Alan Stone News

On Tuesday, February 9th Chicago Opera Theater's (COT) young professionals club Opera Underground will host 'Opera with a Twist' at Faith & Whiskey in Lincoln Park.

On Saturday, March 13th, 2010, Chicago Opera Theater (COT) hosts its 2010 Annual Gala at The Mid-America Club located on the 80th floor of the Aon Center in Chicago.

National Opera Week takes place November 13-22, 2009 and celebrates the vitality of opera in America as a contemporary cultural expression. Chicago Opera Theater (COT), partnering with the City of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs, are proud to participate in this exciting, week-long celebration with 'Pop-up Opera' performances around Chicago, a young professionals' night at Rock Bottom Brewery, and a free double bill of two one-act operas at Preston Bradley Hall in the Chicago Cultural Center.

On Wednesday, November 18th Chicago Opera Theater's (COT) young professional club Opera Underground will host 'Beers and Baritones' at Rock Bottom Brewery in downtown Chicago. This cocktail hour is a perfect opportunity for Chicago area young professionals to meet up after work to drink, eat, and hear a little music.

National Opera Week takes place November 13-22, 2009 and celebrates the vitality of opera in America as a contemporary cultural expression. Chicago Opera Theater (COT), partnering with the City of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs, are proud to participate in this exciting, week-long celebration with 'Pop-up Opera' performances around Chicago, a young professionals' night at Rock Bottom Brewery, and a free double bill of two one-act operas at Preston Bradley Hall in the Chicago Cultural Center.

On Wednesday, November 18th Chicago Opera Theater's (COT) young professional club Opera Underground will host 'Beers and Baritones' at Rock Bottom Brewery in downtown Chicago. This cocktail hour is a perfect opportunity for Chicago area young professionals to meet up after work to drink, eat, and hear a little music.

National Opera Week takes place November 13-22, 2009 and celebrates the vitality of opera in America as a contemporary cultural expression. Chicago Opera Theater (COT), partnering with the City of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs, are proud to participate in this exciting, week-long celebration with 'Pop-up Opera' performances around Chicago, a young professionals' night at Rock Bottom Brewery, and a free double bill of two one-act operas at Preston Bradley Hall in the Chicago Cultural Center.

On Thursday, September 24th, 2009, Chicago Opera Theater (COT) hosted Chicago's first-ever opera cruise: 'High C's on the High Seas.' Just over 150 guests set sail on Kanan Cruises at Navy Pier and enjoyed an evening of song, mingling and dancing.

On Thursday, September 24th, 2009 Chicago Opera Theater (COT) will set sail on Lake Michigan for an evening of song, drink, and dancing! Chicago's first-ever 'Opera Cruise' will feature past COT singers, Andriana Chuchman and Jorge Prego.

On Thursday, September 24th, 2009 Chicago Opera Theater (COT) will set sail on Lake Michigan for an evening of song, drink, and dancing! Chicago's first-ever 'Opera Cruise' will feature past COT singers, Andriana Chuchman and Jorge Prego.

On June 26, 2009, Chicago Opera Theater (COT) was awarded a $500,000 multi-year grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. This grant, to be used in the 2010, 2011 and 2012 Seasons, will support three contemporary and three Baroque opera productions.

Elena Reinert was named by General Director Brian Dickie as Chicago Opera Theater's new Director of Development. She replaces Marla Krupman, currently the Director of Individual Giving at Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art.

The winner of Chicago Opera Theater's second annual 'People's Opera' contest is Shostakovich's Moscow, Cheryomushki. Moscow, Cheryomushki maintained the lead spot throughout the competition that kicked off on April 15 and ended Friday, June 15. People voted with their dollars to choose one of the operas to be presented in the 2011 Season - one dollar equaled one vote. The People's Opera raised over $33,000 for Chicago Opera Theater.

Chicago Opera Theater's second opera of their 2009 Spring Festival Season is La Tragédie de Carmen, a 90 minute adaptation of Georges Bizet's Carmen by Marius Constant, Jean-Claude Carrière, and Peter Brook. La Tragèdie de Carmen runs May 2nd through May 15th at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park.

Chicago Opera Theater opens their 2009 Spring Festival Season on April 18 with Mozart's La clemenza di Tito (through May 1) at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park. Absent from Chicago stages in more than a generation, La clemenza di Tito has made a resurgence in the rest of the world. Most notably in New York City last year?both at the Metropolitan Opera and at the Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival. The New York Times declared, 'Clemenza emerges as a musically ravishing and dramatically complex opera of great immediacy.'

Chicago Opera Theater's second opera of their 2009 Spring Festival Season is La Tragédie de Carmen, a 90 minute adaptation of Georges Bizet's Carmen by Marius Constant, Jean-Claude Carrière, and Peter Brook. La Tragèdie de Carmen runs May 2nd through May 15th at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park.

Chicago Opera Theater opens their 2009 Spring Festival Season on April 18 with Mozart's La clemenza di Tito (through May 1) at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park. Absent from Chicago stages in more than a generation, La clemenza di Tito has made a resurgence in the rest of the world. Most notably in New York City last year?both at the Metropolitan Opera and at the Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival. The New York Times declared, 'Clemenza emerges as a musically ravishing and dramatically complex opera of great immediacy.'

Chicago Opera Theater (COT) raised nearly $200,000 at their annual gala held on March 7, 2009 at the The Spertus Institute in Chicago. This year's gala celebrated the company's 35th Anniversary and honored General Director Brian Dickie as he marks his 10th Anniversary with the company. Over 250 guests enjoyed an evening of cocktails, dinner, raffles, silent and live auctions throughout Spertus Institute, allowing the visitors the opportunity to experience the bold and crisp architectural spaces of the building. COT Board Trustee and Gala Committee Chairman Lincoln S. Ellis emceed the evening and mezzo-soprano Sandra Piques Eddy was the evening's featured performer.

On Saturday, March 7, 2009, Chicago Opera Theater (COT) hosts its 2009 Spring Gala at The Spertus Institute's new home on Michigan Avenue in Chicago. The Gala Committee, chaired by COT Board Trustee Lincoln S. Ellis, is proud to honor COT General Director Brian Dickie as he marks his 10th year with the company during its 35th Anniversary Season. This annual event will include a performance by the celebrated mezzo-soprano Sandra Piques Eddy and dancing with live music provided by The Chicago Groove Collective.

On Monday, March 2, 2009, Chicago Opera Theater (COT) began a YouTube Contest encouraging the public to upload videos of their own creation answering the question 'Why Do You Deserve Free Tickets to Chicago Opera Theater?' The contest is found here: http://www.youtube.com/group/COTfreeopera.