Nicole Cabell (Photo: Erika Dufour)
Haymarket Opera Company has announced its 2025 season. The company, founded in 2010, is dedicated to performances of baroque and classical era opera.
The 2025 season will run from March to October and feature an oratorio and three operas.
On March 28, Haymarket shares Ester, a 1673 oratorio by Alessandro Stradella at Gannon Concert Hall on DePaul University’s Lincoln Park campus. The work is based on the Old Testament story of Esther, and offers a rare chance to hear music by a largely forgotten artist who was considered the finest Italian composer of his day.
In a brand-new, fully staged production, the company will present Artaserse by Leonardo Vinci (not to be confused with Leonardo da Vinci) from June 27 to July 1. Premiered in 1730, the work is a story of love and betrayal set in 5th century-BC Persia. The opera will mark Haymarket’s second recording with Chicago-based label Cedille Records following 2023’s acclaimed release of Bologne’s L’amant anonyme.
In August, Haymarket will make its Ravinia Festival debut with a performance of Handel’s Alcina featuring soprano Nicole Cabell as the titular enchantress. Cabell previously starred in Haymarket’s L’amant anonyme.
Closing out the season will be a concert presentation of Jacopo Peri’s Euridice. A collaboration with Chicago baroque ensemble Newberry Consort, the performances will take place on October 24 and 25 at the Art Institute of Chicago and Evanston’s Music Institute of Chicago. First performed in 1600, the title is the oldest known surviving opera and is an adaptation of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Haymarket and Newberry previously collaborated in the opera company’s 2023 presentation of La liberazione di Ruggiero.
Haymarket will also host a benefit and concert on May 1. Held at the Arts Club of Chicago, the company’s annual Early Opera Cabaret will feature arias and performers from the 2025 season.
The company notes that additional casting and ticketing information will come in the new year.
For more information, visit haymarketopera.org.
