One of the nation’s premier opera cities, Chicago boasts several professional opera companies that play to a dedicated community of patrons. The Chicago Opera Theater blends classics and traditional favorites with completely original interpretation and staging, while the Lyric Opera of Chicago maintains a massive base of subscribers by showcasing amazing vocal talent in contemporary pieces. The Chamber Opera Chicago focuses on bringing opera to the widest audience possible by offering affordable tickets. Other area companies include the Chicago Opera Vanguard, da Corneto Concert Opera Company, and the DuPage Opera Theatre, located just outside the city in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. (Andrew Bolduc)
Chicago, Illinois
Chicago: Opera
Chicago Opera: Opera Around Chicago
Below are our Chicago Opera recommendations, with information on location, admission, transportation/parking, company/venue history and other points of interest in Chicago Art.
Chamber Opera Chicago
Chamber Opera Chicago Information
Venues: Athenaeum Theatre (2936 North Southport Avenue); Harold Washington Library Center – Cindy Pritzker Auditorium (400 South State Street)
Public Transportation: Good for Athenaeum Theatre (a short walk from bus 11 at West Wellington Avenue/North Southport Avenue; and a 10-minute walk from the Brown and Purple Lines at the Wellington Station). Excellent for Harold Washington Library Center – Cindy Pritzker Auditorium (steps from the Brown, Orange, Pink, and …more…
Chicago Opera Theater
The Chicago Opera Theater is one of the country’s freshest and most original operas, giving emerging talent the ability to perform and produce high-quality opera in and around Chicago. Established in 1974, COT is young compared to most opera companies, and it is young in spirit as well, endeavoring to reinvent the genre’s stodgy image. ...more...
Lyric Opera of Chicago
Lyric Opera of Chicago offers performances by the finest vocal artists in the world in productions of gorgeous spectacle. In addition to its repertoire of traditional favorites, Lyric has a great history of supporting and promoting contemporary opera, most recently with the premiere of William Bolcom’s A Wedding, and a new production of Berg’s Lulu. With over 30,000 subscribers and an attendance rate that has averaged at 100% for over 20 years, Lyric Opera of Chicago is the envy of the American opera world. ...more...
