The Opera Festival of Chicago will present its second season from July 8 to July 24, 2022.
The three-week festival will feature fully staged productions of Gioachino Rossini’s “L’inganno felice” and Giuseppe Verdi’s “Il Corsaro”, as well as a recital honoring the 100thanniversary of the birth of legendary soprano Renata Tebaldi, Tebaldi@100.
“Following the resounding success of our inaugural season last summer, we’re thrilled to return to Chicago-area stages for an exciting second season,” said General Director Robert Massey. “In keeping with our mission of presenting fully staged productions of Italian opera masterworks rarely performed in the United States, we’ll showcase a pair of operas that despite being penned by two of the art forms most renowned composers, have not been performed professionally in Chicago in modern history.”
The Opera Festival of Chicago launched its inaugural season in 2021 with the mission to present fully staged productions of Italian opera masterworks that rarely grace the stage in the United States. In doing so, it makes these works accessible to a wide audience, provides vital opportunities for young artists entering the profession, and highlights the immense talent that has originated from the Chicagoland area.
2022 Opera Festival of Chicago
“L’inganno felice” (The Fortunate Deception)
Composed by Gioachino Rossini
Libretto by Giuseppe Maria Foppa
Friday, July 8, 2022, at 7:30 p
Sunday, July 10, 2022, at 2 p.m.
Athenaeum Center
2936 N Southport Ave
Chicago, IL 60657
Cast & Creative Team
Kenneth Tarver | Duke Bertrando
Katherine Beck | Isabella (Nisa)
Matthew Ciuffitelli | Batone
Alexander Adams-Leytes | Tarabotto
Frank DeVincentis | Ormondo
Emanuele Andrizzi, conductor
Ella Marchment, director
Gregory Keng Strasser, associate director
Luca Dalbosco, scenic & costume designer
Eric Watkins, lighting designer
Opera Festival of Chicago Orchestra
Tebaldi@100
Friday, July 15, 2022, at 7:30 p.m.
Ganz Hall – Roosevelt University
430 S. Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60605
Cast & Creative Team
Heather Hjelle, soprano
Angel Azzarra, soprano
Reuben Lillie, tenor
Franco Pomponi, baritone
Douglas Han, piano
Roger Pines, emcee
“Il Corsaro” (The Pirate)
Composed by Giacomo Puccini
Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave
Based on The Corsaire by Lord Byron
Friday, July 22, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 24, 2022 at 2:00 p.m.
Cahn Auditorium
600 Emerson Street
Evanston, IL 60201
Cast & Creative Team
Jose Simerilla Romero | Corrado
Christine Arand | Medora
Franco Pomponi | Pasha Seid
Alejandra Sandoval | Gulnara
Frank DeVincentis | Giovanni
André De Mesquita | Aga Selimo
Matthew Lord | Eunuch
Reuben Lillie | Schiavo
Emanuele Andrizzi, conductor
Amy Hutchison, director
Eleanor Kahn, scenic designer
Eric Watkins, lighting designer
Opera Festival of Chicago Orchestra
Opera Festival of Chicago Chorus
Reid Taylor, chorus master
Individual tickets to “L’inganno felice” and “Il Corsaro” start at $45. Tebaldi@100 tickets are $50. Passes to both staged productions start at $85.50. Visit www.operafestivalchicago.org for more information and to purchase tickets.
