Commissioned by American Lyric Theater and Felicity Dahl

World Premiere - Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, June 2010
European Premiere - Wexford Festival Opera, October 2010
Additional Presentations of the World Premiere Production in the United States, Canada and Europe to be announced

First Developmental Workshop at American Lyric Theater, May 2007
Final Developmental Workshop at American Lyric Theater, NYC, April 2009

The Golden Ticket is an ambitious new opera by American composer Peter Ash and British librettist Donald Sturrock, based on Roald Dahl's best-selling modern fairy tale "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". Since the story was first published in 1964, three generations around the world have grown up with this fable of a small boy, a chocolate factory and its mercurial owner, Willy Wonka.

The opera received its World Premiere at Opera Theatre St Louis in June 2010 to critical acclaim. See a selection of reviews here:

To see video clips from the St Louis production click below:

Scenes from the opera were workshopped at the Royal National Theatre, where Trevor Nunn praised its ambitious imagination, attractive melodies and the "richness of its challenging conceptual effects." Sir Simon Rattle also salutes the piece: "It's an impressive achievement, full of musical imagination, colour and invention. I love it. It should make the perfect family opera."

For more information on The Golden Ticket, please call Lawrence Edelson at (646) 216-8289 or email gt@altnyc.org. Score and recorded samples with Gerald Finley are also available from the American Lyric Theater upon request.