Little Red Riding Hood Is Touring the Adirondacks—and It's Introducing a New Generation to Opera
Little Red Riding Hood appeals to multiple generations.
Every July, the Adirondacks become an outdoor stage.
Concerts echo across lakeshores. Shakespeare appears in village parks. Community theaters fill with summer audiences.
But tucked among the region's better-known festivals is one tradition many families have yet to discover: Seagle Festival's Children's Opera Tour, which brings professional opera directly to libraries, arts centers, theaters, and community venues throughout the Adirondacks.
This summer, Seagle Festival's production of Little Red Riding Hood will travel to Schroon Lake, Ticonderoga, Bolton Landing, North Creek, Elizabethtown, and Glens Falls, giving children—and often their parents—the chance to experience live opera free of charge.
It's one of the Adirondacks' most quietly remarkable cultural traditions.
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Six communities. One fairy tale.
Families have six opportunities to experience Seagle Festival's Children's Opera Tour as it travels across the Adirondacks this July.
Find a performance near you in the Adirondacks.
More than a children's show.
At first glance, Little Red Riding Hood may seem like a simple introduction to opera.
Composer Seymour Barab's adaptation certainly embraces the familiar fairy tale. Little Red sets off through the woods to visit her grandmother, encounters a persuasive wolf, and learns a few important lessons along the way.
But the production accomplishes something more ambitious than retelling a classic story.
Performed entirely in English by Seagle Festival's emerging artists, the opera gently removes many of the barriers that have long surrounded opera.
There are no expensive tickets, no formal dress codes, and no intimidating concert halls. Instead, families gather in libraries, lakeside theaters, community centers, and arts venues where children can laugh, ask questions, and even meet the performers after the curtain falls.
For many young audience members, it will be their very first live opera.
Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf.
A century-old Adirondack tradition keeps evolving.
That accessibility reflects Seagle Festival's larger mission.
Founded more than a century ago in Schroon Lake, Seagle has quietly become one of America's oldest and most respected summer vocal training programs. Every season, emerging singers from across the country travel to the Adirondacks to refine their craft before launching professional careers on stages around the world.
While full-scale operas remain at the heart of the festival, the children's tour represents another side of the organization—one that believes exceptional performing arts shouldn't be reserved for major cities.
Instead, opera comes to the audience.
This year's tour stretches from the southern Adirondacks to the Champlain Valley, creating six opportunities for families to experience professional live performance close to home.
Go behind the curtain with Seagle Festival.
Before Little Red Riding Hood begins its six-stop Adirondack tour, hear directly from the people behind the production in this episode of ADK Talks.
Executive Director Darren K. Woods and Josh Cook, Education & Community Engagement Director, discuss the Seagle Festival's remarkable history, why emerging artists come to Schroon Lake each summer, and how productions like Little Red Riding Hood help introduce a new generation to opera.
Based in Schroon Lake, Seagle Festival has spent more than a century bringing world-class vocal performance and arts education to communities throughout the Adirondack Park.
Opera finds a natural home in the Adirondacks.
The venues themselves help tell the story.
Children are automatically drawn to live music and theater.
One performance takes place beside Schroon Lake, where the Seagle Festival has deep roots.
Another unfolds beneath the trees in Ticonderoga as part of the Ti Festival Guild's Children's Arts Trek.
Bolton Landing's historic Sembrich welcomes the production to one of the region's most celebrated music campuses, while North Creek's Tannery Pond Center, Crandall Public Library in Glens Falls, and the Elizabethtown Social Center each offer distinctive community settings.
Collectively, the tour reflects something quintessentially Adirondack.
Here, arts and culture rarely exist in isolation. A morning at the opera might lead to an afternoon swimming in Schroon Lake.
Families attending North Creek's performance can continue on to Gore Mountain or explore Main Street.
In Bolton Landing, Lake George becomes part of the backdrop. Elizabethtown pairs the opera with community contra dancing, transforming a performance into an evening celebration.
The experience feels woven into the landscape rather than separated from it.
The audience may be children—but everyone benefits.
Although the performances are designed for children from pre-K through sixth grade, adults often discover they're just as captivated.
Parents appreciate the opportunity to introduce children to live music without the pressure of a formal theater.
Grandparents recognize familiar melodies and timeless storytelling. Visitors stumble upon an unexpected cultural experience during an Adirondack vacation.
And the performers themselves gain something equally valuable.
Each stop on the tour allows Seagle Festival's emerging artists to develop not only their voices but also the ability to connect with new audiences—a skill every successful performer eventually needs.
Opera, after all, has always been about storytelling.
ADK Taste recommends.
If possible, choose the performance that best complements a day of exploring the Adirondacks rather than simply attending the closest venue.
Spend the morning at Schroon Lake's public beach before the opening performance on July 11.
Pair Bolton Landing's July 16 performance with lunch overlooking Lake George.
Explore downtown North Creek before visiting Tannery Pond Center on July 21.
Families heading to Glens Falls on July 30 can easily combine the performance with a visit to The Hyde Collection or Crandall Park.
Most performances are free, though some require advance reservations. Check individual venues before traveling, as seating and registration policies vary.
Go into the woods with Little Red Riding Hood.
ADK Taste perspective.
The Adirondacks have never fit neatly into one category.
Visitors come for mountains, lakes, hiking trails, and paddling adventures. Yet what keeps many people returning is something less obvious: communities that invest in culture with the same enthusiasm they bring to outdoor recreation.
Seagle Festival's Little Red Riding Hood tour embodies that spirit beautifully.
It reminds us that some of the region's most memorable experiences happen not on a summit or a shoreline, but inside a library, a lakeside theater, or a community hall where children discover the thrill of live performance for the very first time.
Long after the wolf exits the stage, those moments of wonder tend to linger.
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