THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST

Chicago Premiere

Dec. 2 @ 7:30 PM | Dec. 5 @ 3 PM | Dec. 6 @ 3:00 PM, 2026

Studebaker Theater at the Fine Arts Building | 410 S Michigan Ave.

Chicago Opera Theater brings a “trivial comedy for serious people” to Chicago audiences with the Chicago premiere of Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s The Importance of Being Earnest, a sparkling operatic adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s beloved play and a joyful tribute to the history of classical music itself.

Composed in 1961 by the Italian-born composer—who fled fascist Italy in 1939 and later became one of Hollywood’s most influential film composers—The Importance of Being Earnest transforms Wilde’s famously witty comedy into an elegant and effervescent opera. The work preserves Wilde’s razor-sharp satire of Victorian manners while enriching the story with music that heightens both its romance and its absurdity.

Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s score is also a playful love letter to opera and the classical repertoire, filled with musical quotations and affectionate nods to beloved composers. Throughout the opera, listeners will hear dozens of sly references to works by Bach,Mozart, Rossini, Verdi, Wagner and more, woven into the score with wit and theatrical flair. These musical “inside jokes” mirror Wilde’s own sophisticated humor, creating an opera that rewards seasoned opera lovers while also delighting audiences encountering the art form for the first time.

The story follows the tangled identities of Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, whose elaborate deceptions lead to romantic chaos when both men attempt to woo women determined to marry someone named “Ernest.” As mistaken identities multiply and social conventions collapse, Wilde’s timeless satire unfolds in a world of sparkling wit, irresistible melody, and theatrical charm.

Although the opera premiered in 1962 and has long been admired by musicians and scholars, it has remained infrequently produced. COT’s Chicago premiere invites audiences to experience this rarely performed gem—an opera where impeccable manners conceal outrageous secrets, romance blossoms in the most unlikely circumstances, and the greatest revelation of all may be the true importance of being “Earnest.”

This new production will be directed by Brenna Corner, Artistic Director of Pacific Opera Victoria, and conducted by Kamna Gupta, both making their COT debuts. The cast features the return of COT favorites soprano Vanessa Becerra and mezzo-soprano Leah Dexter, alongside the company debuts of soprano Erica Schuller, mezzo-soprano Emily Treigle, and tenors Martin Luther Clark and Omar Najmi.

THE JUNIPER TREE

Chicago Premiere

May 19 @7:30 PM | May 22 @ 3 PM | May 23 @ 3:00 PM, 2027

Studebaker Theater at the Fine Arts Building | 410 S Michigan Ave.

Dark, haunting, and deeply poetic, The Juniper Tree is one of the most striking—and unsettling—stories from the Brothers Grimm. In its Chicago premiere, COT brings this moving fairy tale to life in a mesmerizing operatic adaptation by composers Philip Glass and Robert Moran, with a libretto by playwright Arthur Yorinks.

First published in the Grimm collection of 1812, The Juniper Tree tells a story that is both chilling and strangely beautiful. After a child’s mother dies beneath the branches of a juniper tree, his father remarries, and the new wife becomes consumed with jealousy toward her stepson. What follows is a grim tale of betrayal and violence, but also one of transformation and rebirth. In true Grimm fashion, the story moves through darkness toward a form of poetic justice, where memory, nature, and innocence ultimately restore the world’s balance.

The opera emerged from a remarkable collaboration among three distinctive artistic voices. Yorinks, known for his work in theater and visual storytelling, shaped a libretto drawn directly from the stark imagery and symbolic power of the Grimm tale, preserving its eerie simplicity and mythic clarity while crafting a work of haunting theatrical beauty.

For the music, Glass and Moran devised an unusual collaborative approach. The two composers alternated scenes, each writing successive portions of the opera while incorporating musical ideas introduced by the other. The result is a dynamic musical dialogue: Glass’s signature language—hypnotic rhythmic patterns, luminous harmonies, and a sense of suspended time—interacts with Moran’s soaring lyricism, each composer weaving and transforming shared material to create a unified dramatic arc.

Premiered in 1985 at the American Repertory Theater, The Juniper Tree stands as a rare example of two major composers collaborating as equal partners on a full-length opera, achieving a score of striking cohesion and expressive depth.

The Chicago premiere at COT arrives at a particularly fitting moment, as opera companies around the world celebrate Glass’s 90th birthday in 2027, recognizing the profound impact his work has had on contemporary opera. This new production will be directed by COT General Director Lawrence Edelson and conducted by Brian DeMaris, General Director of Arizona Opera, in his company debut. The cast features Grammy Award winning soprano Janai Brugger, soprano Veronique Filloux, mezzo soprano Emily Treigle and Ryan Center alum Laureano Quant, who returns to the company after his critically acclaimed company debut in Salieri’s Falstaff this past season.

COT thanks Virginia Tobiason for her generous Leadership Support of The Juniper Tree.

CHICAGO SINGS:
INVENTING OZ

Piano / Vocal Workshop Concert: Aug. 9 @ 7:00 PM, 2027

Studebaker Theater at the Fine Arts Building | 410 S Michigan Ave.

COT is proud to announce the first commission under the Chicago Sings banner: Inventing Oz (working title), by composer Stacy Garrop, COT’s first Vanguard composer, and librettist Sam Norman, a distinguished alum of American Lyric Theater’s Composer Librettist Development Program. Chicago Sings is a bold new commissioning initiative supporting Chicago-based composers in the creation of full-length operas for mainstage production. Building on COT’s Vanguard Initiative, through the program COT is commissioning new works by Vanguard alumni who live and work in Chicago—artists whose voices reflect the city’s imagination, grit, and boundless creative spirit—further deepening the company’s investment in local artists and stories.

Inventing Oz is a fantastical exploration of how L. Frank Baum’s imagination was ignited during his years living in Chicago, leading to the creation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It illuminates how America’s most beloved fairyland was shaped by Baum’s life in Chicago, including the spectacle of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, how Oz’s good witches were inspired by Baum’s suffragist mother-in-law, and the way Dorothy’s search for home echoes that of her creator. Full of brains, heart and courage, Inventing Oz throws back the curtain to reveal a rapidly changing America, and one man’s struggle to find the right story.

Inventing Oz is projected to premiere in 2029. Audiences will have the opportunity to experience the work’s development firsthand through a piano-vocal workshop and concert of the work-in-progress in August 2027, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of this exciting new opera while furthering COT’s commitment to expanding access to the artistic process.

COT thanks Masahiro Kasai for his generous Leadership Support in providing commission underwriting for Inventing Oz.

DISCOVERY CONCERT:
ON THE WILDE SIDE

Oct. 18 @ 3:00 PM, 2026

Studebaker Theater at the Fine Arts Building | 410 S Michigan Ave.

Inspired by Oscar Wilde’s enduring influence on composers, the concert will explore the wide range of operatic adaptations and art song drawn from his plays stories and poetry—highlighting both the wit and darker lyricism that define his work, and offering a rich contextual companion to COT’s production of The Importance of Being Earnest. Michael Banwarth makes his debut with COT as pianist and music director for this program. Further details to be announced this summer.

DISCOVERY CONCERT:
ONCE UPON A TIME

Feb. 7 @ 3:00 PM, 2027

Studebaker Theater at the Fine Arts Building | 410 S Michigan Ave.

Complementing The Juniper Tree, this concert will explore the enduring role of fairy tales in opera, tracing how different artists have drawn on folklore and myth—from familiar childhood stories to more haunting and psychologically complex narratives—to create some of the repertoire’s most evocative works. Yasuko Oura returns to COT as pianist and music director for this program. Further details to be announced this summer.