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| | WOLF TRAP OPERA’S 2025 SUMMER SEASON FEATURES OPERATIC MASTERWORKS: MOZART’S MARRIAGE OF FIGARO, POULENC’S DIALOGUES OF THE CARMELITES, AND BIZET’S CARMEN | | |
WTO’s summer casting showcases some of today’s top emerging opera artists, including sopranos Keely Futterer and Arianna Rodriguez, mezzo-sopranos Elissa Pfaender and Erin Wagner, tenor Daniel O’Hearn, bass-baritone Christian Simmons, and many more
The National Symphony Orchestra’s summer residency at Wolf Trap returns with Cynthia Erivo, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Sutton Foster, Kelli O’Hara, and more!
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Vienna, VA (June 4, 2025) — This summer, Wolf Trap Opera (WTO)—one of the country’s premier training grounds for emerging opera artists—presents a dynamic season that features fully staged productions of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro (June 20, 22, 24, 26, 28), Poulenc’s Dialogues of the Carmelites (July 18, 20, 24, 26), and Bizet’s Carmen in a one night only event on August 15. The season also includes recitals, master classes, and performances at Wolf Trap and across the DC area.
WTO’s artist-driven programming, part of the larger Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, showcases the talents of its Filene and Studio Artists who are some of the most promising rising stars in opera today. Along with the guidance of newly appointed Artist Development Advisor Renée Fleming, WTO continues to elevate its mission to mentor and support young artists at the highest level.
The company’s artist-first philosophy is most evident in its process: operas are selected only after hearing auditions and identifying the strengths of the incoming singers. This summer only 18 singers, less than 3% of all applicants, were chosen to join Wolf Trap Opera’s Filene Artists. This is a program founded in 1971 and named for Wolf Trap’s founder, Catherine Filene Shouse. Unlike most residency programs, WTO casts all featured and leading roles with these young artists, giving them the experience of performing center stage in professionally produced operas. Wolf Trap Opera has also chosen 16 Studio Artists—singers of notable potential, currently or recently enrolled in voice programs. During this pivotal career stage, these young artists receive tailored training, understudy the Filene Artists, perform smaller roles in mainstage productions, appear in UNTRAPPED performances, and more.
Distinguished alums of the programs include Jamie Barton, Lawrence Brownlee, Stephanie Blythe, Sasha Cooke, Michelle DeYoung, Christine Goerke, Denyce Graves, Ryan Speedo Green, Paul Groves, Nathan Gunn, Alan Held, John Holiday, Kate Lindsey, Ryan McKinny, Erin Morley, Eric Owens, Ailyn Pérez, Dawn Upshaw, and Tamara Wilson.
| | 2025 OPERA SEASON HIGHLIGHTS | | |
Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro | June 20, 22, 24, 26 + 28 | The Barns at Wolf Trap
Conducted by Emily Senturia and directed by E. Loren Meeker, this classic comedy comes to life in an Italian-language production with English subtitles. The cast features Filene Artists, including Washington DC-native and winner of the 2023 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition bass-baritone Christian Simmons as Figaro and soprano Arianna Rodriguez in her role debut as Susanna. Baritone Charles H. Eaton sings Count Almaviva, following his 2024 WTO performances in Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell’s Silent Night called “powerfully sung, endearingly acted and endowed with an easy humanity” by The Washington Post; soprano Brittany Olivia Logan, recent graduate of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, sings the role of Countess Almaviva; and Curtis Institute of Music alum and two-year member of Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Ryan Opera Center, mezzo-soprano Sophia Maekawa, performs Cherubino.
Poulenc: Dialogues of the Carmelites | July 18, 20, 24 + 26 | The Barns at Wolf Trap
Presented in French with English subtitles, this searing, meditative opera by Francis Poulenc follows a group of Carmelite nuns facing martyrdom during the French Revolution. Conducted by Geoffrey McDonald and directed by Katherine M. Carter, the cast includes returning Filene Artists, soprano Keely Futterer, hailed as a “standout singer” by The Wall Street Journal, as Madame Lidoine; mezzo-soprano Erin Wagner, who recently made her Metropolitan Opera debut in Die Frau ohne Schatten, as Blanche; and mezzo-soprano, Gabrielle Beteag, 2020 winner of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont as Mère Marie.
Bizet: Carmen | August 15 | Filene Center
A powerful season finale, Bizet’s Carmen will be presented in French with English subtitles, conducted by José Luis Gómez and directed by John de los Santos. The opera features mezzo-soprano Elissa Pfaender back in the US to sing the role of Carmen following acclaimed performances at the Teatro Real Madrid and Deutsche Oper Berlin (she also debuts the role of Marcelina in The Marriage of Figaro at WTO this summer); tenor Daniel O’Hearn, now in his second year in the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at the Met, where he recently performed in Il Trovatore and The Queen of Spades, as Don José. Puerto Rican-Cuban American soprano Amanda Batista, also part of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, sings Micaëla; and Colombian baritone Laureano Quant, lauded for a voice that is “robust and full of swagger” by the San Francisco Chronicle, returns to Wolf Trap to sing Escamillo.
| | ADDITIONAL WTO PRESENTATIONS | | |
UNTRAPPED | Various Locations Across the DC Area
An initiative that brings WTO artists into various communities in the larger DC area, UNTRAPPED delivers the thrill of live vocal music to new places and unexpected spaces. On June 7, the National Orchestral Institute + Festival, Wolf Trap Opera Studio Artists, soprano Francesca Herrera, mezzo-soprano Julianna Smith, and conductor Andrew Grams perform Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center in College Park, MD. Conductor Marin Alsop, Wolf Trap Opera Filene Artists, soprano Midori Marsh, and mezzo-soprano Gabrielle Beteag, with the National Orchestral Institute + Festival, perform Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, “Resurrection” on June 14 at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center and on June 15 at Washington National Cathedral. On July 9, Wolf Trap Opera Studio Artists present a free performance of opera scenes and arias at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Georgetown.
Master Classes & Artist Development | The Center for Education at Wolf Trap
The WTO summer season begins on June 4 with recitalist and longtime Wolf Trap Opera favorite, pianist Steven Blier, coaching WTO Studio Artists in a master class. Grammy Award-winning American soprano and Wolf Trap Opera alumna ('08), Tamara Wilson, returns to Wolf Trap as the 2025 Filene Artist-in-Residence, collaborating closely with emerging artists in WTO’s Studio Artist Program and giving a public master class on June 11. On July 29, esteemed soprano and Wolf Trap Opera’s Artist Development Advisor, Renée Fleming, hosts the final master class of the summer season, mentoring the next generation of opera stars.
Salon Series, Studio Spotlight & Aria Jukebox | The Barns at Wolf Trap
On June 25, July 1, and July 22, the artist-curated Salon Series features bespoke musical journeys programmed by the performers, showcasing wildly different programs within a serene and intimate listening environment. On the afternoon of June 29, Filene Artists present Aria Jukebox, a lively interactive performance that allows the audience to request their favorite arias to be performed by the artists. On July 31 at The Barns, WTO hosts Studio Spotlight, a members-only event showcasing the Studio Artists in opera scenes, highlighting their remarkable talents.
| NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA & CLASSICAL AT THE FILENE CENTER | |
On June 25, Croatian cellist and founding member of the duo 2Cellos, HAUSER, presents an evening of works ranging from popular music to renditions of works by Mozart and Rachmaninoff.
The NSO kicks off its summer season at Wolf Trap with movie magic, performing the score of Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back in Concert on July 17. On August 2, the NSO performs in Back to the Future in Concert with approximately 20 minutes of brand-new music added to the film’s score by award-winning composer Alan Silvestri.
On July 18, French pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet joins the NSO and conductor Katharina Wincor, performing Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in a program that also includes Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade.
Conductor Tianyi Lu, Wolf Trap Opera Soloists, Choral Arts Society of Washington, Children’s Chorus of Washington, and the NSO present Orff’s towering Carmina Burana on July 25.
On August 1, the Tony Award–winning duo Sutton Foster and Kelli O’Hara join conductor Emil de Cou and the NSO for an evening of works by Rodgers and Hammerstein, Sondheim, Cole Porter, Jason Robert Brown, Joni Mitchell, and many more.
On September 6 + 7, the Tony Award–winning and Academy Award–nominated Cynthia Erivo, fresh from her acclaimed movie performance in Wicked, closes the summer season with Broadway hits and other standards, alongside conductor Steven Reineke and the NSO.
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Performance calendar, production information, casting, and a full WTO artist roster can be found here.
Links to print-ready venue photography are below.
A complete calendar of performances is available at www.wolftrap.org/calendar.
Tickets on sale now.
Dan and Gayle D’Aniello,
Wolf Trap 2025 Season Underwriters and Renée Fleming Artist Development Advisor, Program Underwriters
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ABOUT WOLF TRAP
Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, produces and presents a full range of performance and education programs in the Greater Washington area, as well as nationally. Wolf Trap features three performance venues: the outdoor Filene Center and Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods, both located at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, and The Barns at Wolf Trap, located adjacent to the Center for Education at Wolf Trap. The 7,028-seat Filene Center is operated in partnership with the National Park Service and annually showcases an extensive array of diverse artists, ranging from pop, country, folk, and blues to classical music, and dance from May through September. The Barns at Wolf Trap is operated by Wolf Trap Foundation year-round, and during the summer months is home to the Grammy-nominated Wolf Trap Opera, one of America’s outstanding professional training programs for early career opera singers. Wolf Trap’s education programs include the nationally acclaimed Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts, Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods, a nationally recognized internship program, arts education classes, and grantmaking programs.
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