This season’s festival presents three thrilling performances featuring the music of Verdi, Pizzetti and more! Ticket prices range from $20 – $85.
The Opera Festival of Chicago returns for our 2023 Season
Murder in the Cathedral
July 6 & July 9, 2023
The Chicago Temple
The Chicago Temple
From the writing of T. S. Eliot's 1935 play, "Murder at the Cathedral" remains one of Ildebrando Pizzetti's most celebrated compositions. This dramatic opera portrays the assassination of Archbishop Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral during the reign of Henry II in 1170.
Cast: Ferruccio Furlanetto | Maria Kanyova | Anna Laurenzo | Reuben Lillie | William Powell III | Patrick Blackwell | Andrea Silvestrelli | Michael Rivera | Jeff Ray | Frank DeVincentis | André De Mesquita
An Italian Soirée
July 12, 2023
Artifacts Events
Our Festival artists will be showcased in an evening dedicated to an exciting selection of music inspired by our season theme of Power, Glory, and Betrayal. Famous arias, duets and trios will alternate with instrumental music inspired by some of the greatest Italian operas of all times and performed on piano, flute, and accordion by three great virtuosi of these instruments.
Cast: Andrea Silvestrelli | Patrick Blackwell | Maria Kanyova | Anna Laurenzo | Irina Feoktistova
Ferruccio Furlanetto in Concert
July 13, 2023
Harris Theater
Marking his only U.S. solo recital since 2016, the great Italian basso’s more than 50-yearlong international career will be showcased in this tour-de-force recital. His recent European recitals have been acclaimed by critics as “one of the most exciting musical moments of the year” with performances at Teatro alla Scalla in Milan, Italy and Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, Russia. Celebrating an incredible career of performances around the world, Mr. Furlanetto will perform selections from his greatest operatic performances including beloved bass arias from The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, Boris Godunov and Don Carlo.
Cast: Ferruccio Furlanetto | Natalia Sidorenko
Verdi Attila
July 20 & July 23, 2023
Cahn Auditorium
Cahn Auditorium
Verdi’s popular 1846 opera in a prologue and three acts takes us to the mid-5th century near Rome following Attila, King of the Huns. A story of Power, Glory, and Betrayal, Attila was Verdi's 9th opera and has been one of his most popular earlier works with soaring melodies, giant choruses within this epic tale.
Cast: Andrea Silvestrelli | Jenny Schuler | Franco Pomponi | Patrick Blackwell | Reuben Lillie
An Interview with Ferruccio Furlanetto
Ferruccio Furlanetto is hailed as one of the greatest basses of our time. With a career that spans five decades, he is acclaimed for his vast range, thundering vocal power, and superior acting ability. He joins WFMT host Oliver Camacho to review his signature roles and to share the announcement of his return to Chicago this summer with Opera Festival of Chicago.
2023 Young Artist Program
Festival Masterclasses
Join our 2023 Festival Young Artists for a public masterclass at Ganz Hall of Roosevelt University. Led by Board Member Carl Lawrenz, Franco Pomponi, and Festival Artist Maria Kanyova.
Featuring: Carl Lawrenz | Franco Pomponi | Maria Kanyova | Irina Feoktistova
6:00PM, Saturday, June 24, 2023
Ganz Hall, Roosevelt University
Festival Masterclasses
Join our 2023 Festival Young Artists for a public masterclass at Ganz Hall of Roosevelt University. Led by Board Member Carl Lawrenz, Franco Pomponi, and Festival Artist Maria Kanyova.
Featuring: Carl Lawrenz | Franco Pomponi | Maria Kanyova | Irina Feoktistova
7:00PM, Saturday, July 8, 2023
Ganz Hall, Roosevelt University
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Auditions for the 2023 Season have closed. Stay tuned for more information about the Opera Festival of Chicago chorus or joining our administrative team. Stay up-to-date on our latest news…
Opera Festival of Chicago is dedicated to presenting fully staged productions of Italian opera masterworks that rarely grace the stage in the United States, making this work accessible to American audiences and artists alike.