JULY 27 - AUGUST 8, 2026
American Wagner Festival combines the forces of soprano and director, Jane Eaglen, and conductor Jonathan McPhee; together, they present an education-forward program for singers with the potential to sing Wagner. With McPhee's American Wagner Festival Orchestra, and Eaglen's vocal and dramatic training, singers will perform semi-staged Wagnerian scenes with a full orchestra.
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.
With a career spanning the roles of Wagner’s heroines in opera houses around the world, Ms. Eaglen has first-hand knowledge of what it takes to build vocal stamina and maintain dramatic interest to fill the expansive music and staging of this style. Ms. Eaglen is committed to passing on the benefit of her extensive experience to the Wagner singers of the future.
The program will be limited to a small number of participants, enabling the program to offer daily private sessions and scene preparation for each participant, rotating between Ms. Eaglen and Brett Hodgdon. Each student will have a private voice lesson with Ms. Eaglen. Participants will learn the style of Wagner’s music with master pianist coach, Brett Hodgdon.
Recognizing the need for training singers with similar voice types together, we will offer every participant an opportunity to learn from their colleagues in studio class and a masterclass with Ms. Eaglen. We are excited to have Wagnerian tenor Jay Hunter Morris come for a two-day residency filled with individual coachings and culminating in a public masterclass.
There will be daily dramatic sessions and stagings for students’ individual scenes. Aria and scene repertoire for study, which may be included in the final performance, will be assigned based on accepted participants. We are excited to announce that all our events' facilities will be hosted in Lexington, Massachusetts, including our final performance at the historic Cary Hall. All participants will receive a high quality video of them singing Wagner with orchestra.
There will be a couple of small additional performance opportunities, including a Pops Concert and a Wagner and Vino night, hosted at The Burren in Somerville, MA.
Ample time and space for private practice and group socialization will be built into the program to aid retention of new information and set participants up for their future. We hope you will consider applying to join us this summer.