Chicago Opera Theater

12/24/2025

As Chicago fills with the energy of the holiday season, all of us at COT want to pause and say thank you. This year, you filled our theaters with curiosity, courage, and generosity. You embraced discovery, leaned into unfamiliar stories, and reminded us that opera thrives when it is bold, intimate, and deeply human. Whether you joined us for a production, a concert, a workshop, or a conversation sparked by the work on our stage, you were an essential part of what made this year meaningful.

At this reflective moment, we’re reminded that opera—like the holidays—brings people together, invites empathy, and creates space for wonder, beauty, and renewal. As we look ahead, we’re excited for what’s to come and grateful to have you with us on the journey.

Wishing you and your loved ones a holiday season filled with warmth, joy, and music—and a New Year rich with possibility!

12/22/2025

This season, members of our donor community came together to celebrate the holidays with music, cookies, and shared giving.

Guests enjoyed carols performed by Chicago Opera Theater artists, including our own Scotty Gryder, as well as cookies generously donated by board member Stephanie Hart, founder of Chicago’s Brown Sugar Bakery.

As we close out the year, gatherings like this remind us how vital our community is to everything we do — from supporting artists to expanding access to opera across Chicago.

Join in the spirit of giving and make a year-end gift before December 31 → chicagooperatheater.org/donate

12/19/2025

“...como puedes usar tu imaginación para crear cosas.” (“The most interesting thing I learned this year was how you can use your imagination to create things.”) - 7th-grade student, Pickard Elementary 📚

Through Opera for All (OFA), COT brings free, hands-on arts education to more than 500 students across Chicago Public Schools — empowering them to create, perform, and experience opera firsthand!

Your year-end gift helps keep programs like OFA accessible to students from all backgrounds. Donate today to support arts education that inspires imagination and creativity.

Empower the future of arts education → chicagooperatheater.org/donate

12/18/2025

Hanukkah is a celebration of light in the darkness—and of stories that endure.

As we gather with family and community, we are grateful for the chance to share music and storytelling that reflect resilience, courage, and humanity.

From our stage to your home, Happy Hanukkah from Chicago Opera Theater.

12/17/2025

"I couldn't be where I am today without being in a community that is supportive of businesses." - Stephanie Hart, Founder of Brown Sugar Bakery-Chicago

Going into the holiday season, we express our gratitude to COT board member and Brown Sugar Bakery owner Stephanie Hart for her continued generosity and support of COT!

Stephanie's work, like COT's, is rooted in community. We’re incredibly honored to celebrate Stephanie’s generosity and the lasting impact she’s made on Chicago for more than two decades. Thank you, Stephanie, for everything you bring to COT and to the Chicago community!

12/04/2025

The reviews are in — and audiences LOVE Falstaff! Only 2 performances left this weekend, Dec. 6 & 7.
🎟️ Grab your seats now: https://www.chicagooperatheater.org/falstaff-salieri
Catch the comedy everyone’s talking about before it’s gone!

12/04/2025

Only two more chances to see the production the Chicago Tribune calls "a sunny farce that shows off the real Salieri... the production is much like the Aperol spritzes Mmes. Ford and Slender guzzle poolside: fizzy, sweet and quite coiffable." Final performances December 6 & 7 🎟️ https://www.chicagooperatheater.org/falstaff-salieri

This production in the Fine Arts Building transplants Shakespeare-via-Salieri’s comical opera to a chi-chi, “White Lotus”-style beach resort.

12/04/2025

Don't take our word for it - The Chicago Classical Review says that "Salieri’s “Falstaff” proves delightful fun in COT’s clever updating" - only two performances left this weekend, Dec. 6 & 7 @ 3pm! 🎟️ https://www.chicagooperatheater.org/falstaff-salieri

Verdi’s Falstaff of 1893 is a bona-fide masterpiece. Antonio Salieri’s stage work of the same name, composed nearly a century earlier, is a droll, lighthearted blend of Italian opera buffa and Viennese late-classicism, with no pretensions to greatness.

12/03/2025

A first look at the wonderful, wacky world of Salieri’s Falstaff! Don’t miss this sparkling Chicago premiere - only 3 performances, December 3, 6 & 7 at The Studebaker Theater

Director: Robin Guarino
Conductor: Christine Brandes
Scenic Designer: Andrew Boyce
Costume Designer: Jessica Pabst
Lighting Designer: Thomas Hase
Wigs and Makeup Designer: Erin Lunsford

Photos by Michael Brosilow

12/02/2025

Giving Tuesday is here! Celebrate the power of philanthropy by giving yourself and the Chicago community the gift of music and storytelling. Your donation empowers Chicago Opera Theater to create fresh, thought-provoking operas while inspiring and educating the next generation of artists and audiences.

Visit the link below to give today!
https://www.chicagooperatheater.org/donate

11/26/2025

Chicago celebrates Salieri—onstage, in style.

ensemble member Ian Barford—currently electrifying audiences as Salieri in 'Amadeus'—is just as excited as we are that Chicago is having a full-blown Salieri moment! 🎉

This season, Chicago Opera Theater brings Salieri’s Falstaff to the stage during the 200th anniversary of the composer’s death.

Learn more → www.cot.org/salieri

11/26/2025

"One of my favorite moments in Salieri's FALSTAFF is this truly sublime duet between Mr. and Mrs. Ford in the second act," shares General Director Lawrence Edelson. "If you think Salieri is a second rate composer, just take a moment to listen to this, then join us at The Studebaker Theater December 3-7 to experience his remarkable work live!"

Provided to YouTube by HungarotonFalstaff: Act II Scene XVII - "Te sol amo, anima mia" · István Gáti · Dénes Gulyás · Tamás Pál · Mária Zempléni · Éva Pánczé...