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.