The opera house can be a scary place – and we’re not talking about all those crazy singers and their shenanigans backstage! Many operas contain ghastly ghouls, ghosts, goblins, witches, dragons, and all kinds of crazy creatures. Here are some of the most frightening pieces from the history of opera.

Anyone who’s ever tried to sing or play an instrument knows that hard work and practice are essential to make a performance successful. But performing music from memory presents another challenge. The repetitions Glass uses make memorizing his music particularly difficult.

Renowned choreographer Justin Peck took a break from his rehearsals with the Joffrey Ballet to explain what he listens for when selecting music to choreograph.

Kidjo’s curiosity about classical music was sparked in an unlikely way. Her father started playing Beethoven on the banjo.

Philip Glass is simultaneously one of the best known and most misunderstood composers of our time. Though he has many fans, he also has many critics.

At 79 years old, Philip Glass has composed 27 operas. Yet, only a handful have been performed in Chicago, though the composer spent formative years in the Windy City as a student.

David Bowie, who passed away January 10, 2016 at age 69, inspired artists in every medium over the decades. Philip Glas is one of them: his Symphony No. 1 “Low,” composed in 1992, is based on Bowie’s album, Low, and his Symphony No. 4 “Heroes” is based on Bowie’s Heroes.

Opera has always been important to composer Rufus Wainwright, though many know him as the man behind the piano crooning confessional songs.

Composer Max Richter wants people to doze off during his latest composition, SLEEP, which he calls an “8-hour lullaby.”