Festival Napa Valley presents the world premiere of Goodbye, Mr. Chips, the highly anticipated opera by acclaimed composer Gordon Getty. Based on James Hilton’s classic novella, Goodbye, Mr. Chips tells of the life of beloved English schoolmaster Mr. Chipping, known to his students and others as “Mr. Chips.” Set at Brookfield, “a good public school of the second rate” in Eastern England, the story follows Chips from his first days at the boarding school in 1870, through his marriage to the woman who will change him forever, to the rapid changes brought by the turn of the century and the outbreak of WWI. Along the way, we’re reminded of the difference one good teacher can make, as we watch Chips and his children enrich one another’s lives. Carolyn Watson conducts a stellar cast led by soprano Marnie Breckenridge (Kathy Chips), tenor Norman Reinhardt (Mr. Chips), and baritone Lester Lynch.