Bard College Conservatory of Music and Bard Graduate Vocal Arts Program Present Menotti’s Amelia Goes to the Ball and Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi on March 6 and 8, 2026
VAP students at a rehearsal for Menotti’s Amelia Goes to the Ball and Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi. Photo by Hsiao-Fang Lin
The Bard College Conservatory of Music and Graduate Vocal Arts Program (VAP) will present a dual performance of operatic comedy with Gian Carlo Menotti’s Amelia Goes to the Ball and Giacomo Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, taking place on March 6 and March 8. A new production by stage director Doug Fitch, the operas will be performed by singers from Bard’s Graduate Vocal Arts Program with the Bard Conservatory Orchestra, conducted by James Bagwell, director of music performance studies and professor of music at Bard.
With comic invention and lyrical wit, Amelia Goes to the Ball, Menotti’s first staged opera, relays the story of an Italian socialite’s navigation of hurdles to attend the season’s first ball, while Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi transforms a Dantean tale of fraud into a masterclass of operatic irony and memorable motifs. Both one-acts showcase composers at the height of craft, blending human folly, clever plotting, and musical sophistication.
The operas will be sung in Italian with English subtitles, and the performance will feature spoken dialogue in English. The events will take place on Friday, March 6 at 7pm and Sunday, March 8 at 2pm in the Fisher Center’s Sosnoff Theater. Tickets start at $20. Free tickets are available to Bard students through the Passloff Pass. The program will be livestreamed, with virtual tickets offered as pay what you wish. All proceeds will directly support Bard Conservatory students. To purchase or reserve tickets, please visit the Fisher Center Website or call 845-758-7900 (Monday–Friday, 10 am–5 pm), or email [email protected].
Every two years, Bard Conservatory and VAP students mount a full-scale opera production as an exceptional opportunity for Hudson Valley audiences to experience the performances of emerging artists and explore the rich, theatrical world of opera. This year, the program’s comedic operas bring to life witty tales of love, greed, and disguise in an evening of charm and laughter.
Doug Fitch (director) is an internationally acclaimed director and designer whose work spans opera, theater, architecture, and visual art. His productions have been seen at the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Opera, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, and Santa Fe Opera, among others. Known for his inventive, interdisciplinary approach to performance, Fitch co-founded the production company Giants Are Small, through which he has created genre-defying collaborations that merge live music, design, and storytelling.
Post Date: 02-18-2026
With comic invention and lyrical wit, Amelia Goes to the Ball, Menotti’s first staged opera, relays the story of an Italian socialite’s navigation of hurdles to attend the season’s first ball, while Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi transforms a Dantean tale of fraud into a masterclass of operatic irony and memorable motifs. Both one-acts showcase composers at the height of craft, blending human folly, clever plotting, and musical sophistication.
The operas will be sung in Italian with English subtitles, and the performance will feature spoken dialogue in English. The events will take place on Friday, March 6 at 7pm and Sunday, March 8 at 2pm in the Fisher Center’s Sosnoff Theater. Tickets start at $20. Free tickets are available to Bard students through the Passloff Pass. The program will be livestreamed, with virtual tickets offered as pay what you wish. All proceeds will directly support Bard Conservatory students. To purchase or reserve tickets, please visit the Fisher Center Website or call 845-758-7900 (Monday–Friday, 10 am–5 pm), or email [email protected].
Every two years, Bard Conservatory and VAP students mount a full-scale opera production as an exceptional opportunity for Hudson Valley audiences to experience the performances of emerging artists and explore the rich, theatrical world of opera. This year, the program’s comedic operas bring to life witty tales of love, greed, and disguise in an evening of charm and laughter.
About the Artists
James Bagwell (conductor) maintains an active schedule as a conductor of choral, orchestral, and opera repertoire. He is professor of music and director of performance studies at Bard College, and co-director of the Bard Conservatory Graduate Program in Conducting. Bagwell also serves as director of choruses for the Bard Music Festival and as associate conductor of The Orchestra Now. His extensive performance history includes appearances at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center with ensembles such as the American Symphony Orchestra, The Collegiate Chorale, and numerous international orchestras.Doug Fitch (director) is an internationally acclaimed director and designer whose work spans opera, theater, architecture, and visual art. His productions have been seen at the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Opera, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, and Santa Fe Opera, among others. Known for his inventive, interdisciplinary approach to performance, Fitch co-founded the production company Giants Are Small, through which he has created genre-defying collaborations that merge live music, design, and storytelling.
Post Date: 02-18-2026