Mission

“A non-profit organization dedicated to providing world-class training to gifted artists while offering accessible, high-quality performances to our community. “

Chicago Summer Opera is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing world-class training to gifted artists while offering accessible, high-quality performances to our community. Our program emphasizes role preparation, vocal technique, dramatic preparation, audition technique, and stage movement. Each singer is cast in either a full role or a cover role, with productions staged and performed with orchestra. Cover artists also receive the unique opportunity to present a fully staged cover run with piano. This balanced combination of training and performance allows developing singers to achieve significant artistic growth in a short period of time.

Over the past 13 seasons, Chicago Summer Opera has had the privilege of working with an extraordinary roster of internationally recognized artists, teachers, directors, and conductors who have joined our faculty or led guest master classes. These distinguished faculty and master class technicians  include Alexandra LoBianco, Allan Glassman, Elizabeth Byrne, Nicole Cabell, Norman Reinhardt, Soula Parassidis, Viktoria Vizin, Jeff Mattsey, John DeMain, Michael Ehrman, Julia Faulkner,  Amy Hutchison, Codrut Birsan, Quinn Kelsey, Sunny Joy Langton, Mark Ross Clark, Adriano Spampanato, Cathy Dunn Francesco Milioto, Andreas Mitisek, Steven Mosteller, Andrew Owens, Yasuko Oura, Matthew Ozawa, Philip Pierce, Susanna Phillips, W. Stephen Smith, Michael Sylvester, and Pedro Yanez. Their expertise and mentorship have helped shape Chicago Summer Opera into a program that inspires, challenges, and prepares the next generation of opera singers.

Key Features 

Performing a Role with Orchestra
Performing a fully staged role with orchestra. Each production combines all the artistic elements of opera into a transformative performance experience. Singers receive either a full role or a cover role (with only one cover per role). Covers have a dedicated staged cover run with piano.

Previous opera performances can be watched here.