Boston Wagner Society

08/10/2026

07/24/2026

Announcing the public masterclasses for the American Wagner Festival!

$10 general admission. All events are FREE to Boston Wagner Society members and STUDENTS with valid ID.

Jane Eaglen Masterclass | Wednesday, July 29, 2026, 7:00 PM
Follen Church in Lexington, MA
Internationally-recognized Wagnerian, founder of AWF, and Boston Wagner Society President Jane Eaglen will work with the students of the American Wagner Festival.

Jay Hunter Morris Masterclass | Thursday, July 30, 2026, 7:00 PM
Follen Church in Lexington, MA
Renowned Wagnerian tenor, Jay Hunter Morris will work with the AWF singers with a touch of his "unbridled enthusiasm."

Mark Delavan Masterclass | Saturday, August 1, 2026, 3:00 PM
Follen Church in Lexington, MA
Acclaimed Wagnerian baritone, Mark Delavan will bring charisma to the AWF singers and seeks to help them find their "inner vocal power."

Support for these events was provided by a grant from the Community Endowment of Lexington, an endowed fund of the Foundation for MetroWest.

07/23/2026

OPERATIC PERFORMANCES WITH THE AMERICAN WAGNER FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA!
We are excited to announce two upcoming nights of epic music.

🎟 *On Friday, July 31, 2026, from 7-9 pm in Cary Hall, Lexington, MA, Maestro Jonathan McPhee presents: Wagner Goes to the Movies, a Pops night with the American Wagner Festival Orchestra. Featuring guest soprano, Kat Skafidas.
FREE to Boston Wagner Society members and students with ID.
$15 general admission.

🎫 *On Saturday, August 8, 2026, from 7-9 pm in Cary Hall, Lexington, MA, join us in celebrating the culmination of the American Wagner Festival students’ hard work this summer!
This will be an all-Wagner concert featuring each student performing memorized, fully-staged Wagner scenes, directed by Jane Eaglen. Each scene is accompanied by the magnificent American Wagner Festival Orchestra, led by Maestro Jonathan McPhee.
FREE to Boston Wagner Society members and students with ID.
$25 general admission.

TICKETS: bostonwagnersociety.org

The 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.

07/22/2026

07/21/2026

WAGNER AND VINO IS BACK AGAIN!

A night of music, merriment, and merlot with operatic voices singing in your favorite local pub!

Join us for an ale and an aria as we hear this year's AWF students sing opera favorites at The Burren in Davis Square.

TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2026
Doors: 6pm. Showtime: 7pm.
The Burren
247 Elm Street, Somerville, MA

Tickets: $20 advance • $25 door

This Is An All Ages Show.

Dinner and drinks available at all tables.

TICKETS: burren.com

04/21/2026

KIP CRANNA PRESENTS
SPOTLIGHT ON LEITMOTIVS:
ANOTHER LOOK AT WAGNER'S "RING"

The leitmotivs ("signature tunes") in Wagner's The Ring of the Nibelung are an endless source of fascination. San Francisco Opera's Dramaturg Emeritus Kip Cranna will use video and audio examples to explore the meanings, transformations, and interrelationships of leitmotivs in The Ring to offer some new insights into Wagner's genius.
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This will be a LIVE Zoom presentation, Sunday, May 3rd, 2 PM EST.
$10 for nonmembers
Free to BWS Members — No purchase necessary for BWS members, simply email us to RSVP. [email protected]

Clifford (Kip) Cranna, Dramaturg (Scholar in Residence) Emeritus of San Francisco Opera, served on the staff for over forty years and was Director of Music Administration for over thirty years. In 2008 he was awarded the San Francisco Opera Medal, the company’s highest honor, and in 2012 he received the Bernard Osher Cultural Award for distinguished efforts to bring excellence to a cultural institution. In 2014 he received the Star of Excellence Award for outstanding service to the programs of the San Francisco Opera Guild.
He holds a Ph.D. in musicology from Stanford University. For thirty years he was Program Editor and Lecturer for the Carmel Bach Festival. He has taught at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, lectures, and writes frequently on music.
Dr. Cranna currently teaches at the Fromm Institute at the University of San Francisco and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes at UC Berkeley, San Francisco State University, and Dominican University.