The Opera Company of Middlebury Young Artist Program Presents:
The U.S. Premiere of Xavier Montsalvatge's
BABEL 46
Friday, June 12, 2026 at 7:30pm
Sunday, June 14, 2026 at 2pm
Pre-Show Gathering at Jean's Place
One hour before each performance, join us in Jean's Place for a preshow talk and a drink at the cash bar. Free admission with your ticket.
- Friday, June 12 at 6:30pm: Gather around the keyboard as YAP Artistic and Music Director Alejandro Roca offers an informal musical guide to the opera.
- Sunday, June 14 at 1pm: Stage Director Pat Diamond discusses the creative process and the character work behind this U.S. premiere.
Join our talented group of Spring 2026 Young Artists in the Doug & Debby Anderson Studio in THT's new wing for Babel 46. Composed in the 1960s and premiered in 1994, Babel 46 unfolds in a refugee camp in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War. As displaced inmates await repatriation, each clings to an elaborate story designed to conceal a painful or dangerous truth. They sing in their own languages - Italian, French, Spanish, English, Portuguese, and Hebrew - forming a modern Tower of Babel where fractured identities collide. Raw, immediate, and deeply human, this gripping “neo-verismo” drama reflects the composer’s admiration for Giacomo Puccini, Gian Carlo Menotti, and Benjamin Britten, blending lyrical intensity with stark theatrical realism. With English supertitles, accompanied by piano and conducted by Alejandro Roca.
CONTENT ADVISORY: This production contains depictions of violence and suicide, and may not be suitable for younger audiences.
ARTISTIC TEAM:
Sarah Cullins, OCM Director of Education & Outreach
Alejandro Roca, YAP Artistic Director
Pat Diamond, YAP Guest Stage Director
Meet the cast and learn more about our Young Artist Program here.
