Francesca Zambello ʼ78 Workshops Innovative Opera-Ballet During Arts Residency

By Rebecca Taurisano March 10, 2025

Colgate University welcomed internationally acclaimed opera and theater director Francesca Zambello ’78 in late February as the inaugural Clifford Family Innovator in Residence. Zambello, along with an award-winning artistic team, collaborated on the development and performance of O’Keeffe: Kiss the Sky — a groundbreaking new opera blending ballet and contemporary dance. The production explores the lives of renowned American painter Georgia O’Keeffe; her husband, photographer and gallery owner Alfred Stieglitz; and influential patron and socialite Mabel Dodge Luhan.

Zambello’s residency was funded by a permanent endowment from Trustee Emeritus Chris Clifford ’67, H’11, P’93 and Carrie Clifford ’93. The residency is one of the cornerstones of the Middle Campus Initiative for the Arts, Creativity, and Innovation (ACI), which engages students and faculty in the work of artists, designers, entrepreneurs, and creatives from various fields.

“This inherently interdisciplinary project touches on almost all of the academic departments and programs connected to the ACI Initiative, and gives students and faculty a chance to work closely on a creative collaboration with a team of artists at the top of their fields,” said Christian DuComb, associate dean of the faculty for faculty recruitment and development and associate professor of theater.

Zambello assembled an impressive team for the project, including Grammy Award-winning composer Christopher Tin, choreographer Jessica Lang, and librettist and dramaturg Kelley Rourke. Michelle Mariposa, Nicholas Huff, and Winona Martin performed as vocalists; Milan Misko, Eve Jacobs, and Rachel Secrest performed as dancers; and Tongyao Li was the pianist.

The production brought together the classical traditions of opera and ballet to tell a contemporary story. A narrative coalesced around the relationships between O’Keeffe; Stieglitz, who discovered O’Keeffe; and Luhan, who introduced O’Keeffe to the American West. This trio is mirrored in the three vocalists and three dancers who embody the spirit of each character — furthering the story through song and movement.

“Our American artform, musicals, have always brought together singing and dancing as storytelling,” Zambello said. “Opera is a phenomenal way to tell a story with the passion of the human voice. When you fuse classical ballet forms with contemporary dance and mix these elements with opera, it tells a narrative story.”

The residency culminated in two performances showcasing O’Keeffe: Kiss the Sky in the Experimental Exhibition and Performance Space in Bernstein Hall, a hub of creativity and innovation in the Middle Campus. “I am so thrilled to be working and performing in that space for an intimate audience,” said Zambello. “This venue is a gift to the community and the University.”

It was a full-circle moment for Zambello to workshop O’Keeffe: Kiss the Sky at Colgate, where the seeds for her career were planted. As an undergraduate, Zambello knew she wanted to direct theater, but the idea to work with opera had not yet germinated. Her first experience with opera was in the listening room of Colgate’s library — the librarian played a significant amount of Wagner while Zambello studied, she recalled.

Zambello was inspired and mentored by several Colgate professors: Jane Pinchin, former interim president, former provost and dean of the faculty, and Thomas A. Bartlett Chair and professor of English emerita; Margaret Mauer, William Henry Crawshaw professor of literature; Marilyn Thie, professor of philosophy and religion and women’s studies emerita; and the late Martha Olcott, professor of political science. Professor Olcott led a study group in 1976 to the U.S.S.R. during a complex geopolitical time, inspiring Zambello’s connection to Russian music and theater.

“The Moscow study group was an incredibly seminal experience for me,” Zambello said. “Everyone else in the program was studying political science or language majors. I was the only person in the arts, so I went to a ton of theater and saw all sorts of amazing things.”

Since graduating from Colgate, she has worked at more than 50 international opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, Paris Opera, Bolshoi, Munich State Opera, Covent Garden, and Opera Australia. Her work has been shown on Broadway, in regional theaters, and across Europe. She holds numerous awards, among them the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres, the Knight in the Order of the Star, and the Russian Federation’s Arts Medal for contributions to culture. Zambello served as the artistic and general director of the Glimmerglass Festival in Cooperstown, N.Y., from 2010 to 2022, and she has served as the artistic director of the Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., since 2012.

Throughout the week, students were involved in the development process as performers, filmmakers, directors, and stage managers. They also attended classes taught by the visiting artistic team. Speaking to a group of students about the power of a liberal arts education, Zambello described how the foundations of her career as an opera director were laid during her four years as a Colgate student. By studying a wide range of subjects and participating in study groups in London and Moscow, she told the group, she gained a broad perspective that has made her into a versatile and internationally renowned artist and administrator.

“In an era of increasingly specialized education, I think this message about the value of the liberal arts is a powerful one for current Colgate students,” said DuComb. “Four years developing your curiosity, imagination, and problem-solving abilities at Colgate is excellent preparation for a successful career in just about any field.”

Back on the campus where it all began for Zambello, pioneering the Clifford residency, the director and her team were able to bring experience to bear and focus on their story without the spectacle that production can add. “As a director, you want to see if something works when there is nothing,” said Zambello. “Ask ‘what is the only thing you need to tell the story?’ and then you can build from that.”

Photos courtesy of Ryan John Lee.