fanning themselves and during intermission, we all complained about the heat. How can one enjoy a performance under those circumstances? There is no reason the company cannot invest in AC. Personally, it was dangerously hot. I will not go again, unless I find out that they put in AC.
Written 21 July 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
marilyn S
Katonah, NY2 contributions
Aug 2018 • Couples
Sitting in center orchestra surrounded by everyone fanning themselves with programs just to ward off heat exhaustion - and that was before they closed the metal side walls. Performance was delayed waiting for a bus load of people to show up, with the metal sides closed, sweltering. I don’t even know if it’s legal to put that many people in an enclosed venue without a working air conditioning ventilation system. The average age of the audience was primarily very senior citizens, many of them wearing way too much perfume and fanning it around. I remember thinking one of two things had to happen, either the temperature had to become bearable or the performance had to be so good that you could forget how hot it was.
I had seen the production of Porgy and Bess last year and it was fabulous, the performers were all strong, voices projected to the back of the theater, the entire experience was pure joy start to finish. As with any great theater performance, it took you to a new reality and was over way too quickly.
I can’t give a valid review of West Side Story since the heat became the star of the show but the actress who played Anita was the standout. I thought the actor who played Tony was limited to facial squints and arm movements and his voice didn’t carry, neither did Riff’s portrayer have a strong voice. All in all it felt like a good college production but not nearly the same caliber as the past season’s Porgy and Bess.
It’s hard to spend that kind of money, not to mention the theater is not easy to get to from anywhere, and have the experience ruined by no air conditioning or ventilation. Time for management to stop asking for contributions for productions and find money in the budget to get air conditioning.
I noticed on the Glimmerglass website a section for FAQ and it stated the theater has no heat or air conditioning. It’s a summer festival, if it gets cool in the evening a sweater would suffice. You can put clothes on to get warm but you can’t get naked to cool down unless you want to be more of a show than the one that you bought tickets to.
I had seen the production of Porgy and Bess last year and it was fabulous, the performers were all strong, voices projected to the back of the theater, the entire experience was pure joy start to finish. As with any great theater performance, it took you to a new reality and was over way too quickly.
I can’t give a valid review of West Side Story since the heat became the star of the show but the actress who played Anita was the standout. I thought the actor who played Tony was limited to facial squints and arm movements and his voice didn’t carry, neither did Riff’s portrayer have a strong voice. All in all it felt like a good college production but not nearly the same caliber as the past season’s Porgy and Bess.
It’s hard to spend that kind of money, not to mention the theater is not easy to get to from anywhere, and have the experience ruined by no air conditioning or ventilation. Time for management to stop asking for contributions for productions and find money in the budget to get air conditioning.
I noticed on the Glimmerglass website a section for FAQ and it stated the theater has no heat or air conditioning. It’s a summer festival, if it gets cool in the evening a sweater would suffice. You can put clothes on to get warm but you can’t get naked to cool down unless you want to be more of a show than the one that you bought tickets to.
Written 17 August 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wcville
Charlottesville, VA21 contributions
I had my first visit to Cooperstown in July 2006 to visit a family member there for the summer and was enchanted by the area's beauty, charm and variety of interesting tourist destinations, particularly Glimmerglass Opera. While not an opera maven by any means, I was nonetheless thrilled with the theatrical experience. I saw Barber of Seville and had an opportunity to watch the dress rehearsal for another production. Expect to watch theatre of the highest caliber and the theatre itself is delightful. Don't miss the pre-show talks that are given 1 hour before each performance. The Glimmerglass website is also very helpful place to start to plan a trip to the area.
Written 27 August 2006
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rand C
Utica, NY123 contributions
Aug 2014 • Friends
I have been attending the Glimmerglass Opera since its inception in the 1970s. In the early years the company rose to the challenge of a high school auditorium and produced delightfully inventive and charming productions. After its move to a new state-of-the-art theatre the company began to stage productions that were sometimes a bit dull visually. Since Francesca Zambella took over as general manager the productions have frequently been utterly misconceived. This year's Ariadne in (sic) Naxos hit a new low for Glimmerglass (especially sad since Glimmerglass has produced it twice before in marvelous productions). Instead of being set in the "house of the richest man in Vienna" as specified in the score, the action took place in a barn in central New York State, livestock and all. The role of the composer, specified by Strauss and Hofmannsthal as a young man (sung by a soprano), became a lesbian intent on seducing the soubrette Zerbinetta. During the sublime final scene the metamorphosis of Ariadne and Bacchus was upstaged by the composer and Zerbinetta making out on a piano bench downstage left. The title role was well sung by Christine Goerke, but her low-camp send up of the role (clearly imposed on her by Zambella) did nothing to distinguish the tragedienne of the opera seria from the burlesque set of comics. hence the essential incongruity disappeared. The production of Carousel was relieved by the excellent Billy Bigelow of Ryan McKinney, whose young son in the role of Trouble was the only appealing thing in the charmless production of Butterfly. The best thing this season was the production of Tobias Picker's An American Tragedy, perhaps because--as an unfamiliar opera--it did not suffer by comparison with any previous performance the audience might have seen. It's hard to understand how someone was as little talent as Francesca Zambella continues to find employment.
Written 23 August 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rebecca G
1 contribution
Jul 2022 • Friends
They treated an 83 year old man like a criminal and kicked him out , indefinitely because he was unwilling to wear a mask (after telling them he had a problem breathing) This man has been going to the Glimmerglass Opera since 1987. He has bought at least 20 tickets each season and invited many people from different walks of life so they could experience the Opera. Living in America they acted like the CCP. After the event the hotshot executive director left a snotty voicemail just to rub it in that he was never allowed back there again. I will NEVER RECOMMEND GLIMMERGLASS OPERA TO ANYONE!!
Written 12 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bagspacked1
Sarasota, FL41 contributions
Aug 2019 • Couples
We attended the last performance of Showboat. The pre-show performance in the shed set the “stage” for an excellent show. A++
We enjoyed a delicious lunch on the grounds and enjoyed a short walk.
The staff are all helpful, from parking to seating.. it was a wonderful experience.
We enjoyed a delicious lunch on the grounds and enjoyed a short walk.
The staff are all helpful, from parking to seating.. it was a wonderful experience.
Written 4 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sarahhickey7
Oswego, New York
We have tickets to Ruth Bader Ginsberg opera Sunday at 530pm. W
is the performance in the opera house or in a local courthouse as once advertised
Written 8 August 2017
The Festival program states the opera will be performed in the main opera house.
Written 9 August 2017
sarahhickey7
Oswego, New York
We have tickets to the Ruth Bader Ginsberg opera on Sunday. I am a bit confused as to where this event is being held. Is it at the opera house or at a nearby court house?
Written 8 August 2017
Patriciastone38
Liverpool, New York
I'd like a schedule of shows available may thru June 2015
Could you send me a brochure for this season please?7
Written 16 March 2015
GlimmerglassFestival
Cooperstown, New York
The 2015 Glimmerglass Festival runs July 10 through August 23. The company will present "Moonshine Revelers and Shades of Night" on Saturday, June 13 at 5:30 p.m. at Hyde Hall. Company members will perform excerpts from plays and operas, as well as other musical settings of Shakespeare texts. Tickets are $20/$10 youths (12 and under). More information is on the Glimmerglass website.
Written 17 March 2015
We have tickets for two performances at Glimmerglass in August 2015 and would like recommendations of convenient places to stay. We prefer not to drive too far in the dark!
Written 26 January 2015
GlimmerglassFestival
Cooperstown, New York
The Glimmerglass Festival has a listing of accommodations on its website under "Your Visit" and "Prepare." The establishments are listed in order of distance from the opera house. I hope that helps!
Written 17 March 2015
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