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With the safety of both our artists and audiences in mind, and guided by consultation with state and local health departments, Seagle Festival is excited to make the following announcements about the 2021 Seagle Festival Season.

Because audience gathering will likely not be allowed until sometime in the fall, we will once again be presenting virtual programming for our audiences. However, with the advantage of our residential campus that allows for our staff and artists to remain in a quarantine ‘bubble’ for the time they are here, the 2021 Seagle Festival emerging artist and staff will be working together on the Seagle Festival campus to present live-streamed performances. This will allow for something close to a live, in-person experience for our audiences, and will allow our emerging artists the opportunity to perform live, albeit through the camera.

With underwriting assistance from the Alfred Z. Solomon Charitable Trust, the Cloudsplitter Foundation, and the Touba Family Foundation, we are investing in high quality live-streaming equipment and technical personnel to ensure the audience experience is as close to a live performance as is possible under these circumstances. We are excited to join the world of live-streaming similar to so many incredible companies across the globe from the Metropolitan Opera to the Vienna Philharmonic.

In order to limit the number of people on our campus at once, and in accordance with anticipated pandemic guidelines, the 2021 Seagle Festival emerging artists will participate in-person in one of two four-week sessions this summer, along with virtual training for eight weeks. In each four-week session, the participating artists and staff will produce four productions, which will be live-streamed over a two-week period in a repertory schedule.

Since there will be no seat reservations, ticket sales will not begin until this spring. Details about ticket purchase, ticket price, and how to watch the streamed performances will be delivered via email, our website seaglefestival.org, and our social media channels: Facebook, Instagram & Twitter.

While the planned 2021 program is not back to our typical pre-pandemic level or schedule, we are proud to be able to offer these training and performance opportunities for the selected 2021 Seagle Festival emerging artist, and a full series of live-streamed performances for our beloved audiences.

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CLICK HERE FOR PRODUCTION DETAILS & PERFORMANCE DATES

For several years now, the opera and musical theater program located in Schroon Lake has struggled to reconcile part of its brand, namely the word ‘colony’, with what it does and how it functions in the greater field of classical music. To better reflect the nature of its business model, the former Seagle Music Colony will now be known as Seagle festival.

History and context:

In 1915, internationally famous concert singer and vocal teacher Oscar Seagle created a summer retreat in the Adirondacks for the express purpose of teaching vocal students. As was typical of the times, artist retreats were often called colonies – hence Seagle Colony began. In the early years it truly was an artist colony, where students worked on their singing but performed little for the public, barring an occasional recital or concert. Limited public performances of operas and scenes started in the 1930s at the Peabody Estate on Diamond Point Road in Lake George.

After Oscar died in 1946, his son John, a well-known singer and teacher himself, took over the program. He added a theater to the campus and increasingly frequent public performances happened in Schroon Lake. In 1995, operation of the program was transitioned to a non-profit organization governed by a Board of Directors. The company’s mission statement has changed over time to not only embrace vocal teaching, but include public performances to bolster this training. Recently, fall workshops and summer performances of new works of musical theater have further broadened the program’s offerings.

[Read more…] about Our 2021 Rebrand: Introducing SEAGLE FESTIVAL

We know you haven’t heard from our blog in a while, and believe us when we say we have missed you, dear followers! Now that we’re ramping up into summer, we wanted to update you on what we’ve been up to in Schroon Lake – and how we’re looking forward.

The Seagle response to the pandemic of
Racial Injustice

Seagle Music Colony’s mission is to produce the highest quality opera and musical theater showcasing exceptionally talented emerging artists, while providing career development and performance opportunities to support the resiliency of the art form. We affirm that this mission can only be accomplished in a reality where it is accepted that diversity is our strength, and in which there is the true guarantee of equal rights and opportunities for everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, or socio-economic background. We proclaim unity with our family of former artists, staff, and constituents, both of color and not, who stand together in these difficult times to demand equal treatment and opportunity. We reaffirm our commitment to our policies and procedures that encourage and prioritize diversity in our company and the greater field of opera and musical theater. We empathize and struggle with the pain of the moment, and we know that when we work together, we can and will accomplish lasting change.

Black Lives Matter !

Please continue to follow us, on our website and our social media channels, to find out what kinds of actions Seagle Music Colony will be taking to continue our commitment to making real and lasting change for our community and the greater field.

[Read more…] about What’s Going On in June and Beyond

You followed us around the country with Darren’s travelogue (if you missed it, you can still read along – check out “On the Road with DKW” on Facebook) as we heard auditions from many singers selected from an even larger pool of applications. After much travel and even more deliberation – we are so excited to share our 2020 roster with you!

A few fun facts about this stellar group of 32 promising performers to get us started:

• 9 are returning for a second summer on the hill (we love familiar faces! #heyoldfriends) and 23 are brand new (and we can’t wait to get to know them, too!).
• 10 are sopranos; 6 are mezzo-sopranos; 6 are tenors; 6 are baritones; and 4 are bass-baritones/basses.
• They hail from over 20 different US states.
• All 32 singers have or are currently completing a Bachelor’s Degree; 16 have or are currently completing a Master’s Degree.
• They will collectively perform 39 roles in 3 operas and 2 musicals over the course of our 2020 summer season. [whew!]

You can visit our 2020 Artists page to learn more about each individual singer. Know them, love them, and better yet – come hear them sing this summer from June-August!

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Season tickets are on sale now, and single tickets will be available starting April 1. Bringing a large group? We also offer discounts for groups of 10 or more. No matter how many people you bring, you won’t want to miss a moment of our exciting 105th season!