- Wolf Trap Opera’s (WTO) expanded season includes five fully staged productions and a series of new and expanded UNTRAPPED community partnership performances.
- Company premiere of Verdi’s Rigoletto at the Filene Center with Grant Gershon conducting the National Symphony Orchestra and direction by Paul Curran
- New productions of Mozart’s Idomeneo and Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette at The Barns at Wolf Trap
- Renowned dramatic soprano and WTO alumna Christine Goerke to serve as WTO’s Filene Artist in Residence
- UNTRAPPED lineup includes Weill’s The Seven Deadly Sins directed and choreographed by Septime Webre in partnership with Halcyon’s By the People; pop-up performances; concerts with the National Orchestral Institute + Festival at The Clarice; and Vocal Colors recitals at The Phillips Collection
- Listen, Wilhelmina!, WTO’s children’s opera by David Hanlon and Kathleen Kelly, will return to Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods
- Internationally celebrated opera stars and WTO alumni Christine Goerke, Simon O’Neill, Alan Held and Eric Owens join forces with conductor Patrick Summers and the National Symphony Orchestra for The Best of Wagner’s Ring
- As part of the year-long international Leonard Bernstein at 100 tribute, Wolf Trap presents:
- The National Symphony Orchestra with conductor Michael Barrett, dancer Misty Copeland, Broadways sensation Tony Yazbeck, and clarinetist Paquito Rivera in Bernstein at 100: A Celebration
- Wolf Trap Opera soloists joining the National Orchestral Institute + Festival for Bernstein’s Songfest
- The National Symphony Orchestra’s (NSO) summer season at Wolf Trap includes the NSO and Wolf Trap Opera soloists in Beethoven’s Ninth, and the NSO at Wolf Trap’s film series for two performances of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of AzkabanTM – In Concert and Jaws in Concert.
- The Washington Ballet makes their Wolf Trap debut and opens the 2018 summer season with Giselle.
- Breaking boundaries in classical ballet, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo brings its creative energy to Wolf Trap in their company debut.
Tickets go on sale to the public February 17; Wolf Trap members are buying now.
Special promotion on February 17: $10 lawn tickets and $20 rear orchestra tickets for select National Symphony Orchestra performances, plus The Washington Ballet, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo and more.
Vienna, Virginia (February 1, 2018) – Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts announced the first shows of its Summer 2018 season, including the Wolf Trap Opera (WTO) season, and symphony and dance programming. Tickets go on sale to the public Saturday, February 17 at 10 a.m. Wolf Trap members (donors of $75 and up) have access to presales and are beginning to purchase tickets now. An opera, symphony and dance calendar, production information and casting, and a full WTO artist roster can be found here. To view the full season, including pop, rock, musicals and more, visit www.wolftrap.org/calendar. Ticketing information and links to print-ready photography are below.
“This year’s opera, orchestral, and dance programs add luster to a summer season that crosses the musical spectrum,” said Arvind Manocha, President and CEO of Wolf Trap Foundation. “Wolf Trap Opera offers its most ambitious season of programming to date, and our long standing partnership with the National Symphony Orchestra celebrates the orchestral tradition from Beethoven to Bernstein. Sitting under the stars and sharing in the grandeur of opera, dance or a symphony orchestra is a uniquely wonderful Wolf Trap experience and a hallmark of the summer in the metro region.”
Wolf Trap Opera’s season features new productions, company premieres, cross-disciplinary partnerships across the region, and a roster of some of opera’s most promising young artists. The schedule includes five fully staged productions.
The WTO season opens with Mozart’s rarely performed Idomeneo at The Barns, with performances on June 22, 24m, 27 and 30m. Also at The Barns, WTO will present Gounod’s romantic adaptation of Shakespeare’s beloved play Roméo et Juliette on July 15m, 17, 19 and 21. At the Filene Center at Wolf Trap National Park, WTO takes center stage in a one-night-only performance on August 3 of the company premiere of Verdi’s thrilling Rigoletto with the National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Grant Gershon and directed by Paul Curran.
Wolf Trap Opera’s 2018 season expands last year’s UNTRAPPED initiative which brings live performances to new and unexpected places through artistic partnerships. In collaboration with Halcyon’s By the People, WTO will present the company premiere of a fully staged production of Weill’s The Seven Deadly Sins directed and choreographed by Septime Webre and featuring dancers from Hong Kong Ballet on June 23 and 24 at Union Market’s Dock 5.
Additional UNTRAPPED programming includes two concerts, Pops Extravaganza on June 2 and Bernstein’s Songfest on June 16 with the celebrated National Orchestral Institute + Festival at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland. WTO is also planning another program of free “scavenger-style” pop-up opera performances in partnership with Halcyon’s By the People and returns to The Phillips Collection for two Vocal Colors recitals on June 28 and July 19.
WTO’s mini-musical for children, Listen, Wilhelmina! by David Hanlon returns to Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods for the Wolf Trap Institute’s Field Trip program and two public performances (July 20 and 21) as part of the regular summer season.
Wolf Trap Opera alumna and internationally acclaimed dramatic soprano Christine Goerke will serve as Wolf Trap Opera’s 2018 Filene Artist in Residence, mentoring the 20 Filene Artists and 18 Studio Artists that compose WTO’s 2018 singer roster. Past Filene Artists in Residence include Eric Owens (2014), Michelle DeYoung (2015), Alan Held (2016) and Simon O’Neill (2017). Ms. Goerke will hold a free public master class featuring WTO’s singers on July 21.
The Wolf Trap Opera season also includes the highly popular and annual recital with Steven Blier, The Art of Pleasure on May 31 and June 1 and Aria Jukebox on July 22. Both programs are held at The Barns at Wolf Trap.
On July 27, the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) is led by Bernstein specialist and conductor Michael Barrett in Bernstein at 100: A Celebration, as part of an ongoing international commemoration of American musical icon Leonard Bernstein. Guest artists already confirmed include dancer Misty Copeland, Broadway sensation Tony Yazbeck, and clarinetist Paquito D’Rivera, with additional performers to be announced in the spring. Bernstein at 100: A Celebration is this year’s Kay Shouse Great Performance. Then on July 28, a quartet of Wolf Trap Opera alumni and internationally acclaimed Wagnerians – Christine Goerke, Simon O’Neill, Alan Held and Eric Owens – join conductor Patrick Summers and the National Symphony Orchestra to perform the most memorable and exhilarating moments in The Best of Wagner’s Ring.
Wolf Trap’s longest artistic partner, the National Symphony Orchestra, sees Bramwell Tovey conducting the NSO and Wolf Trap Opera soloists in Beethoven’s Ninth on July 14. Perfect for nights under the stars, the NSO at Wolf Trap’s film series continues with the third installment of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of AzkabanTM – In Concert with Steven Reineke, Principal Pops Conductor, conducting two performances on July 6 and 7. Then on July 21, John Williams’s brilliant score comes alive when Emil de Cou leads the NSO for Jaws in Concert.
Dance programming has the debuts of two very different ballet companies. Under the artistic direction of Julie Kent, The Washington Ballet opens Wolf Trap’s 2018 summer season on May 25 with one of ballet’s most treasured classics, Giselle, accompanied by the Wolf Trap Orchestra. Then the boundary-pushing all-male dance troupe, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo takes center stage on June 19.
Tickets for all announced performances go on sale to the public on Saturday, February 17 at 10 a.m. Opening day specials include $10 lawn and $20 rear orchestra seats for select performances by the National Symphony Orchestra, The Washington Ballet, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo and more.
Young at Arts, Wolf Trap’s accessibility initiative which offers free youth tickets to select performing arts events, will continue in 2018. A roster of eligible performances will be announced and go on sale on February 27.
Additional performances for the Summer 2018 season, including all Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods shows, will be announced in March and early April, respectively.
Ticketing and On-Sale Information
- Tickets for these performances go on sale to the public on Saturday, February 17 at 10 a.m.
- Pricing varies by performance and seat location. See individual performance listings online or the calendar below for prices.
- Wolf Trap members have access to exclusive presales and may purchase tickets in advance of the general public. Memberships, which are tax-deductible, start at $75. For more information, visit wolftrap.org/membership.
On February 17 and 18, tickets may be purchased:
- Online at wolftrap.org
- By phone at 877.WOLFTRAP
- In-person at the Filene Center Box Office, 1551 Trap Road, Vienna, VA
- After February 18, tickets may be purchased, in-person at The Barns at Wolf Trap Box Office, 1635 Trap Road, Vienna, VA
Wolf Trap’s 2018 season is made possible by generous support from the following
Wolf Trap Foundation Official Sponsors and Partners:
Dan and Gayle D’Aniello, Wolf Trap 2018 Season Underwriters
The PNC Foundation, Premier Sponsor, 2018 Summer Season
The Boeing Company, Major Sponsor, Boeing Salutes Nights
American Airlines, Official Airline
Hilton McLean Tysons Corner, Official Hotel
Steinway, Official Pianos
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 down the road from the national park and 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, dance, and theatre, as well as multimedia presentations, from May through September. The Barns at Wolf Trap is operated by the Wolf Trap Foundation year round, and during the summer months is home to the Grammy-nominated Wolf Trap Opera, one of America’s outstanding resident ensemble programs for young opera singers. Wolf Trap Foundation’s education programs include the nationally acclaimed Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts, Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods, a diverse array of arts education classes, grants, and a nationally recognized internship program.
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Media Information
(Please do not publish contact information)
Emily Stout, Manager, Media Relations
703.255.4096 or emilys@wolftrap.org
Jo LaBrecque, Vice President, Communications and Marketing
703.255.1997 or joannl@wolftrap.otrg
- High-resolution images are available in Wolf Trap’s online newsroom or may be provided upon request.
- Complete performance information is online at wolftrap.org, and included in the press calendar.
- Interviews with artists may be available upon request and by arrangement with the Wolf Trap PR team.
- Requests for complimentary Press Tickets will be accepted beginning April 23, 2018.
HARRY POTTER characters, names and related indicia are © &™Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. J.K. ROWLING’S WIZARDING WORLD™ J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Publishing Rights© JKR. (s18)