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

ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. — 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 $10. 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. About the Bard Conservatory Graduate Vocal Arts Program
The Graduate Vocal Arts Program is a unique master of music program in vocal repertory and expressive techniques with the flexibility and curiosity needed to keep abreast of evolving musical ideas. Led by the renowned American mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe, the program prepares young singers to meet the specific challenges of pursuing a professional life in music in the 21st century. Students engage with art song, chamber music, contemporary music, and operatic repertoire throughout their coursework. Operatic performance includes a fully staged production at the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts. The program includes seminars and classes in Alexander Technique, acting, diction and translation, development of performance opportunities, and a workshop in career skills with guest speakers who are leading figures in arts management and administration. To learn more, visit bard.edu/conservatory/vap/.
 
About Bard College Conservatory of Music
Founded in 2005, the Bard College Conservatory of Music offers a unique five-year, double-degree program at the undergraduate level, integrating rigorous musical training with a liberal arts education. Graduate programs include vocal arts, conducting, instrumental performance, and Chinese music and culture, along with Advanced Performance Studies and a Collaborative Piano Fellowship. The Conservatory’s US-China Music Institute, formed in 2017, offers the only degree programs in Chinese instrument performance in the Western Hemisphere. The Bard Conservatory Orchestra has performed at Lincoln Center, toured internationally to China, Russia, Eastern Europe, and Cuba, and in collaboration with the Bard Prison Initiative presents annual performances at NY-area prisons. The Conservatory enrolls more than 200 students from 27 countries and 35 states.
 
About Bard College
Founded in 1860, Bard College is a four-year residential college of the liberal arts and sciences
located 90 miles north of New York City. With the addition of the Montgomery Place and Massena properties, Bard’s campus consists of more than 1,200 parklike acres in the Hudson River Valley. It offers bachelor of arts, bachelor of science, and bachelor of music degrees, with majors in nearly 40 academic programs; advanced degrees through 13 graduate programs; 10 early colleges; and numerous dual-degree programs nationally and internationally. Building on its 165-year history as a competitive and innovative undergraduate institution, Bard College has expanded its mission as a private institution acting in the public interest across the country and around the world to meet broader student needs and increase access to liberal arts education. The undergraduate program at the main campus in upstate New York has a reputation for scholarly excellence, a focus on the arts, and civic engagement. Bard is committed to enriching culture, public life, and democratic discourse by training tomorrow’s thought leaders. For more information about Bard College, visit bard.edu.
 

This event was last updated on 02-18-2026

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