Upcoming & Recent Events
AMERICAN WAGNER FESTIVAL 2026 FINALE
Join us in celebrating the culmination of the American Wagner Festival students’ hard work this summer!
This will be an all-Wagner concert featuring each student performing memorized, fully-staged Wagner scenes, directed by Jane Eaglen. Each scene is accompanied by the magnificent American Wagner Festival Orchestra, led by Maestro Jonathan McPhee.
Saturday, August 8, 2026 from 7-9 pm in Cary Hall, Lexington, MA.
FREE to Boston Wagner Society members and students with ID.
Support for this performance was provided by a grant from the Community Endowment of Lexington, an endowed fund of the Foundation for MetroWest.
Mark Delavan Masterclass | Presented by the American Wagner Festival
Acclaimed Wagnerian baritone, Mark Delavan will work with the young singers of the American Wagner Festival.
The event will be from 3-5 pm at Follen Church in Lexington, MA.
FREE to Boston Wagner Society members and Students with valid ID.
Support for this event was provided by a grant from the Community Endowment of Lexington, an endowed fund of the Foundation for MetroWest.
WAGNER GOES TO THE MOVIES | AWF Pops Concert
Maestro Jonathan McPhee presents: Wagner Goes to the Movies, a Pops night with the American Wagner Festival Orchestra.
Featuring guest soprano, Kat Skafidas.
Friday, July 31, 2026 from 7-9 pm in Cary Hall, Lexington, MA.
FREE to Boston Wagner Society members and students with ID.
Support for this event was provided by a grant from the Community Endowment of Lexington, an endowed fund of the Foundation for MetroWest.
Jay Hunter Morris Masterclass | Presented by the American Wagner Festival
Renowned Wagnerian tenor, Jay Hunter Morris will work with the young singers of the American Wagner Festival.
The event will be from 7-9 pm at Follen Church in Lexington, MA.
FREE to Boston Wagner Society members and Students with valid ID.
Support for this event was provided by a grant from the Community Endowment of Lexington, an endowed fund of the Foundation for MetroWest.
Jane Eaglen Masterclass | Presented by the American Wagner Festival
Internationally-recognized Wagnerian, founder of AWF, and Boston Wagner Society President Jane Eaglen will work with the students of the American Wagner Festival in a public masterclass.
The event will be from 7-9 pm at Follen Church in Lexington, MA
FREE to Boston Wagner Society members and Students with valid ID.
Support for this event was provided by a grant from the Community Endowment of Lexington, an endowed fund of the Foundation for MetroWest.
Wagner and Vino 2026 (AWF)
Tuesday, July 28, 2026, 7:00 PM
The Burren • 247 Elm St., Somerville
$20 advance • $25 door • Tickets
A night of music, merriment, and merlot with operatic voices singing in your favorite local pub!
Join us for an ale and an aria as we hear this year's AWF students sing opera favorites.
AMERICAN WAGNER FESTIVAL 2026
Hosted in Lexington, Massachusetts, with all rehearsals, coachings, classes, and performances held in town.
Support for this festival was provided by a grant from the Community Endowment of Lexington, an endowed fund of the Foundation for MetroWest.
The Community Endowment of Lexington enhances the quality of life for Lexington citizens. CEL, an endowed fund of the Foundation for MetroWest, awards grants to nonprofits and town agencies working in the areas of health and human services, arts and culture, the environment, and community building; provides ways for donors to give back and leave a legacy; and encourages innovative and collaborative solutions to issues facing Lexington, MA. For more information, visit www.lexingtonendowment.org.
Kip Cranna: SPOTLIGHT ON LEITMOTIVS
A SPOTLIGHT ON LEITMOTIVS:
ANOTHER LOOK AT WAGNER'S RING
The leitmotivs ("signature tunes") in Wagner's The Ring of the Nibelung are an endless source of fascination. San Francisco Opera's Dramaturg Emeritus Kip Cranna will use video and audio examples to explore the meanings, transformations. and interrelationships of leitmotivs in The Ring to offer some new insights into Wagner's genius.
This will be a LIVE Zoom presentation.
Sunday May 3rd, 2PM EST on Zoom
Free to BWS Members — No purchase necessary for BWS members, simply email us to RSVP. info@bostonwagnersociety.org
$10 for nonmembers
DONALD PALUMBO: Live on Zoom
“A Chorus Master’s Career with the Operas of Richard Wagner”
LIVE ZOOM PROGRAM
Sunday, March 22, 2026, 2:00 p.m.–3:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
Sponsored by Boston Wagner Society, Martha Dimes, Peter Hamilton, Jane Lynch, John Paul Middlesworth, Richard Sarles, MD, and Margie Satinsky.
REGISTRATION
If you plan to participate on the day of the event or would like to receive a link to the recording of the program, please register via purchasing a ticket, then we will send you a link.
If you have any questions, please email: info@bostonwagnersociety.org
The event is free for BWS and TWS members who have paid 2026 dues.
We will record the program and send the link to any members or ticketholders who request it.
ERICA MINER: Mendelssohn and Wagner
Boston Wagner Society is delighted to welcome back Erica Miner to present: Mendelssohn and Wagner
January 25th, 2PM EST on Zoom
Free to BWS Members — No purchase necessary for BWS members, simply email us to RSVP. info@bostonwagnersociety.org
Although there was a stark contrast between the music of Richard Wagner and his contemporary Felix Mendelssohn, the relationship between the two German geniuses was fraught with competitiveness, rivalry, and jealousy—mostly on the part of Wagner. Former Metropolitan Opera violinist Erica Miner's frank discussion shines a light on Wagner’s critical perspective toward his brilliant German colleague.
Jeffrey Buller: “Sleep in the Ring" (Zoom)
Boston Wagner Society is excited to have Jeffrey Buller present “Sleep in the Ring.”
Sunday December 7th 2025, 2pm Eastern Time, on Zoom
Free to BWS members; please RSVP via email to register.
Sleep in theRing explores one of the most haunting and overlooked themes in Wagner’s great tetralogy: the image of sleep.
MEMBERS ONLY! Michael Downes Book Release Party: ‘Wagner and the Creation of the Ring’
We are thrilled to welcome conductor and musicologist Michael Downes to lecture on his 2025 book release, Wagner and the Creation of the Ring.
This will be a private event for members only, graciously hosted by one of our members at their home in the beautiful Back Bay neighborhood of Boston. Attendees will have the opportunity to purchase a signed copy and get to know Michael one-on-one.
Friday, November 21, 2025; 6:30-8PM. RSVP soon - we will have a limit of 50 attendees.
Members interested in attending must RSVP via email: info@bostonwagnersociety.org
MICHAEL STEINBERG: Wagner and Verdi Together (Zoom)
Boston Wagner Society is excited to have MICHAEL STEINBERG present “Wagner and Verdi Together.”
Sunday October 5th 2025, 2pm Eastern Time, on Zoom
Free to BWS members; please RSVP via email to register.
The presentation will juxtapose the careers and some of the key works of Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner as composers of national music in both content and style. In the age of nationalism, how did Verdi become the Italian icon and Wagner the German one? Are their nationalisms compatible? Radically different? Does Verdi deserve his continuously good press, and Wagner his consistently bad reputation?
Wagner & Vino: Spring 2025
WAGNER & VINO IS BACK!
A night of music, merriment, and merlot with operatic voices singing in your favorite local pub!
Join us for an ale and an aria. Featuring Boston Wagner Institute Alumni, Boston Wagner Society board members and staff, and dear friends of BWS. We are also grateful to welcome Brendon Shapiro as our collaborative pianist!
May 28, 2025 • 7 PM • The Burren • 247 Elm St. Somerville • $15 advance • $20 door • burren.com
Desirée Mays: “Wagner’s Women: Real and Imagined” (ZOOM)
Desirée Mays, author of the Opera Unveiled book series will present “Wagner’s Women: Real and Imagined” on Zoom, April 13, 2025, 2:00 PM.
Music is a woman... She must be loved by the poet, must surrender herself to him, in order that the new artwork of the future may be born" (Richard Wagner from Opera and Drama, 1851) — Desirée Mays
Born in Ireland, and educated in London, Desirée came to the States and gradually became immersed in the world of opera as a speaker, storyteller, professor, radio interviewer, reviewer, and writer.
Free to BWS Members — No purchase necessary for BWS members, simply email us to RSVP. info@bostonwagnersociety.org
Joel Balzun: Baritone in Recital (BWI Alumnus)
Nationally recognized baritone and Boston Wagner Institute alumnus, Joel Balzun will be singing in recital at First Church of Boston with pianist Brett Hodgdon, on Saturday, April 12, at 2:00 PM.
Featuring Wagner selections from Das Rheingold, Lohengrin, and Tannhäuser. Also presenting pieces by Gustav Mahler, Alma Mahler, Jean Sibelius, and Richard Strauß.
Free for STUDENTS and BWS Members — No purchase necessary!
Georgia Shreve Awarded Esteemed 2025 Spirit of Wagner Award
This week, we are honoring Georgia Shreve as our inaugural Spirit of Wagner Award recipient, honoring her extraordinary contributions to the arts.
This private VIP event will take place at The University Club of New York this Wednesday, March 19, and will celebrate Shreve’s prolific career as a composer, writer, playwright, and producer.
NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, March 19, 2025. READ MORE: /EINPresswire.com/
Save the Date: WAGNER FESTIVAL 2026 WITH ORCHESTRA
Boston Wagner Society unveils plans to transform its Wagner Institute into a landmark biennial program, establishing America's premier Wagnerian training hub.
BOSTON, MA, UNITED STATES, March 11, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/
We are excited to announce our plans to transform our prestigious Boston Wagner Institute (BWI) into a landmark biennial program with a full orchestra.
Led by the Society's President Jane Eaglen, accompanied by distinguished conductor Jonathan McPhee, whose arrangement of Wagner's complete Ring Cycle, "The Essential Ring", has received international acclaim.
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While the Institute's traditional summer program will pause in 2025 to facilitate this evolution, the Society maintains our dedication to advancing Wagner's musical legacy through education and artistic development. The enhanced format promises to make New England the destination for aspiring Wagnerian singers and establish a new model for operatic training in North America.
ERICA MINER, The Perils of Wagner: Backstage Drama at the Met
Boston Wagner Society is delighted to welcome back Erica Miner to present:
The Perils of Wagner:
Backstage Drama at the Met Opera Part 2 — The Ring
December 15th, 2PM EST on Zoom
Free to BWS Members — No purchase necessary for BWS members, simply email us to RSVP. info@bostonwagnersociety.org
In a follow-up on her presentation on the dangers and difficulties in performing Lohengrin, former Met Opera violinist Erica Miner reveals the behind-the-scenes dramas and perils inherent in Wagner’s Ring, with emphasis on the controversial 2010 Robert Lepage Met production.
As well as a former Met Orchestra violinist and musicologist, Erica is an acclaimed author. Her latest book is Overture to Murder.
Jonathan McPhee: "The Essential Ring"
Boston Wagner Society is thrilled to welcome distinguished conductor, Jonathan McPhee, to present “The Essential Ring.” This will be a lecture on his work of reducing the Ring Cycle, and all the intricacies that a project like this entails.
Maestro McPhee’s arrangement of Wagner’s complete RING Cycle, entitled “The Essential RING”, was premiered by Lexington Symphony and has received international acclaim as a wonderful, and respectfully approachable version of this masterpiece and is available from Boosey & Hawkes. Inc.
Sunday November 17; 2pm EST on Zoom
FREE to BWS Members - RSVP via email for registration
$10 to non-members - we will send you a registration link upon purchase.
Barry Millington Presents: Wagner and the English Musical Renaissance
We are thrilled to have renowned author, critic and founder of 'The Wagner Journal' Barry Millington, share his expertise with us.
The so-called English Musical Renaissance, initiated around 1880 by a handful of composers spearheaded by Charles Hubert Hastings Parry and Charles Villiers Stanford, lifted the country’s musical affairs out of the doldrums, rescuing it from its reputation as the ‘Land ohne Musik’ (Land without Music).
It was in the 1870s too that Wagner’s music began to enter the bloodstream of the British music-going public, with the first performances of Der fliegende Holländer, Tannhäuser and Lohengrin, followed in due course by the Ring, Tristan und Isolde and Die Meistersinger.
This talk investigates the extent to which musical activity in England in the late 19th century was influenced by Wagner, setting it in the broader context of the interaction of Wagner and Victorian society.
Sunday September 22nd; 1pm EST on Zoom
FREE to BWS Members - RSVP via email for registration
$10 to non-members - we will send you a registration link upon purchase.
Sarah Taylor, BWI alumna in CONCERT!
Boston Wagner Society and Music at the Redeemer present Sarah Taylor, mezzo-soprano, collaborating with Nigel Potts, organ, in concert.
Featuring: Wagner & Elgar
Wagner: Wesendonck Lieder; Tristan und Isolde, Act I Prelude & “Liebestod”
Elgar: Sea Pictures; Chanson de Nuit
Free with a suggested donation, $20-30.
Reception following in the Parish Hall - all are welcome. Wheelchair accessible.
Boston Wagner Institute 2024: FINALE SCENES CONCERT
Join us in celebrating the culmination of the BWI students’ hard work this summer!
This will be an all-Wagner concert featuring each student performing memorized, fully-staged Wagner scenes.
5:30-7:30 PM in Seully Hall at Boston Conservatory at Berklee.
Repertoire: (not in program order)
Das Rheingold: Vorspiel und Erste Szene, followed by Vierte Szene “Alberich’s Curse”
Der fliegende Holländer: Act II Scene 5, “Bleib Senta”
Die Walküre: Act II Scene 3, “Raste nun hier”
Lohengrin: Act III Scene 2, “Das süsser Lied verhallt”
Tannhäuser: Act II Scene 1, “Dich teure Halle” … “die Freude mein”
Tristan und Isolde: Act I Scenes 3-4, “O Süsse! Traute!” ... “Herr Tristan!”
All scenes staged by our dramatic director, Chuck Hudson. Accompanied on piano by Brett Hodgdon and Bob Mollicone.
FREE to Boston Wagner Society members and students with ID.
$20 to all others, payable in advance on our website, or at the door.
Join the Boston Wagner Society to take advantage of unlimited free access to all BWI and BWS events!
Carol Krusemark (MGH Voice) Vocal Health Seminar: Presented by BWI
Carol Krusemark is a vocal pathologist/singing voice specialist at the Center for Laryngeal Surgery and Voice Rehabilitation at the Massachusetts General Hospital and adjunct faculty at the Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions. She will talk about care of the voice and how to ensure one has a long and healthy singing career. This will be an informative discussion for musicians and music appreciators just as much as vocalists.
The event will be from 2-4 pm at Boston Conservatory at Berklee, room 402.
FREE to Boston Wagner Society members and Students with valid ID.
$10 to all others payable in advance on our website or at the door.
Deborah Burton: “Wagner - hero, demon, or human?” Musicology Lecture Presented by BWI
Deborah Burton, Associate Professor of Music at Boston University, specializes in opera analysis and the history of music theory. In her upcoming lecture, she will highlight and weigh the bold comparisons of Wagner; hero, demon, or human?
The event will be 2-4 pm at Boston Conservatory at Berklee, room 402.
FREE to Boston Wagner Society members and Students with valid ID.
$10 to all others payable in advance on our website or at the door.
MARK DELAVAN MASTERCLASS: Presented by Boston Wagner Institute
International Wagnerian baritone, Mark Delavan will work with the young singers of the Boston Wagner Institute.
The event will be from 5-7 pm in Houston Hall at Boston Conservatory at Berklee.
FREE to Boston Wagner Society members and Students with valid ID.
$20 to all others, payable in advance on our website, or at the door.
AMBER WAGNER MASTERCLASS: Presented by Boston Wagner Institute
International Wagnerian soprano, Amber Wagner will work with the young singers of the Boston Wagner Institute.
The event will be from 2-4 pm in Houston Hall at Boston Conservatory at Berklee.
FREE to Boston Wagner Society members and Students with valid ID.
$20 to all others, payable in advance on our website, or at the door.
JAY HUNTER MORRIS MASTERCLASS: Presented by Boston Wagner Institute
International Wagnerian tenor, Jay Hunter Morris will work with the young singers of the Boston Wagner Institute.
The event will be from 2-4 pm in Houston Hall at Boston Conservatory at Berklee.
FREE to Boston Wagner Society members and Students with valid ID.
$20 to all others, payable in advance on our website, or at the door.
Helen Greenwald: “Wagner on the Art of Singing,” Musicology Lecture Presented by BWI
Helen Greenwald is a musicologist, cellist, and translator. Her scholarly interests center on vocal music of the 18th–20th centuries, and her work has appeared in a myriad of renowned published journals. She is the convenor and editor of the Oxford Handbook of Opera (Oxford University Press, 2014).
In this lecture, Dr. Greenwald will be discussing the complexities of Wagner’s writing for the human voice.
The event will be 2-4 pm at Boston Conservatory at Berklee, room 402.
FREE to Boston Wagner Society members and Students with valid ID.
$10 to all others payable in advance on our website or at the door.
Wagner & Vino: BWI is at Opera on Tap!
In collaboration with The Burren in Somerville and Opera On Tap Boston, BWI shall present music, merriment, & merlot with young dramatic voices and budding Wagnerian singers in your favorite local pub!
This evening is a program of singers involved with Boston Wagner Institute, whether as BWI students, staff, or volunteers of BWS.
Join us with an ale and an aria!
Tickets $15 ahead of time, $20 at the door.
Doors are at 6pm. Showtime is 7pm.
Dinner and drinks are available at all tables.