Finger Lakes Opera Opens Its 2026 Festival with Glory Denied — A Vietnam War Opera at RIT, July 19

The Finger Lakes Opera Festival opens its 2026 season with something rare: an American opera that insists we look honestly at a part of our history we sometimes prefer to forget. Glory Denied tells the story of Col. James Thompson, who spent nine years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam and came home to a country and a self that had moved on. Composer Tom Cipullo joins the cast for a talk-back after the performance alongside representatives from the Veterans Outreach Center.

Date: Sunday, July 19, 2026 Time: 2:00 PM Location: Robert F. Panara Theatre, RIT/NTID, 52 Lomb Memorial Dr., Rochester, NY Cost: Check fingerlakesopera.org for ticket prices

Tickets and information at fingerlakesopera.org or by calling 585-450-3880.