Chelsea Opera presents Glory Denied at Inspiration Hall
SYRACUSE, NY – Chelsea Opera, an opera company founded in NYC and now in its 20th season, will present Tom Cipullo’s Glory Denied, an emotionally charged contemporary opera based on a book by Tom Philpott about the longest-held prisoner of the Vietnam War. There will be two performances, held on Saturday, May 18, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 19, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. at Inspiration Hall in Syracuse. Inspiration Hall is located at 709 James Street, Syracuse, NY. Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 at the door. Discounts for veterans and active service members are available. For more information and to buy tickets, visit www.chelseaopera.org.
Two different moments in time anchor the true story of Colonel Floyd James “Jim” Thompson, a U.S. soldier captured in the Vietnam War, and Alyce, his wife on the home front. In this minimalist staging by director Garrett August Heater, inspired by Japanese Noh theater, the interwoven voices of Thompson during his internment and after his release propel us into Thompson’s troubled inner space. The opera’s second set of voices sing the complicated truth of a woman who waited for news of her husband’s fate and found him irrevocably changed upon return. Tom Cipullo’s celebrated gift for expressing emotions “from hope to despair, from love to hatred to forgiveness” (Willard Spiegelman, Opera News) have made Glory Denied one of the most performed 21st century operas. Chelsea Opera has produced this work by Cipullo twice before. Allan Kozinn of The New York Times, reviewing the 2010 staging, wrote: “The enterprising Chelsea Opera has taken it up in a spare, affecting production.” The company has also mounted performances of Cipullo’s other works in close collaboration with the composer, including Josephine/After Life in 2018 and The Parting in 2022 in Syracuse and NYC.
Baritone Peter Kendall Clark returns to the stage in the role of Older Thompson, which he performed in Chelsea Opera’s 2015 production. He is joined by tenor Wesley Frye, making his New York debut as Younger Thompson, and sopranos Julia Ebner and Joanie Brittingham as Older Alyce and Younger Alyce, respectively. Both Ebner and Brittingham are returning Chelsea Opera artists, Ebner from recent stagings of Puccini in NYC and Suor Angelica at Inspiration Hall, and Brittingham from the company’s NYC production of The Tender Land. The opera is produced by Chelsea Opera president and co-founder, Leonarda Priore. Chelsea Opera producing artistic director Garrett August Heater provides stage direction, and music direction is provided by Benjamin Grow. Pianist Sar-Shalom Strong is assistant conductor, Andrew Hughes is light designer, and Amy Bader is stage manager.
Stage director Garrett August Heater is from Syracuse, NY and is the current producing artistic director of Chelsea Opera and The Covey Theater Company. Formerly the artistic director of Syracuse Opera and Syracuse Summer Theatre at The Oncenter, he has stage directed operas for Chelsea Opera in Syracuse and NYC, including his operatic play Puccini, Suor Angelica, The Medium; Tom Cipullo’s The Parting; and Sidewalk Serenade, for which he also wrote the libretto. As a playwright, Heater’s original plays include Rom-Com, My Life as a Soprano, and Lizzie Borden Took an Axe. He has also stage directed the local musicals Damn Yankees, Pippin, Spring Awakening, and Cabaret, among others.
Chelsea Opera (and Chelsea Live Arts) is a professional not-for-profit arts company, currently in its 20th season, that produces fully staged operas with chamber orchestra, concerts, jazz, and other musical endeavors. Founded in 2004 by professional singers Leonarda Priore (a former Utican) and Lynne Hayden-Findlay, Chelsea Opera serves singers, instrumentalists, performers, artists, and audiences alike. Chelsea Opera has given hundreds of artists the opportunity to practice their craft in a supportive professional setting in New York City and Upstate New York venues with chamber orchestra or instrumental accompaniment. Chelsea Opera produces both new and classic repertoire, giving enthusiasts and newcomers the chance to experience high-quality performances at prices that are affordable, and often free. Performances take place in intimate, welcoming locations where the superior acoustics make the experience exceedingly attractive for all involved.
For further information, visit www.chelseaopera.org or write to: kenos@chelseaopera.org.
