The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing

WORLD PREMIERE

The

Of

Life Death(s) AlanTuring and

MARCH 23-25, 2023

Music by Justine F. Chen Libretto by David Simpatico

Commissioned by

Conductor American Lyric Theater Lawrence Edelson Lidiya Yankovskaya Artistic & General Director Director Lead Production Sponsor Peter Rothstein Patricia A. Kenney & Gregory J. O'Leary

SCENIC BREAKDOWN

PART ONE Prologue: 1954, Hollymeade: The Nightmare Room (Turing’s Kitchen) Sc. 1: 1930: The Cave of Wonders: An abandoned stone church Sc. 2: 1939: The Universal Machine: Sporting Oak on the Shoals at Bosham Bay Sc. 3: 1942: World At War: Bletchley Park, Hut 8 Sc. 4: 1946: The Social Contract: Guildford, Sara Turing’s home Sc. 5: 1952: Pick-up on Oxford Street: Manchester, Oxford Street, Regal Cinema PART TWO Sc. 6: 1952: Burglary and Buggery: Hollymeade; the morning after Sc. 7: 1952: Gross Indecency: The local magistrate’s chambers, a distant back room Sc. 8: 1954, Hollymeade: The Nightmare Room (Turing’s Kitchen)

LDOAT Rehearsal. Photo by Michael Brosilow

From left to right Joseph Leppek (Christopher Morcom), Taylor Raven (Joan Clarke), Jonathan Michie (Ian Turing). Enigma machines courtesy of the National Cryptologic Museum, NSA. Photos by Todd Rosenberg.

CAST

Alan Turing Christopher Morcom Joan Clarke Fred Clayton/Judge Harrison Sara Turing Don Bayley/Bobby/Prosecutor Steve Todd/Arnold Murray Wren #1 Wren #2 Wren #3 Crypt #1 & Fagmaster #1 Crypt #2 Crypt #3 Fagmaster #2

Jonathan Michie Joseph Leppek Taylor Raven Richard Ollarsaba Teresa Castillo David Salsbery Fry Justin Berkowitz Corinne Costell* Veena Akama-Makia* Pauline Tan* Sam Grosby Brian Pember Pete Wesoloski William Roberts

COVERS

Cover Alan Turing Brian Hupp Cover Christopher Morcom Karlos Piñero-Mercado* Cover Joan Clarke Pauline Tan* Cover Fred Clayton/Judge Harrison Samson McCrady Cover Sara Turing Corinne Costell* Cover Don Bayley/Bobby/Prosecutor William Powell III Cover Steve Todd/Arnold Murray Curtis Bannister

*Denotes COT Young Artist | ^ Denotes Soloist

CHORUS

Veena Akama-Makia*^ Jesus Alfredo Jimenez Carolyn Boudreau Tabes Bridges Conor Broaders Corinne Costell*^ Matthew Cummings Anna Donnelly Jeremy Edelstein Amber Farish Sarah Fisk^ Sam Grosby^ Alana Grossman Erin Henke

Elena Hensel Andrew Major Samson McCrady Ian Morris Brianna Murray Brian Pember^ Karlos Piñero-Mercado* Russel Pinzino Josh Pritchett William Roberts Rachel Sparrow Pauline Tan*^ Gabrielle Timofeeva Pete Wesoloski^

*Denotes COT Young Artist | ^ Denotes Soloist

Costume Design sketches by Nora Marlow Smith

SUPERNUMERARIES Andy Cahoon Jamey Feshold

Cody Powell Peter Vamvakas

From left to right: Justin Berkowitz (Steve Todd/Arnold Murray), Jonathan Michie (Alan Turing). Photo by Michael Brosilow

PRODUCTION

Conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya Stage Director Peter Rothstein Scenic Designer Benjamin Olsen Costume Designer Nora Marlow Smith Lighting Designer Paul Whitaker Projection Designer Anthony Churchill Chorus Master A.J. Keller Orchestra Contractor Ross Beacraft Rehearsal Pianist Josh Quinn Second Rehearsal Pianist/Supertitle Operator Jennifer Allor* Assistant Conductor Catherine O'Shaughnessy Assistant Director Kyle Weiler Production Stage Manager Rachel Henneberry Wig & Makeup Designer Rebecca A. Scott Costume Director Brenda Winsted Assistant Stage Manager Adrienne Bader Assistant Stage Manager Alycia Martin Technical Director Jason Kingsley Lighting Supervisor Aaron Lichamer Props Coordinator Ivy Treccani Dialect Coach Susan Gosdick Costume Shop Manager/Wardrobe Samantha Nix Wig and Makeup Assistant Aliza Feder Stitcher/Wardrobe Veronica Stark Costume Crafts Melissa Bochat Draper Alice Broughton *Denotes COT Young Artist

ADMINISTRATION

Edlis Neeson General Director ASHLEY MAGNUS Elizabeth Morse & Genius Music Director LIDIYA YANKOVSKAYA Director of Artistic Operations BRITTANY NELSON Artistic Operations Assistant ANDREW WOLFFKING Director of Production DEBORAH VANDERGRIFT Director of Development MEAGHAN SMALLWOOD Grants Manager BREA WILLIAMS Development & Audience Services Manager ANGELA YU Director of Community Programming VERONICA CHAMBERLAIN Finance Manager JENNY RUDNICK Marketing Manager EMMELLY VILLAGRAN Marketing Consultant COLLEEN FLANIGAN

From left to right: Jonathan Michie (Alan Turing), COT Elizabeth Morse and Genius Music Director and Conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya. Photo by Michael Brosilow

ORCHESTRA Violin I Isabella Lippi+ Azusa Tashiro John Xia Heather Boehm Emelinda Escobar Helen Kim Lee Cristina Buciu Violin II Elizabeth Huffman Eric Pidluski Lori Ashikawa Elizabeth Choi Kamen Vatchev Wendy Evans Viola Daniel Golden Oana Tatu Mason Spencer Dorthy Okpebholo Nick Munagian

Piccolo Eliza Bangert Oboe Grace Hong Alto/Baritone Saxophone Jeremy Ruthrau Clarinet/Bass Clarinet Gene Collerd Bassoon/Contrabassoon Karl Rzasa Horn Greg Flint Trumpet Ross Beacraft Trombone Adam Moen

Cello Nazar Dzhuryn Melissa Bach Andrew Snow Margaret Daly

Tuba Charlie Schuchat

Bass Timothy Shaffer Greg Heintz Tracy Dullea

Keyboard Yasuko Oura

Flute/Piccolo Laura Hamm

Harp Lillian Lau

Timpani/Percussion Bobby Everson +Denotes Concertmaster

BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Secretary Immediate Past President Peter Ascoli Ron Bauer Merrill Blau Paul E. Freehling Michael G. Hanson Stephanie Hart Mary Lunz Houston Maria Lagios Roger Baskes Nancy Dehmlow

Susan J. Irion Allen Heinemann Henry Fogel

Directors James G. McCormick David McNeel Susan Noel Dorothy Osborn Pavitra Ramachandran Robert E. Shapiro Virgina Tobiason

Honorary Trustees Joan W. Harris

Scenic Design sketches by Benjamin Olsen

Gael Neeson Gregory O'Leary

NOTE FROM THE COMPOSER Justine F. Chen | Composer

In 2012 when librettist David Simpatico and I began working on this opera, our hero Alan Turing was unknown to me. David’s description showed Turing as a legend and tragic figure– the father of computer science, and a war hero chemically castrated by his own country for his sexual orientation, then … a heartbreaking suicide. In addition to his important story, Alan’s life had a perfect medium: David’s warm wit and deep humanity maneuver these urgent, weighty topics with a delicate touch. For me- a Taiwanese-American female composer, this opera paints a portrait of discrimination. I thought it was most important to depict institutional discrimination, and the people of his society who were trying their best.

This opera presents Alan at seven different moments in life.

We usher our listeners through these memories with interludes that we call “chat clouds.” These “chat clouds” transport the listeners with a sonic approximation of internet chatter, filled with information that brings them to the next moment. The aural depiction of these "chat clouds" was inspired by the animated movies and television series of Masamune Shirow's cyberpunk manga Ghost in the Shell.

Another sonic influence was Walt Disney’s fantastical Snow White, one of Alan’s greatest obsessions.

I thank David Simpatico, Cori Ellison, Mark Adamo, American Lyric Theater, Lawrence Edelson, Steve Weiner, Bhaskaran Swaminathan, Donald Nally, and my family (present and departed) for their unflagging support.

Working with COT is a dream come true. I am so grateful to COT and Maestro Lidiya Yankovskaya whose impeccable musicianship, profound intelligence, and consummate artistry has aided our Turing journey since 2015. We were fortunate to have our orchestral reading – an invaluable asset in the development of such an ambitious opera - here with the good people of COT. Chicago has my heart and deepest gratitude.

NOTE FROM THE LIBRETTIST David Simpatico | Librettist

Ten years ago, when very few people had even heard of Alan Turing, composer Justine F. Chen and I wanted to honor him as the genius, war hero, and gay man that he was, who broke the Nazi Enigma code, helped save the world, and opened the door to the future in which we now live.

Having been erased from his own legacy by the Official Secrets Act forbidding public discussion of his codebreaking duties in World War II, we wanted to restore Turing to his rightful place in global history. We wanted to celebrate him as a remarkable gay man forced to suffer the dual indignities of criminal charges and chemical castration for the simple act of having sex with a man. Church and State combined through the odious Gross Indecency laws to strip people of their right to live authentically, to love genuinely, denying them the rights of their fellow citizens.

Something is wrong in a civic system that rips the heart out of its people. If you don’t think it can happen here, think again: It is already happening.

Ten years later, our world has changed. Turing has been popularized in film, and exonerated from his conviction, but the oppression he once faced now runs rampant across the globe. Here, in the United States, countless ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bills are currently being passed state by state. These bills are designed not only to deny the LGBTQ+ community the rights that are due them, but also to deny their very existence by forbidding any mention of them in our schools, in order to dehumanize them. These bills, aimed at denying myself, my friends, my family and countless others the rights to which we are entitled as citizens, are sanctioned oppression, and must be stopped.

We can either learn from history, or we are condemned to repeat it. The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing demands that we examine institutionalized prejudice, reject its principals, and embrace a healthier, more inclusive future. Which is what Alan Turing had in mind all along.

BIOGRAPHIES Justine F. Chen | Composer

Justine F. Chen is sponsored by Bhaskaran Swaminathan

The “propulsive, emotionally resonant” (NY Times) music of New York composer JUSTINE F. CHEN has been commissioned and presented by New York City Opera, New York City Ballet, The Juilliard School, Carnegie Hall, American Lyric Theater, Banff Music Centre, Bowdoin, New York Festival of Song, Tapestry Opera, JACK Quartet, OPERA America, American Composers Orchestra, Merola Opera, WQXR, Maryland Opera Studio, and Resonance Works. Her first opera, The Maiden Tower, was presented by Juilliard, NYCO’s VOX 2006 Showcase, and Chants Libres. When featured in VOX 2008, her second opera, Jeanne, was praised as “lyrical, atmospheric... striking… balances despair and humor.” (NY Times) Recent Projects: THE LIFE AND DEATH(S) OF ALAN TURING, a full-scale opera (librettist David Simpatico); SHALLOW BREATH AND STEALTH, an oratorio (text from poet Jena Osman’s Motion Studies) for Donald Nally and The Crossing; Iridescent Gest, a solo work for the virtuoso cellist Matt Haimovitz; LETTER TO MY CHILDREN, a film opera/monodrama (librettist Jacqueline Goldfinger), ALIGHT, a song cycle exploring AsianAmericana (poet Ophelia Hu Kinney); Quarantine B*tch: R.S.V.P. (poet Christina Kelly); SEVEN SISTERS, a chamber opera (librettist Stephanie Fleischmann); TWA, a chamber opera (librettist Jacqueline Goldfinger).

Recent Honors: Grants from the Jerome Fund for New Music, Frances Goelet Charitable Lead Trust, OPERA America’s Female Discovery Grant. Recent Residencies: Chicago Opera Theater’s Vanguard Initiative; Maryland Opera Studio and the University of Maryland; Artist Scholar at Manhattan School of Music. Recent Broadcasts: WNYC’s Studio 360, WBAI, WQXR, WRTI, WNPR, WCPT, Indie Opera Podcast, Opera Box Score, and Cincinnati Song Initiative.

Chen’s oratorio SHALLOW BREATH AND STEALTH will be released on CD by The Crossing in November 2023. Virtuoso cellist Matt Haimovitz will also release his latest Primavera Project commissions on CD in November 2023, including Chen’s Iridescent Gest.

She received her DMA in composition from The Juilliard School, where she also earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s in violin and composition. She is an alumna of American Lyric Theater’s Composer Librettist Development Program. For more information, please visit https://www.justinefchen.com/

BIOGRAPHIES David Simpatico | Librettist David Simpatico has been presented at major theatres around the globe, including London’s Hammersmith Apollo, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Lincoln Center/Avery Fisher Hall, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Franklin Furnace and New York Public Theatre.

His musical adaptation of Twelve Angry Men, music and lyrics by Michael Holland, received its world premiere production in June, 2022 at Theatre Latte Da in Minneapolis, directed by Peter Rothstein. His grand opera, The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing, with music by Justine F. Chen, receives its world premiere at Chicago Opera Theater in March, 2023, also directed by Peter Rothstein.

This last January, David directed a sold-out concert presentation of his new blues opera, That Hell-Bound Train, with composer Lisa DeSpain, at the National Opera Center in New York City.

Career highlights include: The Screams of Kitty Genovese, (winner Jonathan Larson Award; music by Will Todd); book/stage adaptation of Disney’s High School Musical; libretto for choral symphony, Garden of Light (composer Aaron Jay Kernis). Plays include: Mary, Macs, Secret of Life, Waiting for the Ball to Drop; Wilde about Whitman, Ex-Gay Bar. David is an alumnus of the Composer Librettist Development Program at American Lyric Theater. He holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. He has received support from Edward Albee Foundation, Millay Colony, NY Theatre Workshop, Eugene O’Neill Foundation and Rhinebeck Writer’s Retreat. David is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild, and with playwright Darrah Cloud, is co-founder of A Howl of Playwrights in Rhinebeck

BIOGRAPHIES

Lidiya Yankovskaya | Conductor

Lidiya Yankovskaya is a fiercely committed advocate for Slavic masterpieces, operatic rarities, and contemporary works on the leading edge of classical music. She has conducted more than 40 world premieres, including 17 operas, and her strength as a visionary collaborator has guided new perspectives staged and symphonic on repertoire from Carmen and Queen of Spades to Price and Prokofiev. Since her appointment as Elizabeth Morse and Genius Music Director of Chicago Opera Theater in 2017, Ms. Yankovskaya has led the Chicago premieres of Jake Heggie’s Moby-Dick, Rachmaninov’s Aleko, Joby Talbot’s Everest, Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta, and Adamo’s Becoming Santa Claus, as well as the world premiere of Dan Shore’s Freedom Ride. Her daring performances before and amid the pandemic earned recognition from the Chicago Tribune, which praised her as “the very model of how to survive adversity, and also how to thrive in it,” while naming her 2020 Chicagoan of the Year.

In the 2022/23 season, Ms. Yankovskaya makes a series of major orchestral debuts, including performances with Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Sacramento Philharmonic, Knoxville Symphony, and Richmond Symphony. She returns to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for their MusicNOW series, conducting a work by CSO Composer-in-Residence Jessie Montgomery. She also debuts at Santa Fe Opera in a new production of Dvořák’s Rusalka, at Staatsoper Hamburg with Eugene Onegin, and at English National Opera, conducting a new staged production of Górecki’s Symphony of Sorrowful Songs. She leads the long-awaited world premieres of Edward Tulane at Minnesota Opera and The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing at Chicago Opera Theater, where she also conducts the Chicago premiere of Szymanowski’s Król Roger.

Ms. Yankovskaya has recently conducted Carmen at Houston Grand Opera, Don Giovanni at Seattle Opera, Pia de’ Tolomei at Spoleto Festival USA, Der Freischütz at Wolf Trap Opera, Ellen West at New York’s Prototype Festival, and Taking Up Serpents at Washington National Opera and the Glimmerglass Festival. On the concert stage, recent engagements include Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Omaha Symphony, Rhode Island Philharmonic, and Julia Wolfe’s Anthracite Fields with Bang on a Can All-Stars and The Choir of Trinity Wall Street at Carnegie Hall.

Ms. Yankovskaya is Founder and Artistic Director of the Refugee Orchestra Project, which proclaims the cultural and societal relevance of refugees through music, and has brought that message to hundreds of thousands of listeners around the world.

BIOGRAPHIES

Peter Rothstein | Director

Peter works extensively as a director of theater, musical theater, opera and new work development. He is the Founding Artistic Director of Theater Latté Da, a Twin Cities-based company dedicated to adventurous musictheater. Since the company’s inception in 1992, Peter has directed 82 main-stage productions, including 13 world premieres and 13 area premieres. In 2012 the company launched NEXT, a major new works initiative for the development of new music-theater.

Directing highlights include Other Desert Cities, M. Butterfly and Private Lives for the Guthrie Theater, record-breaking productions of Annie, The Wizard of Oz, and the world premiere of Disney’s High School Musical for the Children’s Theatre Company; Cosi fan tutte for the Minnesota Opera; Doubt, Once on this Island and Miss Julie for Ten Thousand Things; Guys and Dolls and Oklahoma! for Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre; and award-winning productions of Spring Awakening, La Bohème, Old Wicked Songs and Violet for Theater Latté Da. Peter frequently directs workshops of new plays, musicals and operas with Theater Latté Da, the Playwrights’ Center, Philadelphia’s PlayPenn and the Illusion Theatre, where he is an artistic associate.

He is the creator of All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914, which premiered in a live broadcast on Minnesota Public Radio and has since been broadcast around the globe. In 2018, All is Calm received its OffBroadway debut at the Sheen Center for Thought & Culture, for which it won a 2019 Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience. This original docu-musical had its world premiere in a live broadcast on Minnesota Public Radio in 2007. Since that time, the show has enjoyed global success reaching more than 50 cities playing prestigious venues such as The Kennedy Center (Washington, D.C.), Cal Performances (Berkeley, CA) and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York). The show has toured 11 season across North America and has been licensed and performed by theater companies and choruses across the US and Canada.

Peter is also the creator of Steerage Song along with musician and storyteller Dan Chouinard. Steerage Song is a new musical about the European American immigrant experience between 1845 and 1924 seen through the lens of the current immigration debate. The work includes songs from 25 countries and is performed in 18 different languages.

Peter has been named one of Minnesota’s Artists of the Year by the Star Tribune (2001, 2007, 2011), Theater Artist of the Year (2010) by Lavender Magazine, Best Director of the Year (2006, 2010) by City Pages and Artist of the Year by City Pages(2012). He has received nine Ivey Awards for Overall Excellence, and has been awarded grants and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, Theater Communications Group, the Minnesota State Arts Board and the McKnight Foundation.

BIOGRAPHIES Jonathan Michie | Alan Turing Praised for his “vivid acting and virile baritone” (Bachtrack), in the 2022/23 season Jonathan Michie will create the role of Alan Turing in the world premiere of Justine Chen and David Simpatico’s The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing at Chicago Opera Theater. He returns to Oper Leipzig for debuts as Don Ned Keene in Peter Grimes, and Kühleborn in Giovanni in Don Giovanni, Lortzing’s Undine, all in brand new productions. He will also reprise the roles of Belcore in L’elisir d’amore, Konrad Nachtigall in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Le Dancaïre in Carmen, and Zwerg Adi in Schneewittchen.

Recent seasons have included his Seattle Opera debut as Dandini in La Cenerentola, his Israeli Opera debut as Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia, his Theater Bremen debut as Belcore in L'elisir d'amore, and a return to Florida Grand Opera for Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro. His other recent roles with Oper Leipzig include Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Marcello and Schaunard in La bohème, Dandini in La Cenerentola, Olivier in Capriccio, Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia, and Ping in Turandot.

Further roles with Oper Leipzig include Sonora in La fanciulla del West, Ottokar in Der Freischütz, the Gamekeeper in Rusalka, Le conseiller de Thou in Gounod’s Cinq-Mars, Valentin in Faust, Sam in Trouble in Tahiti, Silvio in Pagliacci, Harlekin in Ariadne auf Naxos, Der Tierbändiger in Lulu, Malatesta in Don Pasquale, der Einäugige in Die Frau ohne Schatten, and Hiram Otis in Getty’s The Canterville Ghost. He also recently joined the roster of the Metropolitan Opera for their production of Die Zauberflöte. Other notable performances include: Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Donald in Billy Budd, Noye in Noye’s Fludde, the Vicar in Albert Herring, and Fiorello in Il barbiere di Siviglia with the Los Angeles Opera; Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette, Ping in Turandot, and Masetto in Don Giovanni with Florida Grand Opera; Prince Paul in La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein and Baron Douphol in La traviata with the Santa Fe Opera; Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia and Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus with Finger Lakes Opera; Donald in Billy Budd with Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Valentin in Faust at the Teatro Comunale Bolzano, Harlekin in Ariadne auf Naxos at the Beijing Music Festival, and Masetto in Don Giovanni with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the Ravinia Festival. While an apprentice artist with the Santa Fe Opera, he sang his first performances of the Vicar in Albert Herring and Count Dominik in Arabella. He sang his first performances of Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia as a member of San Francisco Opera’s Merola Program in addition to an excerpt of J. Robert Oppenheimer in Adams’ Doctor Atomic. He has performed with Oper Halle, the Chautauqua Opera, Spoleto Festival U.S.A., the Steans Institute of Music at the Ravinia Festival, City Center Encores!, Opera Saratoga, and the Ohio Light Opera.

BIOGRAPHIES Joseph Leppek | Christopher Morcom COT DEBUT Joey Hammond-Leppek, is a tenor originally from Novi, Michigan and now a resident of Minneapolis, MN. He is a recent graduate of the Minnesota Resident Artist Program and was a Wolf Trap Filene Artist for the 2021 and 2022 summer, where he was seen as Little Bat in Susannah. Also in the 2022-23 season, Joey was seen as the Prince in Alma Deutcher’s Cinderella with Opera San Jose.

Highlights of his career include singing Pedrillo with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City in The Abduction from the Seraglio, where he sang with ‘clarity and enormous charm’ (KC Independent), Tony in Glimmerglass Festival’s West Side Story, where he ‘sang elegantly, danced gracefully, and had a winning chemistry with Maria’ (Classical Voice America), and a ‘well-trained and dynamic’ (Washington Classical Review) Count Barigoule in Viardot’s Cendrillon at the Wolf Trap Opera Filene Center.

Joey has also acted on film, including Minnesota Opera’s virtual production of Albert Herring as the Mayor, HGOco’s “Now,” an operatic web episode centering LGBTQ+ issues, and his own programmed and performed piece called “A Couch Cabaret” with Minnesota Opera’s Apart Together.

Joey was honored to be a 2020 National Semifinalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and a 3rd place winner in the 2021 Cooper-Bing competition. Joey is a graduate of the Rice University Shepherd School of Music and has participated in resident artist programs across the country, including the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Glimmerglass Festival, Central City, and Opera Saratoga.

BIOGRAPHIES

Taylor Raven | Joan Clarke COT DEBUT Taylor Raven is a “vocal sensation” (Washington Classical Review) quickly establishing herself in opera, concert, and recital. Ms. Raven began the 22/23 season with her debut at the San Francisco Opera for a trio of operas: a world premiere of John Adams’ Antony and Cleopatra (Charmian), Dialogues des Carmélites (Sister Mathilde) and La traviata (Flora). Other highlights this season include debuts with Kentucky Opera for La Cenerentola (Angelina) and Chicago Opera Theater for The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing (Joan Clarke), and a return to Des Moines Metro Opera for the title role in Carmen. On the concert stage, she will make her debut with The Cleveland Orchestra for La fanciulla del West (Wowkle) conducted by Franz Welser-Möst and will return to the Memphis Symphony.

Last season she made debuts with Houston Grand Opera for Die Zauberflöte (Dritte Dame), Washington Concert Opera for Lakmé (Mallika), and North Carolina Opera for Moravec’s Sanctuary Road. On the concert stage she made debuts with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Iowa, and returned to the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Additional engagements included the world premiere of a song cycle commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with Urban Arias and a return to the roster of the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Recent engagements include debuts with Des Moines Metro Opera in Pique Dame (Pauline), Finger Lakes Opera in Il barbiere di Siviglia (Rosina), and Handel & Haydn Society for Beethoven Symphony No. 9 conducted by Marin Alsop. Taylor is a recent graduate of the Young Artist Program with the LA Opera, where she was seen in La clemenza di Tito (Annio), Don Carlo (Tebaldo), the Kosky production of Die Zauberflöte (Zweite Dame) conducted by James Colon, and Hansel and Gretel (Sandman). As a Filene Artist at Wolf Trap Opera she performed in Il barbiere di Siviglia (Rosina) and L'heure espagnole (Concepción). On the concert stage she made her Alice Tully Hall debut appearing with the American Symphony Orchestra for a concert of Bach arias conducted by Leon Botstein.

BIOGRAPHIES Richard Ollarsaba | Fred Clayton/Judge Harrison COT DEBUT

Mexican-American bass-baritone, Richard Ollarsaba, praised by The Washington Post for his “meltingly smooth bass-baritone” and for “evoking a young Ruggero Raimondi in looks and manner”, represented the USA in the 2019 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, was a member of the prestigious Patrick G. And Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago for three seasons, and a grand finalist in the 2013 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. This season he debuts with the Glimmerglass Festival, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and Portland Opera as Escamillo in their productions of Bizet’s Carmen. He will also debut with Chicago Opera Theater in the world-premiere opera The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing by Justine F. Chen and David Simpatico, and will return to the role of the Count in Le nozze di Figaro with Knoxville Opera.

Season 2021/22, he debuted with New Zealand Opera as Figaro in their national touring production of Le nozze di Figaro, with Opera Grand Rapids and Opera Carolina in the title role of Don Giovanni, with the Jacksonville Symphony in his role debut as Schaunard in performances of Puccini’s La bohème, and returned to Virginia Opera in his role debut as Count Alamaviva in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro.

While at the Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago, his tenure included productions of La Traviata, Capriccio, Anna Bolena, Tosca, The Passenger, Otello, Madama Butterfly, Parsifal and the title role in Don Giovanni – stepping into the iconic part with a few hours’ notice. Other operatic engagements include Asdrubale in Rossini’s La pietra del paragone, Fallito in Gassmann’s L’opera seria, Angelotti in Tosca, and Luciano in Musto’s Bastianello with Wolf Trap Opera.

A native of Tempe, Arizona, Richard Ollarsaba received his Bachelor of Music from the Cleveland Institute of Music and his Master of Music and post-graduate certificate from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. In addition to the Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago, he trained at Minnesota Opera, Music Academy of the West, Chautauqua Opera, Aspen Music Festival, Tanglewood, and Wolf Trap Opera.

BIOGRAPHIES Teresa Castillo | Sara Turing Costa Rican-American Soprano Teresa Castillo, has been hailed by the San Francisco Gate as a “standout, bringing [vocal] power and florid elegance,” and by Opera News for exhibiting “a clean, concentrated sound, and a lovely, intelligent musicianship.”

Ms. Castillo’s 2022/23 season includes a house debut at the Teatro Lirico di Cagliari where she will perform the role of Maria in Francesca Zambello’s production of Bernstein’s West Side Story and a return to the Lyric Opera of Chicago where she will be covering La Comtesse Adèle (Le Comte Ory). She also made a house and role debuts with Chicago Opera Theater as Miss Wordsworth (Albert Herring) and Sara Turing (The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing). She recently made her debut at Opera Southwest as La Comtesse Adèle (Le Comte Ory), where she was a jump in with 24 hrs notice. This summer, Ms. Castillo will be making her Lincoln Center debut as Annetta (Crispino e la comare) with Teatro Nuovo.

Her 2021/22 season include several house debuts including the Lyric Opera of Chicago where she covered the role of Königin der Nacht, Opera San Jose in the roles of Frasquita (Carmen) and Maria (West Side Story), White Snake Productions as Circe/Siren/Greek Chorus in the premier of A Survivor's Odyssey: The Journey of Penelope and Circe and Opera Lafayette in their production of Gretry’s Silvain in the role of Lucette. Summer 2022, she returned to Teatro Nuovo to sing the role of Amina (La Sonnambula), but the show was postponed due to Covid. Her 2019/20 Season included engagements at Knoxville Opera in the title role of Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette, a return to Carnegie Hall concert under the baton of John Rutter, and a recital with Pittsburgh Festival Opera (both cancelled due to Covid-19).

An award-winning soprano, Ms. Castillo has placed in many competitions including the Lois Alba Aria Competition, Opera Index, The Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition, Mildred Miller International Voice Competition, The Anita Cerquetti International Competition, Altamura/Caruso International Voice Competition, Classical Singer Magazine Competition, and the Denver Lyric Opera Guild Competition.

BIOGRAPHIES David Salsbery Fry | Don Bayley/Bobby/Prosecutor David Salsbery Fry is a bass singer, narrator and advocate for performers with disabilities. Praised for his “extremely sensual and almost impossibly deep tones” by concerti, he is the grand prize winner of the Vocal Competition.

Bidu Sayão International

A tireless supporter of new music and composer-performer collaboration, Mr. Fry has premiered works by Robert Aldridge, Shawn Brogan Allison, Lembit Beecher, Justine F. Chen, Frank Corcoran, Chaya Czernowin, John David Earnest, Ruby Fulton, Juliana Hall, Jenny Olivia Johnson, Louis Karchin, Lowell Liebermann, Adam Maor, Eric Nathan, Osnat Netzer, Steve Potter, Arnold Rosner, Joseph Summer, Kristian Twombly, Nicholas Vines and Scott Wheeler. He has also collaborated with Mark Adamo, James Granville Eakin III, Oliver Knussen, Ari Benjamin Meyers, Nico Muhly, John Musto, Judith Shatin, and Charles Wuorinen.

Other notable engagements include Osmin in Die Entführung aus dem Serail for St. Petersburg Opera, Don Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia for Vero Beach Opera, Truffaldin in Ariadne auf Naxos at Tanglewood, Arkel in Pelléas et Mélisande and Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte in Tel Aviv, his Mostly Mozart debut in Stravinsky’s Renard, and Olin Blitch in Susannah with Opera at Rutgers.

His writing includes articles for Classical Singer, The Liberated Voice, and Opera and Disability. He is also a featured contributor to Claudia Friedlander’s The Singer’s Audition & Career Handbook and James Harrington’s Building a Career in Opera from School to Stage: Operapreneurship.

Mr. Fry studied at Juilliard, the University of Maryland, and Johns Hopkins and apprenticed with The Santa Fe Opera. His recordings are available from Albany, BMOP/sound, Navona, Naxos, New World Records and Odyssey Opera.

More on Mr. Fry’s life and career can be found in the October 2015 issue of Classical Singer.

BIOGRAPHIES

Justin Berkowitz | Steve Todd/Arnold Murray

Justin Berkowitz tenor, originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, has been praised for his “exacting and animated” performances, and is quickly gaining national attention for both his character work, as well as his “bright future in bel canto.”

Justin's 2018-19 season begins with an exciting, international debut with "Music in the Alps" in Innsbruck, Austria, where he will perform his highly-regarded interpretation of Orff's Tenor Solo in Carmina Burana. Next, he will appear with Opera Atelier at The Harris Theater in two one-act pieces, Actéon and Pygmalion. The spring of 2019 will bring several debuts of Carmina Burana with The Mobile Symphony Orchestra, Chippewa Valley Symphony, and others. Justin is also thrilled to perform The Messiah with the Naples Philharmonic this winter.

2017 saw exciting Chicago debuts with The Chicago Philharmonic as the Tenor Soloist for Carmina Burana, as well as his debut with Haymarket Opera Theater in Ariane et Bachus, which was followed by his debut with Opera Louisiane as Monostatos in The Magic Flute. The 2016-17 season began for Justin in Central City, CO where he appeared as a Bonfils-Stanton Apprentice Artist with Central City Opera, performing the roles of the Old Miner, Mayor of Leadville and Chester Arthur in The Ballad of Baby Doe. This fall, Justin appeared with the Janesville Symphony for their Bach Magnificat. During 2017, Justin will make several debuts, beginning with DuPage Opera as Nanki-poo in The Mikado. Justin will then appear with Opera on the James as Dr. Cajus in Falstaff. Justin then performs the role of Jack in Into the Woods with St. Petersburg Opera.

2015-2016 brought Justin back to the stages of the Harris Theater, appearing in Chicago Opera Theater's Lucio Silla, and a performance of the tenor solo in Carmina Burana with the Windy City Chorus of Chicago. The 2014-2015 season highlights include concert debuts with the Northwestern University Concert Series and Annapolis Choral Society and Symphony as tenor soloist in Carmina Burana, and the Rochester (MI) Symphony in Mozart’s Coronation Mass.

Justin was also been invited to perform as guest artist for the Minnehaha Music’s fall concert, featuring Bel Canto arias and operatic hits.

THANK YOU

The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing Production Sponsors

Patricia A. Kenney & Gregory J. O’Leary National Endowment for the Arts With additional support from The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, The Amphion Foundation and the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation.

Partial support of this project is provided by

The Morse & Genius Reserve Fund COT honors and thanks the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation for its decades of support of and indelible impact on the arts community in Chicago.

Commission Underwriting and Developmental Support for The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing has been provided by the Stephen M. Weiner & Don Cornuet, Francis Goelet Charitable Lead Trusts, and the American Composers Forum with funds provided by the Jerome Foundation.

The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing was developed under the auspices of the Composer Librettist Development Program at American Lyric Theater in New York City, which is made possible through lead funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, The Howard Gilman Foundation, The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music.

Additional Developmental Support for The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing was provided through The Vanguard Initiative at Chicago Opera Theater.

THANK YOU

ENCORE SOCIETY

Chicago Opera Theater’s Encore Society is an inspiring group of forward-thinking opera lovers who want to support the future of bold opera in Chicago. These commitments are integral to COT, helping us continue to present exciting premieres and unique productions to the community for years to come.

Patrons who have made a designation of any size through bequests, insurance policies, IRAs, or any other legacy-giving asset provision are eligible to become members of COT’s Encore Society. Members enjoy special communiques and exclusive invitations to donor events.

If you have made such arrangements, please let us know by contacting Director of Development Meaghan Stainback Smallwood at ms@cot.org or 312-874-7454.

Encore Society Members Anonymous (2) Lucy & Peter* Ascoli Julie & Roger Baskes Charlotte & Alan Bath Judith & Merrill* Blau Joan & Jeffrey Blumenthal David Boyce Janet Eyler & Edwin Walker Megan Fellman & Anthony Rosso Frances & Henry* Fogel James K. Genden+ & Alma Koppedraijer Allen Heinemann* & William Borden Mary Lunz* & James Houston

*Board Member †Deceased

Susan Irion* & Rob DeLand Ruth Kane Maria* & Peter Lagios Patricia McMillen Joanne Michalski & Mike Weeda John H. Nelson Ed and Gayla Nieminen Dorothy F. Osborn* Florence Siefkins+ Lois B. Siegel Virginia Tobiason* Suzanne L. Wagner+ Albert Walavich Claude Weil

THANK YOU

Roger J. Bialcik Laurie Hammel & Bruce English Suzanne & William E. Bible Erika Erich Kristen Bigham Christine Eschete Mrs. Arthur A. Billings Janet Eyler & Edwin Walker Brian T. Bird Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP‡ Judith & Merrill* Blau Kamille Fajardo Shaun & Andy Block Karen & Clinton J. Feil Mrs. Albert Bloom Marilynne Felderman John P. Blosser Jan Feldman John & Claudia Boatright Megan Fellman & Anthony Rosso Renee Menegaz-Bock & R. Darrell Barry S. Finkel Bock Linda Fiore Fred & Phoebe Boelter Firestone Family Foundation Sheila Barton Bosron Colleen Flanigan Ann Box Geoffrey Flick Norman Boyer Nona C. Flores Richard Boyum & Louie Chua Frances & Henry* Fogel James Brandt Lance & Marcy Fortnow Drs. Charles & Patricia Brauner Eloise C. Foster David Braverman Robert Fourer Evan Bravos David Fox Michael Brazier Doug Brandt & Kathy Keegan Deborah Brevoort Diana & Neil King Ella Britton-Gibson Mary Klyasheff Kathryn Brown Catherine & Douglas Knuth Ralph & Rona Brown Paul Kobasa Archibald Bryant Peter Kohn & Judith Sandstrom Jeffrey D. Callison James K. Genden+ & Alma Robert Calvin Koppedraijer Ray Carter Norm Ryan & Brae Korin Joyce Chelberg Axel Kunzmann & Bruce J. Nelson Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation Dr. Carol Kyros-Walker Cynthia Cheski & Scott Elliott Lawrence Johnson Jason Cline A. Jeanne LaDuke Margery C. Coen Maria* & Peter Lagios Gene Collerd Larry Lapidus Howard & Anne Conant Joan & Gary Laser Dale Connelly & Donna Van Eekeren Christopher Leake Muniefa Cooper Moses Lee Anne Cunningham Lemont Fund Robert & Isabel Curley Michael Leppen David Curry & George Kohler+ Mr. & Mrs. John G. Levi Chris Davis Michael & Diane Levy De Priest Family Foundation, Inc. Elizabeth Amy Liebman Nancy Dehmlow Lawrence Lipking Marijane Deters Barbara Lippi Diane Droste Arthur & Dale Lipschultz Ingrid & Rich Dubberke Chris H. Lonn Kent Dymak & Theodore Foss Michele Lowrie Kenneth A. East Miles & Brittany Mabry Barbara & John Eckel John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Laurence Edwards & Susan Boone Foundation Anne Egger *Board Member ‡In-kind †Deceased List reflects gifts received between 11/1/2021 and 1/19/2023

THANK YOU

Mary Mackay & Edward Wheatley Polk Bros. Foundation Catherine Madayag Frank C. Pond Ashley & Brandon Magnus Sandra Popik Philip & Ann May David Pozorski Laura G. & James* G. McCormick Marianne Pyster Marilyn McCoy & Charles Thomas Susan Rabe Jeffrey & Cynthia McCreary Pavitra Ramachandran* William A. McHugh Shulamit Ran Lotan Jessica McJunkins Matthew Recio Jean McLaren & John Nitschke Charles & Maureen Reilly Bozena McLees Gerald Rizzer Patricia McMillen Casey Robards David E. McNeel* Nick Roman Martina Mead & Michael Gorey Marsha & Robert Rosner Mellon Foundation Heidi Rothenberg Joanne Michalski & Mike Weeda Stephen Roy & Lloyd Kohler Donna Milanovich Bobbie Rudnick David Miller Richard O. Ryan Frank Modruson & Lynne Shigley Joan & Frank R. Safford Robert & Lois Moeller Sage Foundation Dave & Lizz Mook Sahara Enterprises, Inc. Fund at The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust The Chicago Community Amanda & Arthur Moswin Foundation Charles H. Mottier David Saunders Catherine Mouly & Ted Carlson Esther Schechter Masahiro Kasai & Bill Myers Paul Scherer Sonia Nahmod Tamara Schiller Jennifer & Steve Nahn Russell Lascelles & Janet Schultz National Endowment for the Arts Arleen & Frederic Schwartz Negaunee Foundation John N. Schwartz & James A. Sylvia Neil & Daniel Fischel Mosley John H. Nelson Mark & Sally Schwartz Donald E. Newsom Susan H. Schwartz Lee Nickelson Gerry Sczygiel Ed & Gayla Nieminen Barre Seid & Barbara Landis‡ Susan Noel* Dejuan Shadd Daniel Novak Archietta Shannon Martha Nussbaum Michael Shapiro William & Penny Obenshain Susan & Robert* Shapiro Michael & Margo Oberman Ilene and Michael Shaw Shawn Okpebholo CharitableTrust Patricia A. Kenney & Gregory J. O'Leary Rita & Jim Sheinin Irmgard & Keith Olson Elizabeth Shepherd Sarah & Charles Orlove John H. Shindler James Orr Marcey & Ken Siegel Dorothy F. Osborn* & Bud Dobbins Roberta & Howard A. Siegel Gerald Padbury Constance Simms-Kincaid Dawn Palmer Larry Simpson Joan L. Pantsios The Siragusa Family Foundation John Howard Percy Patricia Skigen Jean Perkins & Leland Hutchinson Meaghan & Michael Smallwood Nick Petros Louise K. Smith The Consulate General of the Republic of Sarah & Michael David Smith Poland in Chicago Larry & Marge Sondler *Board Member ‡In-kind †Deceased List reflects gifts received between 11/1/2021 and 1/19/2023

THANK YOU

Laraine & David Spector Estelle Spector Spectrum Sports Bar & Grill Inc Paul Sprecher Nancy Stainback Grace K. Stanek Dale Starkes & Stacey Kossman Ester Stein Marjorie Stinespring Ariana Strahl James Strait Carol Stukey Lorraine Subra Vivien Gross & Dan Tarlock Texas Instruments Foundation Tazewell Thompson Myron & Karen Tiersky Virginia Tobiason* Rebecca Tung Judith C. Tuszynski Frances Vandervoort Marisela Varela David J. Varnerin Laura Vesecky Todd & Cari Vieregg

John Vinci Albert Walavich Dr. Alan J. Ward+ Louella Ward Cynthia Winter & Nicholas Weingarten Peter J. Wender Drs. Dennis & Anne Wentz Cathi White Gerald Wilemski Betty Winer Claudia Winkler Kathleen Arthur & Stephen Wood Randi Woodworth Mary & Michael Woolever Debbie K. Wright Tatyana & Boris Yamrom Lidiya Yankovskaya & Daniel Schwartz Dean Yannias Michael & Jessica Young Miriam L Young Linda & Owen Youngman Judith Zeitlin Rita & Robert Zeitner Camille Zientek

GIFTS IN MEMORY/HONOR OF Many donors establish gifts to honor and/or remember a respected mentor or friend. These donations pay tribute to influential members of COT’s family who serve as an inspiration to the rest of the community.

In Honor of Peter Ascoli Roberta and Howard A. Siegel

In Memory of Gwendolyn Britten Jeffrey D. Callison

In Memory of Donna Babonas Steve Landsman

In Memory of John R. Buckley Sarah & Michael David Smith

In Memory of David Lee Bradke Ruth Hansen & Lawrence Plotkin

In Memory of Stefan Edlis Gael Neeson

In Honor of Justin Berkowitz Kate Akos & Harry Jacobs

*Board Member ‡In-kind †Deceased List reflects gifts received between 11/1/2021 and 1/19/2023

THANK YOU In Honor of Henry Fogel David Chambers Jamey & Melissa Sage Fadim Ray Frick Gaylord & William Gieseke Negaunee Foundation In Honor of Jake Heggie & Gene Scheer Rita & Jim Sheinin In Honor of Sue Irion Robert Irion Gaylord & William Gieseke In Memory of George N. Kohler David Curry In Honor of Ashley Magnus Donna Milanovich Gaylord & William Gieseke

In Memory of Frank E. Sherman David Granato In Honor of Meaghan Stainback Smallwood Anonymous Stephen Alltop Peggy & Ron Beata Mr. & Mrs. Michael Oberman Daniel Novak Nick Roman In Honor of Virginia Tobiason Cheryl Berger In Honor of Brea Williams Nick Roman In Honor of Dorian YankovskayaSchwartz Patricia McMillen

In Honor of Lidiya Yankovskaya In Memory of Duncan C. McCune Mark Adamo & John Corigliano Gaylord & William Gieseke Miriam L. Young Donna Milanovich Shulamit Ran Lotan In Honor of Frank Modruson Michael Shapiro Old National Bancorp Peter J. Wender In Honor of Megan Monahan Sue & Paul* Freehling In Memory of John C. Palmer, Jr. Dawn Palmer In Memory of Andrew Patner Steve Robinson & Beth Schenker In Memory of Adeline & John Popik Sandra Popik In Memory of Carolyn Rizzer Gerald Rizzer In Memory of Hal Schiff Paul Scherer

*Board Member ‡In-kind †Deceased List reflects gifts received between 11/1/2021 and 1/19/2023

SAVE THE DATE

2023 GALA THURSDAY, MAY 11, 2023 | 5 PM

ATHENAEUM CENTER FOR THOUGHT & CULTURE 2936 N. SOUTHPORT AVE, CHICAGO, IL 60657 In Conjunction with the Concert Premiere of

THE COOK-OFF An original opera by Shawn E. Okpebholo, Composer Mark Campbell, Librettist For More Information or to Purchase Tickets Visit COT.ORG or call 312.874.7456

VANGUARD COMPOSERS

Shawn E. Okpebholo 2021-2023

Gillian Rae Perry 2022-2024

Carlos R. Carrillo 2023-2025

The Vanguard Initiative is COT's fully-comprehensive program for composers ready to delve into the world of opera. This immersive two year residency includes participation in all COT productions, sessions with top industry leaders, extensive study of repertoire and vocal writing, direct insight into administrative and other behind-the-scenes processes, and culminates with the development of a full-length opera commissioned by COT. The program is guided and overseen by COT Music Director Lidiya Yankovskaya, with Composer Advisors Jake Heggie, Kamala Sankaram, and Gene Scheer.

The Vanguard Emerging Opera Composer Residency is supported by a generous grant from the Mellon Foundation.

YOUNG ARTISTS

Jennifer Allor

Pauline Tan

Corinne Costell Veena Akama-Makia

Karlos PiñeroMercado

The COT/CCPA Young Artist Program is a specialized opportunity for developing pianists and singers. It allows developing artists with exceptional career promise and mastery of basic skills to focus on all areas of their artistic growth. The program affords them professional experience, particularly in the development and performance of innovative new work, while also supporting them with voice lessons, vocal coaching, and dramatic training from the illustrious music and performance faculty at Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts. Participants receive a full-tuition scholarship, as well as a monthly stipend during the performance season, which runs September – April.

AMERICAN LYRIC THEATER

Based in New York City, American Lyric Theater (ALT) was founded in 2005 by Lawrence Edelson to build a new body of operatic repertoire by nurturing composers, librettists and dramaturgs, developing sustainable artistic collaborations, and contributing new works to the national canon.

ALT is home to the Composer Librettist Development Program (CLDP), the only full-time professional mentorship program for emerging opera writers in the country that provides tuition-free, personalized training along with direct financial support to artists selected through an open national call. The multi-year program consists of a core curriculum of classes and workshops, followed by residencies during which artists are commissioned to write fulllength operas. Resident Artists in the CLDP are mentored by some of the country’s leading working artists, including composer/librettist Mark Adamo; composers Anthony Davis, Ricky Ian Gordon, Scott Davenport Richards, and Paul Moravec; librettists Mark Campbell and Michael Korie; mezzo soprano Adriana Zabala; and dramaturg Cori Ellison.

In 2012, ALT was the first company dedicated to artist mentorship rather than operatic production to be recognized by OPERA America as a Professional Company Member – a testament to ALT’s service to the field. To date, ALT has provided intensive, personalized mentorship to over 50 gifted operatic writers.

Alumni of the CLDP are at the forefront of creating new operas for companies nationwide, including Opera Philadelphia, Houston Grand Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Beth Morrison Projects, and The Metropolitan Opera. In 2020, ALT adopted The Opera Writers Diversity and Representation Initiative (OWDARI), a strategic framework that has evolved into a series of tangible actions to address racial justice in ALT’s contributions to the opera field.

Through the lens of the OWDARI, ALT has been diversifying the CLDP faculty and curriculum, and increasing access to ALT’s programs by breaking down geographic and financial barriers to participation. The creation of the OWDARI Advisory Committee, comprised of BIPOC artists and related experts in the field, and the appointment of conductor Kelly Kuo to the newly created position of Associate Artistic Director in 2021, have been a particularly exciting developments for ALT as the company continues to advance these goals.

For more information about ALT, please visit altnyc.org

HARRIS THEATER COVID Protocols: The Harris Theater strongly recommends proper wearing of masks at all times for audiences in the theater including while in line to enter, when in close proximity to others, and throughout the performance. For more information, visit harristheaterchicago.org/faqs.

In Consideration of Other Patrons and the Performers: Photography is not permitted in the Theater at any time and texting during performance is strictly prohibited. Film or digital images will be confiscated or deleted by the Harris Theater house staff; violators will be subject to a fine.

Latecomers will be seated at the discretion of the house management.

Smoking is prohibited within the Harris Theater. Allowance of personal items and baggage into the auditorium space is at the sole discretion of house management.

Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible seating locations, swing arm aisle seating, and inclusive/wheelchair accessible restrooms are available on all auditorium seating levels. The Harris is also equipped with an FM Assistive Listening Device system. Headsets are available for check out with a valid ID. Please call the Box Office in advance at 312.334.7777 regarding ticketing and accessible seating questions. If inquiring on any additional accommodation requests to enhance your performance experience, please reach out to access@harristheaterchicago.org or call 312.334.2486 at least two weeks in advance.

Parking: Discounted parking validation is available for all ticket holders using the Millennium Park Garage. A validation machine is located on Lobby Level 5 (Upper Randolph).

Harris Theater Mission: The Harris Theater is Chicago’s home for music and dance, connecting diverse audiences with artists from across the city, the nation, and the world. Opened in 2003 in Millennium Park, the Theater was the first multi-use performance venue built in downtown Chicago since 1929, and fulfilled the city’s need for a shared home for mid-size performing arts organizations. Today, the Harris features some of the most diverse arts and culture offerings of any venue in the city, and is a distinctive model for artistic quality, collaboration, and making the performing arts relevant and accessible to the widest possible audience.

Founded on the principle of serving Chicago’s vibrant creative community, the Theater is the home venue of more than 25 not-for-profit arts and culture organizations. The Harris Theater Presents series has featured world-renowned artists and ensembles including Laurie Anderson, Batsheva Dance, English National Ballet, Joshua Bell, Renée Fleming, Sir John Eliot Gardiner and the Monteverdi Choir, Angélique Kidjo, and Paris Opéra Ballet. The Theater’s community engagement initiatives build bridges between artists and community members, providing master classes, artist talks, and free tickets for more than 35 partner organizations throughout Chicago.To learn more about the Harris Theater, Chicago’s state-of-the-art 1,499-seat performance venue in Millennium Park, visit harristheaterchicago.org

COMING SOON Vanguard Opera

The Cook-Off

Thursday, May 11, 2023 @ 7:30PM Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture

Another Sunrise/For a Look or a Touch

A Co-Production with Music of Remembrance

May 27, 2023 @7:30PM May 28, 2023 @ 3PM

Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture

TICKETS AT COT.ORG