Chicago, Illinois, United States
"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom..." -Anais Nin "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate: Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure... It is our Light not our Darkness that most frightens us..." - Marianne Williamson "The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any" - Alice Walker "When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afriad." -Audra Lorde
FALSTAFF, or THE THREE TRICKS Composer: Antonio Salieri Librettists: Carlo Prospero Defranceschi CHICAGO PREMIERE Wednesday, December 3rd @ 7:30 PM Saturday, December 6th @ 3 PM Sunday, December 7th @ 3 PM Sung in Italian with English Supertitles Run Time: 2 hours and 30 minutes with 1 intermission Studebaker Theater 410 S. Michigan Avenue Chicago, IL Discover the inspiration behind the costumes for Falstaff with Costume Designer Jessica Pabst! FALSTAFF, ossia LE TRE BURLE FALSTAFF, or THE THREE TRICKS Though best known today for his supposed rivalry with Mozart, Antonio Salieri was a prolific and successful composer in his own right. COT honors the 200th Anniversary of Salieri’s death in 1825 with the Chicago premiere of his sparkling comedy, Falstaff, ossia Le tre burle (Falstaff, or The Three Tricks). Librettist Carlo Prospero Defranceschi based his work on the charming anti-hero, Sir John Falstaff, from multiple Shakespeare plays. Premiered in 1799 and inspired by the plot of Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor, Falstaff follows the misadventures of the arrogant and bumbling knight as he schemes to seduce two married women — only to be hilariously outwitted by their clever tricks. This comedic tale of human folly, deception, and the triumph of wit over arrogance remains as fresh and funny as ever.
The Countdown Begins... Don Giovanni, led by acclaimed director Dr. Viktoria Vizin, returns on October 12, and the energy is building! This isn’t just a revival — it’s a reimagining. Expect bold staging, electrifying performances, and Mozart’s music at its most thrilling. Don’t miss your chance to experience this iconic opera like never before. Grab your tickets now Marketing / Design by Carmen Vizin Don Giovanni Revival 🎭 ‼️MEET THE CAST‼️ Don Giovanni: Zachary Mendenhall Leporello: Kevin Wheatle Donna Elvira: Katherine Cosenza Starr Donna Anna: Tiana Dubal Don Ottavio: Frank Watnick Zerlina: Diana Monacelli Masetto: Rowan Foley Commendatore: Brian Neal
As Carmen turns 150 this year, it continues to dazzle and delight audiences around the world. It is still ranked among the top three most-performed operas globally, and has perhaps the broadest reach of any opera. It has been heard everywhere from the Formula 1 podium to The Muppets, and now Chicago City Opera brings Carmen to you in a close-up, powerful experience! Join us on a journey through Spain as we meet a woman as ferocious as any bullfighter, as free as the wind, and as decisive as the pull of fate. Carmen is an outsider in a country that both loves and fears her. Join us and see the opera that has captivated the world for a century and a half! Cast: Carmen: Angela Born Don José: Jordan Loyd Escamillo: Keaton Payne Micaëla: Jessie Lyons Frasquita: Diana Monacelli Mercedes: Jaime Sharp Zuniga: Louise Floyd Morales/Le Dancaïre: Kevin Wheatle Le Remendado: Matt Peckham Artistic Team: Conductor: Alexandra Enyart Stage Director: Rose Freeman Pianist: Jordan Crice Assistant Director: Caroline Shaul
La Bohème has been one of the world’s most popular and best-known operas in the repertoire. It has been set and re-set in 1900 near the time of the premiere of the opera, the present time, and in the future set in outer space. The setting we have chosen remains as originally designed by Puccini, the Latin Quarter of Paris, known as the place where artists and intellectuals meet and live. But instead of the 1830 time of the original setting, we’ve chosen the year 2035, or roughly 200 years after the original Murger story, as our time where the story begins. The look and feel of the environment are much the same as the original source material by Henri Murger (which was about 70 years before Puccini and librettist Luigi Illica set the opera), but there are differences as well. You still see that visual artists, poets, writers, and philosophers mingle to live and create there. But in our version, the future of the cultural trends in the world that so many artists and free thinkers have monetized by that time have not touched these artists, who continue to live and work with their original ideals. These ideals are originally born in a world of their own in the romantic idea that artists and free thinkers need to struggle to create and truly live, without the worldly comforts that can soften the edge of their creations.
In 1800s India, tensions between the native people and the occupying British forces run high, particularly for the Hindu high priest Nilakantha. One day, his daughter Lakmé and her servant Mallika gather flowers. They are unaware that two British soldiers, Frédéric and Gérald, are also nearby, accompanied by Gérald’s fiancée, her cousin, and their governess. When the rest of the party wanders away, leaving Gerald alone, Lakmé encounters him. Despite her initial fear, they experience an undeniable attraction. This is unwelcome news to Lakmé’s father, Nilakantha, who is incensed at the British officer’s encroachment on his daughter’s affections as well as his native land. Determined to know the trespasser’s identity, Nilakantha forces Lakmé to sing at a busy market. Upon seeing Gérald, Lakmé faints and Nilakantha stabs him, sure that he has violated his daughter’s purity. Lakmé is able to escape with Gérald to the forest, where they fall deeper in love as she helps him recover. In this romantic setting, there is a sacred spring that, legend has it, ensures the true and enduring love of those who drink its water. As Lakmé draws water from the spring, Frédéric arrives and implores Gérald to abandon Lakmé and return to his military duties, setting the stage for the opera’s concluding conflicts between the familiar and the foreign, and between loyalty and love. Based on popular fiction of the time, Lakmé was a vehicle for soprano Marie van Zandt, an American-born diva whose voice and personal exploits captured the public’s attention and contributed to the opera’s success. Today, the opera is best known for its famous Flower Duet ("Sous le dôme épais") and Bell Song (“Où va la jeune Hindoue?”). Librettist Edmond Gondinet first conceived the opera and then involved his friend, composer Leo Delibes; it is therefore somewhat ironic that the story’s content is out of with today’s post-colonial norms, but its music has proven timeless.