Berkshire Opera Festival’s Resident Artist Program opens its inaugural season with Zémire et Azor, André Grétry’s retelling of the classic Beauty and the Beast tale—reimagined in our new production in the shimmering yet morally fragile world of Gilded Age America. Zémire, daughter of the nouveau riche, longs for authenticity while Azor, an old-money recluse disfigured by an industrial accident, hides in a decaying mansion outside New York. When she offers herself to save her father, Zémire discovers Azor’s noble heart. Richly lyrical and emotionally expressive, the work celebrates love’s transformative power and the enduring truth that real beauty lies within.