Baroque Academy Opera Project

Rameau's Platée

July 11-18, 2026

Muhlenberg College
2400 W Chew St
Allentown, PA 18104
United States

Tuition:

$750

The Opera Project at the 2026 Amherst Early Music Festival will be Jean- Philippe Rameau’s Platée, a comédie lyrique composed to mark the marriage of the Dauphin Louis, son of Louis XV to Princess Maria Teresa of Spain. The opera tells the tale of the frog nymph, Platée, who becomes the victim of a machination of the gods as they trick her into believing she is loved by Jupiter. Gods, goddesses and allegorical figures mix it up with swamp creatures, satyrs and muses in what is considered the first comic opera to be written and performed in France.

Musical direction by Gary Thor Wedow and stage direction by Nell Snaidas, vocal coach Sherezade Panthaki, Lawrence Rosenwald, diction coach, Dorothy Olsson and Peggy Murray, historical dance, Ronnie Snader, costumes, and Paul Guttry, sets and props.

Master classes, coachings, sessions on period acting and performance technique. Performance Friday, July 17, 2026. Audition by April 1, 2026 (singers), April 15, 2026 (instrumentalists). Pitch is A=415.

Roles:

La Folie (Soprano D4 to Bb5) The allegorical character, Folly. She represents gaiety, delusion and temptation. She is a superstar with a showstopping aria.

Amour (High Soprano E4 to A5) Cupid/Son of Venus-Aphrodite, the god of love and creative energy.

Clarine (Soprano F4 to A5) Maidservant to Platée.

Thalie (Soprano F#4 to G5) One of the nine muses: the muse of comedy and idyllic poetry.

First Ménade (Soprano B4-E4) Follower of Bacchus.

Second Ménade (Soprano or Mezzo Soprano G#4-C4) Follower of Bacchus.

Junon (Lyric Mezzo or Soprano, E4 to A5) Queen of the gods, wife (and sister) of Jupiter, not-so-pleased with her husband’s infidelity.

Platée (Haute-contre, D3-C5) A proud frog-like nymph who reigns over the marshes. She is lusty, full of spunk and verve. This tour-de-force role demands a great comic actor who can also break your heart.

Thespis (Haute-contre F#3 to C5) The father of the dramatic arts, credited for inventing tragedy and acting.

Mercure (Haute-contre, Tenor or High Baritone E3 to A4) God of commerce and travel and messenger of the gods.

Momus (Tenor or High Baritone A2-F#4) God of mockery, sarcasm and disguise, the “jester” of the Olympian deities.

Jupiter (Bass or Bass-Baritone, G2-E4) King of the gods, god of the elements, not-so-faithful husband to Junon - he governs the earth and the heavens.

Cithéron (Bass F2 to F4) Greek king who gave his name to Mount Cithaeron.

Satyr (Bass or Bass Baritone G2 to E4) Half-human, half-goat. A follower of Dionysus known for wine, music and revelry.

Opera will be condensed to 1.5 hours, and some roles may be doubled (two roles played by one person)

Baroque Opera Project General Daily Schedule 9:00-10:30 Master class, 11:00-12:30 staging rehearsal, 1:30-3:00 musical rehearsal, 3:30 to 5:30 tutti rehearsal with orchestra.

Photo Credits this page: John Daggett

Baroque Academy at the Amherst Early Music offers a unique opportunity for music students, advanced amateurs, and young starting professionals to explore music in the 17th and 18th centuries. Students work closely with internationally renowned faculty members to expand their knowledge of Baroque style, technique, ornamentation, and repertoire.

The 2026 Baroque Academy will be held at Muhlenberg College in Allentown PA, July 11-18, 2026. Opera singers should plan to begin rehearsing the afternoon of Saturday, July 11. (The Festival week runs July 12-19.)

Dafne, opera at the 2025 Amherst Early Music Festival

Audition Due date

April 1, 2026

Faculty

Gary Thor

Wedow *

Conductor

Nell

Snaidas *

stage director

Sherezade

Panthaki

Voice

Where

View larger map

Festival FAQs

TRAVEL
Muhlenberg College: 2400 Chew Street, Allentown, PA
Closest Airport: Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE), is approximately 7 miles from the Muhlenberg campus.
Trans-Bridge Lines offers service from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in NYC, and Newark Airport to the Allentown Transportation Center, 603 Linden Street, Allentown, PA (2.3 miles from campus)
Greyhound offers service from Philadelphia to the Allentown Transportation Center.

MEALS
The meal card is $280 and covers one week of meals starting with dinner on Sunday, July 12, (July 19 for second week) thru breakfast on Sunday, July 19, (July 26 for second week).
A la carte meal prices are:
Breakfast - $11.12
Lunch - $15.22
Dinner - $22,83.

ROOMS
All standard rooms are air-conditioned. Budget rate housing is not air-conditioned, with hall baths. Basic linens (sheets, pillow, and towels) are included with all housing. Beds are twin, extra long.
Standard rooms with private baths are in Taylor Hall. Standard rooms with hall baths are in Martin Luther Hall or similar (tba), Kitchenette Suite rooms are in South Hall. Budget (non-ac) rooms are in Brown Hall.

Baroque Academy Audition Information

To apply for Baroque Academy, please submit the following through our audition portal. Due dates are April 1, 2026 for singers, and April 15, 2026 for instrumentalists.

$30 audition fee
Instrumentalists should include a resume or brief description summarizing your musical background and experience, including formal and informal training and education along with 10-15 minutes of music showing your technique, expression, and understanding of Baroque style. The piece(s) need not be accompanied. Please include composer and title information with your submission.
Singers auditioning for the Baroque Opera Project should provide unedited video of you performing two contrasting baroque arias, one of which should be in French. If you have a third selection that you would like for us to consider, you may include it. All samples should be recorded within the past two years. You may familiarize yourself with the opera here: https://imslp.org/wiki/Plat%C3%A9e,_RCT_53_(Rameau,_Jean-Philippe) In addition, there are several recordings available.

Scholarships & Work-Study

Work-Study

All participants are welcome to apply for tuition assistance through AEM's Work-Study program. The work-study application form can be found here. Questions about Work-Study can be sent to Click here to show mail address. Applicants are encouraged to early, and before May 10th.

AEM Scholarships

To apply for all AEM scholarships, including the Washington McClain Scholarship, please fill out the Scholarship application form here. Applications due by May 10th.

The Washington McClain Scholarship Fund honors the memory of Baroque oboist and Amherst Early Music faculty member Washington McClain. It will fund scholarships for students who have historically been underrepresented in the early music field, including African-American, Latinx, and others. Awards will cover tuition, room and board, and travel and may be used for any in-person AEM event, particularly the Amherst Early Music Festival.

In addition to scholarships, AEM offers work study tuition to all of our workshops, and the Amherst Early Music Festival. Work study is an option for students of any age.

Other Organizations

American Recorder Society offers scholarships to recorder players for Weekend Workshops as well as Summer Festivals. Any ARS member who needs financial assistance to attend a weekend or week-long workshop may apply for this scholarship. Deadline: May 15.

Early Music America offers scholarships to help students attend early music and historical performance workshops in North America. Applications due February 8.

Viola da Gamba Society of America offers Grants-in-Aid to its members to attend Workshops and Masterclasses.

The Historical Keyboard Society of North America has established the Funaro Fund Award to support its members to offset the cost of traveling to an early keyboard event.

COVID-19 Policy

Policy for 2026 is tba. The 2025 policy is listed here.

The Festival is a congregate living environment, with a population ranging in age from 1 to 90+ where we live, play music and dance together for several days. Our main approach to preventing Covid will be testing, and, like last year, we need everyone to test and to let us know if they experience symptoms.

Rapid testing is required to attend the Festival for all participants, faculty, and staff. Please take an at-home COVID test the day before arrival at Muhlenberg College, a second test the morning of arrival, and an additional test mid-week on Wednesday morning. Two-week students should also test on Saturday July 5. Bring extra tests in case you develop symptoms during the week. We will have a limited supply available for purchase.

Masking is optional. Masking decisions are personal and will be respected.

Vaccinations and boosters are encouraged but not required. Anyone with symptoms, or feeling unwell should notify us immediately, and not attend any classes or events. Self evaluation: Before coming to the Festival if you are experiencing symptoms that may indicate Covid, regardless of test results, DO NOT COME. Notify us right away.
If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID before arrival, please do not come to the Festival until your symptoms abate and you have tested negative twice over two days. f you begin to experience symptoms of COVID while at the Festival we will ask you to isolate or leave campus until your symptoms abate and you have tested negative twice over two days

(Updated June 12, 2025)