Boston Wagner Society
The Boston Wagner Society, Inc. is a 501©(3) nonprofit organization that promotes the knowledge and enjoyment of the music and librettos of the nineteenth-century composer Richard Wagner.
Upcoming Events
Announcing Masterclasses!
Jay Hunter Morris, Amber Wagner, Mark Delavan
Hope to see you soon!
Recent Events & News
Honoring the life of Susan Robertson
It is with great sadness that one of our valued board members, Susan Robertson, passed away recently. She was responsible for BWS website maintenance for many years and was our graphic design expert. She loved BWS, the music, and the collaboration.
VISITATION
Wednesday, September 27, 2023; 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM
MacDonald, Rockwell, & MacDonald Funeral Home
270 Main St., Watertown, MA 02472
It was a request on behalf of Susan and her family that donations be made directly to the Boston Wagner Society. She loved to see BWS thrive and volunteered countless hours. Please consider making a BWS donation in honor of Susan, or sending flowers via her obituary page above.
In Memoriam: Stephen Gould (1962-2023)
We as a society are extremely saddened to hear of the death of the great Wagnerian heldentenor, Stephen Gould, who passed away at 61. He had to suddenly retire recently due to a cancer diagnosis that took his life. Stephen was a lovely artist and soul.
“I am grateful to Bayreuth, for teaching me all that I could have hoped to know about the performance of this great musician’s works.
With many fond memories… Stephen Gould”
Obituaries: New York Times, Opera Wire, AP News
In Memoriam: Graham Clark (1941-2023)
We as a society gratefully acknowledge the life and passing of the late and great Wagnerian, Graham Clark, who died at 81 this past July. He was a member of our Distinguished Advisory Board.
Graham Clark was known as the greatest Mime of his generation, and his chemistry with Siegfried Jerusalem’s Siegfried was legendary.
Obituaries: Opera News, Opera Wire, The Guardian
Distinguished Advisory Board
Boston Wagner Society is proud and honored to acknowledge these great Wagnerians in our Distinguished Advisory Council.
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Stephanie sang her first Fricka in Stephen Wadsworth’s ‘Green Ring’ in Seattle and has gone on to perform the role on many occasions.
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Katarina Dalayman is renowned for her portrayal of both soprano and mezzo Wagnerian roles, including Brünnhilde, Brangane, and Fricka.
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Mark Delavan is lauded for his performances of Flying Dutchman and Wotan, in addition to his wide-ranging repertoire from Verdi to Sweeney Todd.
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Michelle De Young is well known for her portrayals of many of Wagner’s mezzos, including Brangäne, Venus, Fricka, and Waltraute.
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Greer Grimsley’s long and award winning career includes Wotan, Telramund, Dutchman and Gunter. He is also an acclaimed Scarpia, Jochanan, and Macbeth.
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Gordon Hawkins’ highly praised performances include Alberich, Gunter, and Telramund. He is also well known for Verdi and for his portrayal of Porgy.
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Ben Heppner is known for his iconic Tristan, Lohengrin, and Walter, as well as Beethoven’s Florenstan.
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James Morris is one of the greatest interpreters of Wotan of his generation. He is equally known for his Hans Sachs and Scarpia.
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Stephen Wadsworth is an award winning director of opera and theater, well known for his groundbreaking Ring production for Seattle Opera.
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Margaret Jane Wray has performed Sieglinde, Gutrune and Third Norn with great success at the Metropolitan Opera and many other houses.
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Graham Clark was known as the greatest Mime of his generation, and his chemistry with Siegfried Jerusalem’s Siegfried was legendary.
Obituaries: Opera News, Opera Wire, The Guardian
Featured Articles from the Archive
A note about the header picture:
The image of the swan boats in Boston Common was taken by a BWS member at one of our events in the Boston Public Garden. Nineteenth-century Bostonian entrepreneur Robert Paget started this leisure swan-boat business after he was inspired by seeing a performance of Lohengrin, after Wagner’s swan boat scene of his own. Read more here.
Wagner as a Bridge: Singing Beyond Boundaries
Katherine Goforth will showcase her powerful, award-winning tenor voice in concert this spring!
Katherine is the first winner of the True Voice Competition for transgender and non-binary singers. Katherine is undeterred by historical barriers in the performing arts and is finding new ways to show up authentically on stage, in the rehearsal room, and as a creative artist.
FREE for BWS members. Nonmembers may purchase tickets here for $35. Student tickets are $10.
Katherine is the recipient of Washington National Opera’s inaugural True Voice Award for transgender and non-binary singers and the Career Advancement Award from the fourth Dallas Symphony Orchestra Women in Classical Music Symposium. She won critical acclaim as part of the cast that premiered Philip Venables and Ted Huffman’s The Faggots and Their Friends Between Revolutions at the Manchester International Festival, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, and Bregenzer Festspiele. Based in Portland, OR, she has appeared extensively as a soloist with Pacific Northwest-based arts organizations, including Portland Opera, Bozeman Symphony, Walla Walla Symphony, Yakima Symphony, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Opera Bend, Opera Theater Oregon, Sound Salon (formerly Byron Schenkman and Friends), Artists Repertory Theatre, Fuse Theatre Ensemble, and Pink Martini.
Katherine was most recently part of the team that developed and produced Nu Nah-Hup: Sacajawea’s Story, a collaboration with Rose Ann Abrahamson, Sacajawea’s familial descendant, Hovia Edwards, Native American flutist, and Justin Ralls, composer and artistic director of Opera Theater Oregon, starring mezzo-soprano Marion Newman and baritone Richard Zeller. She has written for Opera Canada, and spoken at Boston Conservatory, Whitman College, and Renegade Opera.
Katherine was a member of the International Opera Studio of Oper Köln, received her Bachelor’s degree from St. Olaf College, her Master’s degree from the Juilliard School, and attended the Franz-Schubert-Institut, Britten Pears Young Artist Programme, Heidelberger Frühling Liedakademie, Georg Solti Accademia, and Boston Wagner Institute.