HISTORY

What began in 1978 with three evenings of lectures and one-act operas has grown into the Ash Lawn Opera Festival that we know today. Now in its 31st year, the Festival has expanded over time to include six to eight weeks of full-length opera and musical theatre productions, lectures, the Music at Twilight and Summer Saturdays series, and many educational programs, including the apprentice program, Kids Fest, Artist in Residence, and Opera Connects for Teachers. The Festival is proud to host talented artists from across the United States to Central Virginia.

Ash Lawn-Highland has a long-standing commitment to encouraging cultural development beginning in 1974 industrialist Jay Winston Johns bequeathed the estate to the College of William and Mary, Monroe's alma mater, with instructions "to operate this property as a historic shrine for the education of the general public." Today Ash Lawn-Highland hosts 100,000 American and foreign visitors each year.

Ash Lawn-Highland encompasses two major operating units: the museum and the Summer Festival. The Festival began as a program to interpret the Monroe era's cultural milieu for modern audiences. Today it explores the evolution of all American musical traditions. The Festival has expanded from three evenings of lectures and one-act operas in 1978 to nine weeks of full-length operas and musical theater productions, lectures, Music at Twilight (classical, folk and contemporary music), and Summer Saturdays (family entertainment). From 1988 - 1990 the Opera Company traveled to Boise, Idaho. An important source of revenue, these tours also marked the emergence of the Festival's national presence.

The Festival's strong history of growth and innovation began in 1978, when 800 people attended the first free performances (underwritten by a grant from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities and Public Policy). The program consisted of two one-act operas and lectures and a concert of African-American music. The Company borrowed the musical instruments, stage and chairs. In 1979 a small admission fee was charged, and a local cast repeated the same performances. The 1981 Festival featured 10 performances and commissioned Judith Shatin Allen to compose the opera Follies and Fancies, based on Moliere's Precieuses Ridicules.

The 1982 Summer Season saw major changes in the opera productions. Stage lights borrowed from the University of Virginia Drama Department enabled the Festival to begin night performances. The repertory increased to include two- and three-act operas, and the orchestras and casts grew. The 1986 opera company featured nine singers and a six-member chamber orchestra, performing three two-act operas in 25 performances. In 1988, the concerts featured eight orchestra members and 12 singers selected from Washington and New York auditions. With a 1989 grant from the Virginia Commission for the Arts, the Company improved its orchestral quality by hiring more musicians and raising salaries. 1989 also saw the establishment of the Summer Festival Advisory Board. By 1990 the Festival had purchased its own lighting system, the budget exceeded $125,000, and over 10,000 people attended the Festival. The Summer Festival was awarded grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Gwathmey Memorial Trust. The June 1997 issue of Money Magazine listed the Festival as one of the worlds' top 20 warm weather summer opera festivals.  Other developments of the 1990s included the formation of the Festival Guild Board and the beginning of the successful apprentice program.

One of the Festival's primary goals has always been education both in the development of young singers and programs to introduce the broadest possible audiences to opera. For the 1996 season, the Festival initiated its Apprentice program. Designed to cultivate and nurture young singers in all areas of opera production through comprehensive educational and performance training, this program strives to enlarge the pool of emerging artists available to professional companies. Another new component of the Festival's educational outreach is the Artists-in-Residence program, launched in 1995. Reaching approximately 800 elementary school children per year, this program introduces them to the elements of opera through discussion and demonstrations.

In 2000 the company officially incorporated as the Ash Lawn Opera Festival in order to emphasize its commitment to the production of opera, and the Festival continues to be an important resource in the community. Members of the cast have sung with companies across the United States, including the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, Washington Opera, and San Francisco Opera. Directors and conductors have worked with such highly acclaimed companies as Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, New York City Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Indianapolis Opera, and Santa Fe Opera. The Music at Twilight and Summer Saturdays series have featured Grammy award-winning artists and performers. Our organization supports Virginia artists in every way possible. Each season grows better artistically; every year we attract singers, orchestra members and technical staff of a higher caliber, and as a result, our critical reviews and audience reactions become steadily more enthusiastic. 2005 saw an exciting new development with the addition to our volunteer group of young professionals, called Bravo!  The Festival enjoys welcoming young members of the community to expand their knowledge and appreciation of opera through this fun new group.

Noye's Fludde

  Ash Lawn Opera invited the Charlottesville educators and youth to present Benjamin Britten's Noye's Fludde. This production featured professional opera director R.B. Schlather of New York, as well as Charlottesville High School Chorus Director, Will Cooke and Charlottesville High School Orchestra Director, Laura Mulligan Thomas. A captivating baritone Alexander Tall and vibrant soprano Kate Mangiameli sang the principal roles of Noye and Mrs. Noye

  This family-friendly opera would not have been possible without Judy Walker's vision. Her wish to provide outreach to children fueled the two years of work this project represents. Throughout her career, Ms. Walker believed that every individual has the responsibility to their knowledge.

 Approximately 60 students from City elementary schools sang the roles of the Animal and the Gossips. Sons and Wives were sung by students from Walker Upper Elementary, Buford Middle, and Charlottesville High School students. CHS art students created phenomenal Animal masks, and students from the Charlottesville Albemarle Technical Education Center were responsible for the set. This production was both energizing and impressive for it combined the artistic experience of professionals with the enthusiasm and talent of local students. 

Throughout its history of rapid growth and change, the Ash Lawn Opera Festival's mission has been to produce high quality opera and musicals at affordable prices; to provide training opportunities and experience for Young Artists and Interns; to provide educational nourishment for all sectors of the community, and to enrich the cultural vitality and quality of life in Virginia.