Chicago Opera Theater Sets 2015 Season: THERESE RAQUIN, LUCIO SILLA & A COFFIN IN EGYPT

Chicago Opera Theater's General Director Andreas Mitisek today announced plans for the company's 41st season, featuring classic and contemporary operas replete with intense drama and marvelous music. Tobias Picker's "Thérèse Raquin," Ricky Ian Gordon's "A Coffin in Egypt" and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "Lucio Silla" will all be staged at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph Street.

Kicking off the 2015 season will be Tobias Picker's "Thérèse Raquin," a gripping and suspenseful tale of passionate love affairs, murderous ends and supernatural vengeance, running February 20, 22, 25 and 28, 2015. The company's spring production of Ricky Ian Gordon's "A Coffin in Egypt" tells the haunting tale of memory and murder, racism and recrimination, based on a play by Horton Foote. This work, written for legendary mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade in the tour-de-force role of Myrtle Bledsoe, runs April 25 and 29 and May 1 and 3, 2015. The 2015 Season will close with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "Lucio Silla," a story of the tyrannical dictator whose lust fuels his penchant for manipulation in a city which is already brimming with plots and machinations. With a scintillating score and featuring awe-inspiring arias and ravishing melodies, "Lucio Silla" runs September 26 and 30 and October 2 and 4, 2015.

"We are proud to offer another adventurous journey with powerful stories and brilliant music all new to Chicago," said Mitisek. "We are particularly pleased to again present our entire season at our home venue, the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, where Chicago Opera Theater is a founding resident company. We are fortunate that, over the last ten years, the Theater has provided support and has remained committed to helping us achieve our mission: to engage curious audiences through adventurous opera experiences of new and rarely performed works."

About the 2015 Chicago Opera Theater's Season

"Thérèse Raquin"
Composed by Tobias Picker
Libretto by Gene Scheer
Conducted by TBA
Directed by TBA
Sung in English
Feb. 20, 22, 25 and 28
Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph
Co-Produced with Long Beach Opera

Thérèse, trapped in an unhappy marriage, escapes into a stormy affair with her husband's best friend. Their newfound passion compels the young lovers to commit a crime that will haunt them forever. Picker's lavish and riveting score provides the suspenseful underpinning for this deadly love triangle. Based on Emile Zola's scandalous novel it is "a meaningful opera infused with moments of searing reflection and luxurious sensuality," according to Opera Now.

"A Coffin in Egypt"
Composed by Ricky Ian Gordon
Libretto by Leonard Foglia
Conducted by TBA
Directed by TBA
Sung in English
Starring Frederica von Stade
April 25, 29, May 1 and 3
Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph

Celebrated mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade stars in this tour-de-force portrayal of 90-year-old grand dame Myrtle Bledsoe living in Egypt, Texas. Having outlived all her family and friends, she confronts a life of missed opportunities, broken dreams, and a family of liars and murderers. In a role written for von Stade, her performance is hailed by the Huffington Post as "transcendent and powerful." Gordon's intimate, touching score tells an unforgettable story of one woman's last moments of reflection and forgiveness.

"Lucio Silla"
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Libretto by Giovanni de Gamerra
Conducted by TBA
Directed by TBA
Sung in Italian with English Supertitles
September 26 and 30 and October 2 and 4
Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph

Composed by the 16 year old Mozart, this tale of a tyrannical dictator was one of the young prodigy's earliest successes. When Silla is denied the heart of the woman he desires, he commits his considerable power and influence to force matters in his favor. He soon discovers that his are not the only plots and conspiracies hidden in the streets of Rome. This saga of deceit, love and intrigue is punctuated by awe-inspiring arias and ravishing melodies.

Subscriptions to Chicago Opera Theatre's 2015 Season will go on sale Thursday, June 12, 2014. Subscriptions are priced from $96 to $357 and can be purchased by calling 312.704.8414 or via chicagooperatheater.org. Individual tickets will go on sale on a future date to be announced.