Fest-goers listen to opera under the stars at the Phoenicia International Festival of the Voice.
There are plenty of small towns in America that have come to be defined by the festivals they host; but it’s not every place that can say that attendance causes the population to balloon to nearly 18 times its size. Phoenicia International Festival of the Voice holds that distinction; last year, approximately 5,500 people showed up to check out the four-day performance series. In a hamlet with a population hovering just above 300, that’s a hell of a boom.

In a pioneering move, The Phoenicia International Festival of Voice has turned their upcoming opera, “Tosca,” into a drive-in performance, The Center of Performing Arts in Rhinebeck is using their great lawn to bring socially distanced Shakespeare to the people, and PS21 has developed a diverse summer season of events and performances using their spacious outdoor scenery, all in an effort to reconnect the community and provide their artists with continuous opportunities to due what they love.