The Glimmerglass Festival has announced American bass Kevin Burdette as its 2026 artist-in-residence. Burdette will appear as Don Alfonso in the festival’s new production of “Così,” according to a news release from the festival.
An alumnus of the Juilliard Opera Theater and the University of Tennessee, Burdette is a former member of the Opéra National de Paris Young Artists’ Program and San Francisco’s Merola Opera Program.
According to the release, he has performed with opera companies and symphony orchestras, including Teatro alla Scala, the Metropolitan Opera, the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Santa Fe Opera, Teatro Colón, Opéra de Montréal, Washington National Opera, Dallas Opera, Seattle Opera, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, and National Symphony Orchestra.
“Known for his dramatic characterizations, he has created over a dozen roles in world premieres and is regarded as one of the foremost interpreters of buffo repertoire in his generation,” the release stated.
“We are honored to welcome Kevin Burdette as our 2026 artist-in-residence, Glimmerglass Artistic and General Director Rob Ainsley said. “His reputation as one of the field’s most beloved colleagues and his peerless artistry — rich in humor, heart, and humanity — embody everything Glimmerglass stands for: excellence, community, and connection.”
As the artist-in-residence, Burdette will perform as Don Alfonso in “Così” and work with members of the festival’s Resident Artists Program, a training program for emerging artists. The program provides training and performance experience for opera singers, musical theater singers and dancers, coaches and accompanists, conductors, and stage directors at the beginning of their professional careers, according to the release.
“I am deeply moved to have been asked to serve as the 2026 artist-in-residence at The Glimmerglass Festival, an opera company that shaped who I am as an artist and as a person, Burdette said. “I can think of no more meaningful way to return to this world-class company — this innovative company, this company that is deeply part of who I am — than in the capacity of working with the inspiring and top-tier resident artists.
“I look forward to investing in these talented artists, the future of our art form, helping to guide them, just as Glimmerglass guided me decades ago, to become the genesis of the stories they will tell throughout their careers — stories that will resonate with audiences, as they recognize their own uniqueness and commonalities taking shape on stage,” he said.
In addition to “Così,” the 2026 festival will feature a new production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma!” directed by Francesca Zambello; Puccini, Illica and Giacosa’s “Madame Butterfly;” Gregory Spears and Greg Pierce’s “Fellow Travelers;” and the youth opera “Robin Hood” by Ben Moore and Kelley Rourke. The season also will include special Pavilion events, including “Vignettes: Ellis Island,” a song cycle inspired by real stories of early 20th-century immigrants, and Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht’s “Happy End,” presented as part of a new collaborative partnership with Opera Saratoga.
The 2026 festival will run July 10 to Aug. 17 in Cooperstown.