Chicago Opera Theater is set to present “Another Sunrise” and “For a Look or a Touch.” The production will open on May 27 at the Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture. The productions are produced by Music of Remembrance, an organization dedicated to remembering the Holocaust through music. The double bill marks the Chicago Premiere of one-act operas both composed by {…}
Chicago Opera Theater has announced that Lawrence Edelson will be its next General Director. The announcement culminates a three-month search. He will commence his duties on July 1, 2023, taking over for Interim General Director Meaghan Stainback Smallwood, who will collaborate with Edelson until September 1, 2023. She will then revert to her previous position as Chicago Opera Theater’s Director {…}
The Chicago Opera Theater has announced its 50th anniversary season which will feature six productions. The company will kick things off with the Chicago premiere of David T. Little’s “Soldier Songs.” Nathan Gunn stars with Lidiya Yankovskaya conducting. Performance Date: Oct. 5, 2023 Next up is “The Nose,” also in its Chicago premiere. Yankovskaya conducts a production by Francesca Zambello {…}
Chicago Opera Theater (COT), will present two major performances this May. First up will be “The Cook-Off,” by composer Shawn Okpebholo and librettist Mark Campbell on May 11, 2023. “The Cook-Off” will be the fourth world premiere that the company showcases as part of its Vanguard program, which is led by Elizabeth Morse and genius Music Director Lidiya Yankovskaya. The opera will be {…}
The Board of Directors of Chicago Opera Theater announced it will launch a national search to replace Ashley Magnus, Stefan Edlis, and Gael Neeson General Director, who departs the company effective Friday, March 3, 2023. Magnus will be leaving the Chicago area to unite her family in Southwest Michigan where she and her husband opened the River Trade Brewing Company {…}
The Chicago Opera Theater is set to present the comic opera “Albert Herring” on Jan. 26 – 29, 2023 at the Athenaeum Center. The Britten opera will be presented under the direction of Dame Jane Glover, and stars Miles Mykkanen, in his company debut as Albert Herring. Other cast members include Whitney Morrison as Lady Billows, Leah Dexter as Mrs. Herring, Justin Berkowitz as {…}
Chicago Opera Theater has announced its 2022-23 season, which will celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary. The season opens with Szymanowski’s “King Roger.” The work will be presented in partnership with Lira Ensemble as well as Apollo Chorus. Lidiya Yankovskaya, who has extended her contract with the company through 2024, will conduct with Dylan Evans directing. The cast includes Iwona Sobotka, {…}
Chicago Opera Theater is set to world premiere “Quamino’s Map” on April 23, 2022. The opera, which was composed by Errollyn Wallen and written by Deborah Brevoort, is inspired by S.I. Martin’s “Incomparable World.” The work tells the story of Juba Freeman who arrives in London after winning his freedom after fighting in the Revolutionary War. He meets Amelia Alumond, {…}
The Chicago Opera Theater is set to open its season with Bizet’s “Carmen.” The semi-staged production will give audiences a rare opportunity to hear two world-class dramatic mezzo-sopranos debut new roles opposite one another. Jamie Barton will make her role debut in the title role while Blythely Oratonio, the tenor alter ego of the legendary Stephanie Blythe, will sing his {…}
The Chicago Opera Theater has announced its 2021-22 season which will see a return to in-person performances. The season opens with a concert performance of Bizet’s “Carmen” with a COT twist. Jamie Barton will make her role debut opposite Stephanie Blythe in the tenor role of Don José as her tenor alter ego Blythely Oratonio. The performance will also star {…}
Four characters across generations come to terms with their identities as a major coming-out story was playing out on television. That is at the core of “The Puppy Episode,” a new work set to be showcased by Chicago Opera Theater as part of its Vanguard Emerging Opera Composer Residency. The work was composed by Matthew Recio in collaboration with librettist {…}