The Art Surrounding Monsalvat

Richard Wagner provocatively changed the course of music, drama, and art throughout the twentieth century, and his work continues to influence artists well into our own time. Therefore, since his death in 1883, much of the discourse surrounding Wagner has focused on this artistic legacy. However, Wagner was a man of the nineteenth century, firmly rooted to a specific time and place. While aesthetic enjoyment can often be found in tracking the ebb and flow of an artist’s influences and innovations, the former has largely been absent from the conversation surrounding Richard Wagner. Using Wagner’s enigmatic autobiography, Mein Leben, as a starting point, join Prof. Joshua Borths as we explore the artistic influences on Richard Wagner, understand his art as a conversation between the old and new, and discover the foundation of his greatest music dramas.

Joshua Borths is the newly appointed Director of Opera Theatre at James Madison University (JMU) in Harrisonburg, VA. As an opera professional, Borths has served as a stage director, educator, dramaturg, arts administrator, and writer across the country. For the previous three seasons, Borths served as the Resident Scholar at Virginia Opera, and in summer 2025, he is entering his ninth summer at Des Moines Metro Opera where he will be directing a new production of Richard Wagner’s Der Fliegende Holländer.