Boston Wagner Society

The Boston Wagner Society, Inc. is a 501©(3) nonprofit organization that promotes the knowledge and enjoyment of the music and librettos of the nineteenth-century composer Richard Wagner.

Featured
ERICA MINER: Mendelssohn and Wagner
Jan 25
Zoom
ERICA MINER: Mendelssohn and Wagner
Zoom

Boston Wagner Society is delighted to welcome back Erica Miner to present: Mendelssohn and Wagner

January 25th, 2PM EST on Zoom

Free to BWS Members — No purchase necessary for BWS members, simply email us to RSVP. info@bostonwagnersociety.org

$10 to Non-Members

Although there was a stark contrast between the music of Richard Wagner and his contemporary Felix Mendelssohn, the relationship between the two German geniuses was fraught with competitiveness, rivalry, and jealousy—mostly on the part of Wagner. Former Metropolitan Opera violinist Erica Miner's frank discussion shines a light on Wagner’s critical perspective toward his brilliant German colleague. 

Zoom
AMERICAN WAGNER FESTIVAL 2026
Jul 27
Boston Wagner Society
AMERICAN WAGNER FESTIVAL 2026
Boston Wagner Society

JULY 27 - AUGUST 8, 2026

APPLICATIONS NOW CLOSED

Deadline: Monday, December 1, 2025

Hosted in Lexington, Massachusetts, with all rehearsals, coachings, classes, and performances held in town.

Boston Wagner Society

Boston Wagner Institute is now

The American Wagner Festival

Recent Events & News

Featured
Jeffrey Buller: “Sleep in the Ring" (Zoom)
Dec 7
Zoom
Jeffrey Buller: “Sleep in the Ring" (Zoom)
Zoom

Boston Wagner Society is excited to have Jeffrey Buller present “Sleep in the Ring.”

Sunday December 7th 2025, 2pm Eastern Time, on Zoom

Free to BWS members; please RSVP via email to register.

$10 for non-members‍

Sleep in the Ring explores one of the most haunting and overlooked themes in Wagner’s great tetralogy: the image of sleep.

Zoom
MEMBERS ONLY! Michael Downes Book Release Party: ‘Wagner and the Creation of the Ring’
Nov 21
Hosted in a Private Home in Back Bay
MEMBERS ONLY! Michael Downes Book Release Party: ‘Wagner and the Creation of the Ring’
Hosted in a Private Home in Back Bay

We are thrilled to welcome conductor and musicologist Michael Downes to lecture on his 2025 book release, Wagner and the Creation of the Ring.

This will be a private event for members only, graciously hosted by one of our members at their home in the beautiful Back Bay neighborhood of Boston. Attendees will have the opportunity to purchase a signed copy and get to know Michael one-on-one.

Friday, November 21, 2025; 6:30-8PM. RSVP soon - we will have a limit of 50 attendees.

Members interested in attending must RSVP via email: info@bostonwagnersociety.org

Become a BWS member today!

Hosted in a Private Home in Back Bay
MICHAEL STEINBERG: Wagner and Verdi Together (Zoom)
Oct 5
Zoom
MICHAEL STEINBERG: Wagner and Verdi Together (Zoom)
Zoom

Boston Wagner Society is excited to have MICHAEL STEINBERG present “Wagner and Verdi Together.”

Sunday October 5th 2025, 2pm Eastern Time, on Zoom

Free to BWS members; please RSVP via email to register.

$10 for non=members

The presentation will juxtapose the careers and some of the key works of Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner as composers of national music in both content and style. In the age of nationalism, how did Verdi become the Italian icon and Wagner the German one? Are their nationalisms compatible? Radically different? Does Verdi deserve his continuously good press, and Wagner his consistently bad reputation?

Zoom
Wagner & Vino: Spring 2025
May 28
The Burren
Wagner & Vino: Spring 2025
The Burren

WAGNER & VINO IS BACK!

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

Join us for an ale and an aria. Featuring Boston Wagner Institute Alumni, Boston Wagner Society board members and staff, and dear friends of BWS. We are also grateful to welcome Brendon Shapiro as our collaborative pianist!

May 28, 2025 • 7 PM • The Burren • 247 Elm St. Somerville • $15 advance • $20 door • burren.com

Buy Tickets

The Burren
Desirée Mays: “Wagner’s Women: Real and Imagined” (ZOOM)
Apr 13
Zoom
Desirée Mays: “Wagner’s Women: Real and Imagined” (ZOOM)
Zoom

Desirée Mays, author of the Opera Unveiled book series will present “Wagner’s Women: Real and Imagined” on Zoom, April 13, 2025, 2:00 PM.

Music is a woman... She must be loved by the poet, must surrender herself to him, in order that the new artwork of the future may be born" (Richard Wagner from Opera and Drama, 1851)

There were many female influences in Wagner's life: his mother, sisters, two wives, and numerous affaires with women some of whom were clearly Muses who provided inspiration for his work: Minna, his first wife; Mathilde Wesendonck who materialised at the time of Tristan und Isolde and Cosima who fired Wagner's imagination during the composition of The Ring.

The talk focuses on these three women with comparisons to the imagined women they inspired Senta, Isolde, and Brunnhilde.

— Desirée Mays

Born in Ireland, and educated in London, Desirée came to the States and gradually became immersed in the world of opera as a speaker, storyteller, professor, radio interviewer, reviewer, and writer.

Free to BWS Members — No purchase necessary for BWS members, simply email us to RSVP. info@bostonwagnersociety.org

$10 to Non-Members

Zoom
Joel Balzun: Baritone in Recital (BWI Alumnus)
Apr 12
First Church of Boston
Joel Balzun: Baritone in Recital (BWI Alumnus)
First Church of Boston

Nationally recognized baritone and Boston Wagner Institute alumnus, Joel Balzun will be singing in recital at First Church of Boston with pianist Brett Hodgdon, on Saturday, April 12, at 2:00 PM.

Featuring Wagner selections from Das Rheingold, Lohengrin, and Tannhäuser. Also presenting pieces by Gustav Mahler, Alma Mahler, Jean Sibelius, and Richard Strauß.

Free for STUDENTS and BWS Members — No purchase necessary!

$20 for non-members

First Church of Boston
Georgia Shreve Awarded Esteemed 2025 Spirit of Wagner Award
Mar 19
University Club of New York
Georgia Shreve Awarded Esteemed 2025 Spirit of Wagner Award
University Club of New York

This week, we are honoring Georgia Shreve as our inaugural Spirit of Wagner Award recipient, honoring her extraordinary contributions to the arts.

This private VIP event will take place at The University Club of New York this Wednesday, March 19, and will celebrate Shreve’s prolific career as a composer, writer, playwright, and producer.

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, March 19, 2025. READ MORE: /EINPresswire.com/

University Club of New York
Save the Date: WAGNER FESTIVAL 2026 WITH ORCHESTRA
Mar 11
Boston Wagner Society
Save the Date: WAGNER FESTIVAL 2026 WITH ORCHESTRA
Boston Wagner Society

Boston Wagner Society unveils plans to transform its Wagner Institute into a landmark biennial program, establishing America's premier Wagnerian training hub.

BOSTON, MA, UNITED STATES, March 11, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/

We are excited to announce our plans to transform our prestigious Boston Wagner Institute (BWI) into a landmark biennial program with a full orchestra.

Led by the Society's President Jane Eaglen, accompanied by distinguished conductor Jonathan McPhee, whose arrangement of Wagner's complete Ring Cycle, "The Essential Ring", has received international acclaim.

***

While the Institute's traditional summer program will pause in 2025 to facilitate this evolution, the Society maintains our dedication to advancing Wagner's musical legacy through education and artistic development. The enhanced format promises to make New England the destination for aspiring Wagnerian singers and establish a new model for operatic training in North America.

Boston Wagner Society
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Distinguished Advisory Board

Boston Wagner Society is proud and honored to acknowledge these great Wagnerians on our Distinguished Advisory Council.

Read more here.

  • Stephanie sang her first Fricka in Stephen Wadsworth’s ‘Green Ring’ in Seattle and has gone on to perform the role on many occasions.

  • Katarina Dalayman is renowned for her portrayal of both soprano and mezzo Wagnerian roles, including Brünnhilde, Brangane, and Fricka.

  • Mark Delavan is lauded for his performances of Flying Dutchman and Wotan, in addition to his wide-ranging repertoire from Verdi to Sweeney Todd.

  • Michelle De Young is well known for her portrayals of many of Wagner’s mezzos, including Brangäne, Venus, Fricka, and Waltraute.

  • Greer Grimsley’s long and award winning career includes Wotan, Telramund, Dutchman and Gunter. He is also an acclaimed Scarpia, Jochanan, and Macbeth.

  • Gordon Hawkins’ highly praised performances include Alberich, Gunter, and Telramund. He is also well known for Verdi and for his portrayal of Porgy.

  • Ben Heppner is known for his iconic Tristan, Lohengrin, and Walter, as well as Beethoven’s Florenstan.

  • James Morris is one of the greatest interpreters of Wotan of his generation. He is equally known for his Hans Sachs and Scarpia.

  • Stephen Wadsworth is an award winning director of opera and theater, well known for his groundbreaking Ring production for Seattle Opera.

  • Margaret Jane Wray has performed Sieglinde, Gutrune and Third Norn with great success at the Metropolitan Opera and many other houses.

  • Graham Clark was known as the greatest Mime of his generation, and his chemistry with Siegfried Jerusalem’s Siegfried was legendary.

    Obituaries: Opera News, Opera Wire, The Guardian

Featured Articles from the Archive

Featured Articles from the Archive
Interview with Katherine Goforth and Jane Eaglen
Interview with Katherine Goforth and Jane Eaglen

Enjoy this enlightening interview with transgender tenor, Katherine Goforth, discussing the future of opera and the performance of Richard Wagner with our beloved BWS President, Jane Eaglen. She is a Boston Wagner Institute alumna and has had a growing career ever since.

This is a preview for her upcoming concert with us, "Wagner as a Bridge: Singing Beyond Boundaries."

March 15, 7 pm | First Church Boston, 66 Marlborough St, Boston MA

Free for members! GA: $35 | STUDENTS: $10 | Tickets are available on our website and at the door!

Read More →
The Ring As A Whole: Embracing Die Walküre

Die Walküre is, among other things, an allegory of the waning of religious belief and its direct influence on human affairs. Wotan, fearing that the gods’ days are numbered, and striving to ensure the survival of man’s religious impulse through the influence of his (religion’s) moral idealism on the social conscience of the revolutionary hero Siegmund, is forced to acknowledge that Siegmund’s heroism and love, his moral impulse to sacrifice himself for others, are merely the product of Wotan’s own fear and self-deception. The atheist philosopher Ludwig Feuerbach contended that the only truly good gift which Christianity bestowed to our modern world was its moral advocacy of sacrificing oneself for others. Siegmund offers himself as a love sacrifice both for a total stranger, who has been coerced into a loveless marriage by her brothers, and for his own sister-bride, Sieglinde (likewise the victim of a loveless marriage), and renounces any hope of heaven, any divine co! mpensation for his earthly struggles.

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The Ring As A Whole: Embracing Das Rheingold

Can we understand Wagner’s Ring as one coherent, unified argument? The consensus is that having taken so long to conceive, write, and compose its libretto and music, Wagner produced a work that cannot be understood as a single dramatic argument.

Wagnerian scholars generally assume that the Ring’s “meaning” is primarily subliminal, or musical, and therefore inaccessible to any reasoned discussion. Imagine what might happen, though, if someone could convincingly demonstrate that the Ring is not a haphazard assortment of Wagner’s various obsessions but a conceptually unified whole whose every detail plays a unique role in making a coherent dramatic argument.

Read More →
The Ring As A Whole: Embracing Siegfried

In Siegfried, Wotan tells Alberich that he is no longer competing with him for the Ring because he has given up trying to change the world (for the better), and from now on he will only observe it. With this statement, Wotan proclaims that art is free from the fear of truth. However, Wotan’s religious renunciation of the world is echoed in Siegfried when the hero reflects that his mother died giving birth to him, unwittingly declaring himself heir to Wotan’s sin of matricide (in his renunciation of the world, Wotan gives up the truth, Mother Nature).

Read More →

A note about the header picture:

The image of the swan boats in Boston Common was taken by a BWS member at one of our events in the Boston Public Garden. Nineteenth-century Bostonian entrepreneur Robert Paget started this leisure swan-boat business after he was inspired by seeing a performance of Lohengrin, after Wagner’s swan boat scene of his own. Read more here.