Stories

Chicago Opera Theater Revives Banned Opera

Kurt Weill’s final work in Germany was banned shortly after its premiere. Now, 93 years later, Chicago Opera Theater is bringing Der Silbersee: Ein Wintermärchen to Chicago audiences for the first time.

Keegan MorrisMay 13, 2025

New Releases May 13: Dreams, Skies, Fantasies

Luxurious gold and red velvet opera house interior

Keegan MorrisMay 12, 2025

Treasured Titles: Exploring the Most Performed Operas of the Last 25 Years

Associated PressMay 8, 2025

Robert Prevost, first American pope in history of the Catholic Church, will take the name Leo XIV

Swan Songs: Classical Music Inspired by Swans

Katherine BuzardAugust 5, 2025

With this wealth of allegorical associations, these elegant creatures have captured composers’ imaginations for centuries.

New Releases Aug. 5: Bach, Coleridge-Taylor, Hovhaness

Keegan MorrisAugust 5, 2025

Deep-dives into works by JS Bach (featuring the late conductor Sir Andrew Davis, a Lyric Opera of Chicago legend), as well as music by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and Alan Hovhaness. Plus, meet a lesser-known — but influential — Polish composer: Zygmunt Noskowski. And take part in a richly immersive vocal compendium by Minneapolis-based Cantus.

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Woman in red dress gazes through mirror in moody-lit room

New Releases May 6: Jewish Vienna, Weinberg, Bassoon

Keegan MorrisMay 6, 2025

A new album pays tribute to the Jewish composers of 20th-century Vienna. The Arcadia Quartet’s album explores the string quartets of another marginalized Jewish composer: Mieczysław Weinberg. Leading English bassoonist Laurence Perkins offers a lighthearted survey in Honey-coloured Cow. Other highlights include a handful of world premiere recordings by the United Strings of Europe, two violin concertos featuring Hans Christian ...

The Evolution of the Orchestra: Strings

Katherine BuzardMay 2, 2025

Learn why the violin is so pivotal in the development of modern-day string instruments.

‘Buena Vista Social Club,’ ‘Death Becomes Her’ and ‘Maybe Happy Ending’ lead Tony Award nominations

Associated PressMay 2, 2025

And Audra McDonald becomes the most Tony-Nominated performer in Broadway history.

Through the Night with Peter van de Graaff