Haymarket Unveils 2024 Season

By Keegan Morris |

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mezzo-soprano Fleur Barron poses in a red dress against a brick wall adorned with blue and red graffiti

Fleur Barron

Haymarket Opera has unveiled its 2024 season. Running from March to September 2024, the Chicago Baroque opera outfit’s lineup features three flagship titles.

The company’s season premiere is a 1715 oratorio by Maria Margherita Grimani, a woman composer whose career prospered briefly in the early 18th century. La decollazione di San Giovanni Battista (The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist), is headlined by mezzo-soprano Fleur Barron in the title role, alongside Christian Pursell, Eric Ferring, Erica Schuller, and Kristen Knutson, all under the baton of ensemble founder and artistic director Craig Trompeter. The one-performance opener will be held at Gannon Hall at DePaul’s Holtschneider Performance Center.

Rounding out the three-work season schedule are two titles by George Frideric Handel.

First in June is La Resurrezione, Handel’s epic oratorio capturing a “heroic showdown between Heaven and Hell.” Christian Curnyn leads the Haymarket Opera Orchestra and vocal soloists including Sarah Brailey and Douglas Williams. Rachel Barton Pine appears as guest concertmaster for the single performance at Gannon Hall.

Tamerlano, which celebrates its 300th birthday in 2024, is the culmination of the season, receiving three performances in September at DePaul’s Jarvis Opera Hall. Handel’s 1724 opera depicts a titanic clash between two great medieval empires. The performances — once again conducted by Trompeter — feature David Portillo, Ryan Belongie, and Emily Birsan.

The company also reprises its annual Early Opera Cabaret, a gala and fundraiser, in April.


Tickets for Haymarket Opera’s 2024 season go on sale in January. For more information, visit haymarketopera.org.