Wolf Trap Opera closed its run of Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin" on Saturday to a sold-out house at The Barns at Wolf Trap in Vienna.
The production earned praise from Washington Classical Review and marked the midpoint of the company's 2026 summer season, which brings 34 emerging singers from around the world to 1551 Trap Road for fully staged opera.
The next chance to catch Wolf Trap Opera live in Vienna comes Friday, August 7, when Puccini's "Tosca" takes the Filene Center stage.
Tickets are available at wolftrap.org.
A forest inside The Barns
Scenic designer Lee Jellinek transformed The Barns stage into a moss-covered Russian forest for "Eugene Onegin," and singers moved through the audience aisles during the performance. Director Emma Griffin staged the production in the intimate venue, with conductor Steven White leading the orchestra.
Washington Classical Review critic Alexandra Jernakoff, reviewing opening night on Friday, July 18, wrote that "the skillful young artists brought Tchaikovsky's characters and score to life masterfully."
Baritone Finn Sagal sang the title role. A 2025 Neue Stimmen Competition third-prize winner, Sagal is making his debut as a Filene Artist this summer. Soprano Magdalena Kuźma starred as Tatiana, with tenor Daniel O'Hearn as Lensky and mezzo-soprano Elissa Pfaender as Olga.
Alumni return to mentor young cast
Grammy Award-winning baritone Will Liverman, a Wolf Trap Opera alumnus from 2015–2016, returned as the 2026 Filene Artist-in-Residence to mentor the young cast. Soprano Renée Fleming serves as Artist Development Advisor, now in her second year in that role.
The company tailors its repertoire to each year's cast. The 2026 class includes 17 Filene Artists and 17 Studio Artists drawn from conservatories and training programs in Ghana, China, Japan, Israel, Turkey, Colombia and the United States.
'Tosca' closes the season
The final production of the summer, "Tosca," will be performed in Italian with English subtitles on Friday, August 7, at the Filene Center. Directors Tonya and Ryan McKinny have set the production in 1970s Italy as a tribute to filmmaker Federico Fellini. Conductor José Luis Gómez leads the orchestra.
Soprano Tessa McQueen sings Floria Tosca, tenor Demetrious Sampson Jr. takes the role of Mario Cavaradossi, and baritone Jonathan Patton plays Baron Scarpia.
Upcoming at Wolf Trap
- Friday, August 7 — Wolf Trap Opera: Puccini's "Tosca," Filene Center. Tickets at wolftrap.org.
