Opera Concert by Bard Conservatory of Music and Bard Graduate Vocal Arts Program Reviewed in the Millbrook Independent

A dual opera performance featuring Gian Carlo Menotti’s Amelia Goes to the Ball and Giacomo Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, performed by the Bard College Conservatory of Music and Graduate Vocal Arts Program, was reviewed in the Millbrook Independent. “This production was both local treat and professional declaration,” writes Kevin McEneaney, adding that “The audience responded with vivid acclamation.” Menotti’s 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. “The chorus sang with probing, elevated emotion and remarkably tight harmony,” continued McEneaney. “Musicians from The Orchestra Now performed with inflected, unified charm. Both witty operettas celebrate skillful women in a male-dominated society.”

Post Date: 03-10-2026