The Chicago Opera Theater (COT) is an American opera company based in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, Illinois. COT is a resident company at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Chicago's

Millennium Park Millennium Park is a public park located in the Chicago Loop, Loop Community areas of Chicago, community area of Chicago, operated by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. The park, opened in July 2004, is a prominent civic center near t ...

and is currently in residence at the newly renovated Studebaker Theater in the historic Fine Arts Building. In addition to productions of selected operas from the core opera repertoire, COT has an emphasis on American composers, Chicago premieres, and producing new contemporary operas for a 21st-century audience. Alan Stone founded the company as the Chicago Opera Studio in 1974. Stone utilised Jones Commercial High School as the mainstage location for the company until 1976. Subsequently, the company held a residency at the Athenaeum Theatre on the north side of Chicago through 2004. The company also gave occasional performances at the Merle Reskin Theater of

De Paul University DePaul University is a private Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th-century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul. In 1998, it became ...

and at

Rosary College Dominican University (DU), known from 1922 to 1997 as Rosary College, is a private Catholic university in River Forest, Illinois, United States. Affiliated with the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters, it offers bachelor's and master's degrees, certific ...

River Forest, Illinois River Forest is a suburban village adjacent to Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 11,717. Two universities make their home in River Forest, Dominican University (Ill ...

. Stone served as artistic director of COT until 1993. General managers of COT have included Marc Scorsa (1984-1990), Mark Tiarks, Jean Perkins, and Joseph De Rugeriis. Brian Dickie became general director of COT in 1999, and held the post until August 2012. In December 2011, COT named Andreas Mitisek as its next general director, effective in 2012. In February 2017, COT announced that Mitisek would step down as artistic director at the expiration of his contract in September 2017. Douglas Clayton, formerly the executive director, assumed the role of General Director on September 1, 2017. In June 2017, COT announced the appointment of

Lidiya Yankovskaya Lidiya Yankovskaya (Russian: Лидия Янковская; Russian pronunciation: �lʲidʲijɐ janˈkofskajɐ born 26 March 1986) is a Russian-American opera and symphonic conductor and the former Music Director of Chicago Opera Theater. __FO ...

as its next music director, with immediate effect. Yankovskaya is the first female conductor to hold the music directorship of COT. In February 2019, Clayton stepped down and Ashley Magnus, former General Manager, assumed the role of General Director.

References

External links

Chicago Opera Theater website

Chicago Opera Theater Records
at th
Newberry Library
February 13, 1979, December 20, 1979, February 3, 1983, and April 5, 1991 Sources * Marsh, Robert C. "Author's Preface" and "The Fox Years", in Pellegrini, Norman (ed.), ''150 Years of Opera in Chicago'', DeKalb, Illinois:

Northern Illinois University Northern Illinois University (NIU) is a public research university in DeKalb, Illinois, United States. It was founded as "Northern Illinois State Normal School" in 1895 by Illinois Governor John P. Altgeld, initially to provide the state with c ...

Press, 2006 {{authority control Musical groups established in 1974 Opera companies in Chicago 1974 establishments in Illinois