From Opera America Magazine:

Shakespeare as Opera

(The Tempest: July 16 & 18, 2026)

After a decade-plus incubation period that included a concert performance and recording in 2015, the New York City opera company Teatro Grattacielo brought composer Joseph Summer’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest to the stage with a libretto by his daughter, Eve Summer. The opera reimagines Prospero as an exiled filmmaker instead of the Bard’s duke. The production sold out, and the company, Joseph Summer, and foundation partners have agreed to create three additional world-premiere operas inspired by Giovanni Boccaccio’s The Decameron.

In The National Herald, Yanna Katsageorgi wrote: “The melodic lines follow the cadence of Shakespeare’s language, the vocal writing serves the characters, and the score becomes a vehicle for emotion rather than an end in itself. Instead of overwhelming Shakespeare, the opera enters into a genuine dialogue with him.”

— Quarter Notes, Fall 2026: A roundup of North American world premieres.