The Board of Directors of Chicago Opera Theater (COT) has announced the unanimous approval of a five-year extension of General Director Lawrence Edelson’s contract through 2031. Lawrence has been the General Director since July 2023 and has led Chicago Opera Theater through a period of institutional stabilization, artistic achievement, and renewed national visibility. He has worked closely with the Board, {…}
Chicago Opera Theater has announced its 2026-27 season. “Together, these programs reflect a strategic deepening of COT’s commitment not only to what appears on stage,” said COT General Director Lawrence Edelson, “but also to how opera is created, how Chicago-based artists are supported, and how the next generation of audiences is cultivated through meaningful access and early engagement.” The season opens {…}
Chicago Opera Theater is set to close its 2025-26 season with the concert premiere of a new opera “Trusted,” the seventh full-length opera developed through COT’s Vanguard Initiative. The work is composed by Aaron Israel Levin to a libretto by Marella Martin Koch and was developed over the course of Levin’s two year tenure as COT’s Vanguard Composer. “Trusted” will {…}
Chicago Opera Theater (COT) is set to present the Chicago premiere of “Der Silbersee: Ein Wintermärchen” by Kurt Weill and text by Georg Kaiser. Directed by COT General Director Lawrence Edelson and conducted by James Lowe in his COT debut, the new production will be performed March 4, 7 & 8 at the Studebaker Theater. The work is presented in {…}
Chicago Opera Theater (COT) is set to present the second Discovery Concert of the 2025-26 season titled, “In America’s Embrace: Celebrating Immigrant Composers.” The program, set for Jan. 18, 2026 at 3 p.m. local time, will include opera, musical theater and songs by composers who fled their native countries and came to America—some as children, others later in life—finding safety, {…}
The Chicago Opera Theater (COT) is set to present the Chicago premiere of “Falstaff, ossia le tre burle” by composer Antonio Salieri and librettist Carlo Prospero Defranceschi. The opera will feature a cast that includes bass-baritone Christian Pursell as Sir John Falstaff as well as soprano Vanessa Becerra as Mistress Ford, tenor Andrew Morstein as Master Ford, Tzytle Steinman as {…}
The Chicago Opera Theater will present “Shakespeare Sings” on Oct. 19, 2025. The concert will take audiences on a journey through the passion, comedy, tragedy, and romance inspired by the lasting genius of Shakespeare. The concert will showcase arias and scenes from operas inspired by the Bard’s plays and will include works by Rossini, Bellini, Nicolai, Gounod, Verdi, Faccio, Zandonai, {…}
The Chicago Opera Theater (COT) has announced a new opportunity for audiences to get a unique look inside the creative process this fall with a public piano/vocal workshop of “Trusted,” a new opera in development by composer Aaron Israel Levin and librettist Marella Martin Koch. The workshop, part of COT’s acclaimed Vanguard Initiative, will culminate in a public concert reading of the first {…}
The Chicago Opera Theater has announced its 2025-26 season. The season opens with “Trusted: Vanguard Piano/Vocal Workshop,” featuring a public concert reading and audience engagement in the workshop process for Aaron Israel Levin and Marella Martin Koch’s new opera in development at COT. Performance Date: Sept. 21, 2025 There will be a Discovery Concert: Shakespeare Sings, which will feature arias and {…}
Chicago Opera Theater will continue its 2024-25 season with the concert premiere of the sixth full-length opera produced through COT’s industry leading Vanguard Initiative. The work entitled “Remedios Varios para las Aflicciones del Cuerpo y el Espíritu” is composed by Carlos R. Carrillo with a libretto by Stephanie Fleischmann. The work is set in a world devoid of color and {…}
Chicago Opera Theater is set to celebrate the centennial of Giacomo Puccini’s death with “Bohème and Beyond – The Legacy of Puccini.” The concert will highlight how Puccini’s work impacted the evolution of opera and musical theater and will be performed at DePaul University’s Gannon Hall at the Holtschneider Performance Center on Dec. 7. This concert will feature beloved arias {…}