MUSIC IN TROUBLED TIMES Festival to Take Place at Town Hall Theater

The Opera Company of Middlebury (OCM) will present its 2026 Fall Festival, Music in Troubled Times, September 23 through October 4 at Town Hall Theater. Bringing together chamber music, film, conversation, and opera, the two-week festival explores how we as humans have used music to confront hardship, oppression, war, and profound social change, and to sustain connection and hope.

At the heart of the festival is Rappahannock County, an acclaimed operatic song cycle by composer Ricky Ian Gordon with a libretto by Pulitzer Prize-winner Mark Campbell, presented September 30, October 2, and October 4. Inspired by Civil War-era diaries, letters, and firsthand accounts, the work gives voice to more than 30 characters - enslaved and free people, soldiers and civilians, Confederate and Union - portrayed by five singers across five chronological sections of the war. The work also represents the fourth American opera in the company's fall offerings.

'Lately I've become interested in not just producing operas, but putting them into context,' said Douglas Anderson, OCM Artistic Director and Stage Director. 'No opera is an island, and when we take the time to explore these many-layered relationships we have a new, multi-faceted appreciation of the work.'

Anderson sees Rappahannock County as particularly powerful because of the way it moves beyond the politics and battles of the Civil War to focus on individual lives.

'Rappahannock County approaches the subject in a brilliant way,' Anderson said. 'It's not about national animosities or battlefield victories, but rather the effect of war on nearly 30 individuals from all walks of life. We quickly realize that these characters, and their undeserved miseries, are still very much with us today.'

The festival's programming begins Wednesday, September 23, with a reception and screening of Shostakovich Against Stalin: The War Symphonies, a documentary exploring Dmitri Shostakovich's wartime symphonies and his struggle to create under Stalin's totalitarian regime. The free opening event begins with a 6:30 p.m. reception, followed by opening remarks by Anderson and the 7:30 p.m. screening.

On Thursday, September 24, the OCM Festival String Quartet (OCM Orchestra Concertmaster Brooke Quiggins, violin; Joana Genova, violin; Stefanie Taylor, viola and John Dunlop, cello) will present a chamber concert featuring mezzo-soprano Claire McCahan and baritone Adam Richardson. The 7:30 p.m. concert, preceded by a 6:30 p.m. talk with Middlebury College musicologist and OCM Board Member Dr. Danielle Simon, brings together works by Bach, Purcell, Schumann, Shostakovich, Rebecca Clarke, Jessie Montgomery, Shelley Washington, and George Walker, along with arrangements by Vermont composers Matthew LaRocca and Kyle Saulnier. Tickets are $30/$45.

The festival continues Sunday, September 27, with 'Music and Social Power,' a free multimedia lecture by Middlebury College Professor William Nash. Through recordings, video, and historical images, Nash will explore how musical traditions - from campaign and miners' songs to protest music - have reflected and influenced American political and cultural life.

The festival culminates with Gordon and Campbell's Rappahannock County, directed by Anderson and conducted by OCM Music Director Filippo Ciabatti. Post-show conversations with the cast and creative team will follow performances, with composer Ricky Ian Gordon joining the opening-night discussion.

For the artists performing in the production, the work's relevance extends beyond its historical setting.

'This music offers a way to reflect on difficulty while still creating connection and hope,' said baritone Adam Richardson, who makes his OCM debut in the production.

Soprano Renée Richardson, also making her OCM debut, emphasized the work's ability to place audiences directly inside the experiences of its characters. 'I love the way Mark Campbell tells this story,' she said. 'The Civil War was a devastating time in this country. We were divided by skin color, divided by who was deemed human. Each piece in Rappahannock County really transports you.'

Baritone Joshua Jeremiah, returning for his seventh OCM production, said of Gordon's score, 'Ricky writes music that feels really good in the voice and is expertly supported by the colors he brings out in the orchestration. It's as fun to sing as it is beautiful to listen to.'

For OCM Board President Richard Marshak, that connection between music and resilience is central to the entire festival.

'Music has always been one of the answers,' Marshak said. 'It has carried grief that words alone could not bear or convey, spoken around censors, and most importantly, music helps people find hope in challenging times. This is the thread that runs through this fall's festival.'

Marshak added that the festival's exploration of music's role in difficult times feels especially resonant as the nation marks the 250th anniversary of its founding.

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