Chicago Opera Theater (COT), Chicago’s foremost producer of new and reimagined opera, continues its 2024-25 season with the concert premiere of the sixth full-length opera produced through COT’s industry leading Vanguard Initiative. Composed by Vanguard Composer Carlos R. Carrillo to a libretto by renowned opera librettist Stephanie Fleischmann, Remedios Varios para las Aflicciones del Cuerpo y el Espíritu (Remedios Varios), Carillo’s first opera, was developed over the course of his two years as a COT Vanguard composer. Audiences will have the opportunity to see the culmination of this process at the concert premiere of Remedios Varios at The Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture, 2936 N Southport Ave. on Saturday, April 5 at 7:30PM.
Tickets for Remedios Varios are $50.00 and are available at chicagooperatheater.org.
Remedios Varios para las Aflicciones del Cuerpo y el Espíritu translates to Various Remedies for the Afflictions of the Body and Spirit in English. Set in a world devoid of color and inspired by the imagery of Spanish-Mexican surrealist painter Remedios Varo, a lone tree holds within its rings the memory and possibility of music, poetry, and art. An herbalist struggles to heal a community afflicted by a siege of maladies, and a homesick boarding-school student dreams of escape. An ancient medicinal, written in Spanish (one of countless forbidden languages), just may hold the key — to transcendence, or complete obliteration. This operatic fable journeys into the realm of imagination, where renewal and possibility take root and blossom.
Conducted by Eli Chen with dramaturgy by Kelley Rourke, the cast includes soprano Hayley Fox as The Girl, mezzo-soprano Leah Dexter as The Herbalist, tenor Alejandro Luévanos as The Teacher, bass Stephen Clark as The Tree/Father, and countertenor Ryan Belongie as The Student. Remedios Varios is sung in English with portions in Spanish. English Supertitles will be projected.
The Vanguard Initiative, founded in 2018, is COT’s fully comprehensive program for composers ready to delve into the world of opera. This immersive two-year residency includes participation in all COT productions, sessions with top industry leaders, extensive study of repertoire and vocal writing, and direct insight into administrative and other behind-the-scenes processes, culminating with the development of a full-length opera commissioned by the company. The program is guided and overseen by former COT Music Director Lidiya Yankovskaya, with advisors Kamala Sankaram, Missy Mizzoli, and Gene Scheer. The program is made possible with leadership support from the Mellon Foundation. The 2024/25 Vanguard Composers are Carlos R. Carrillo (second year) and Aaron Israel Levin (first year). Alumni of the Vanguard program are Stacy Garrop, Matthew Recio, Wang Lu, Shawn Okpebholo, and Gillian Rae Perry.
“The Vanguard Initiative is unique in that it not only provides opportunities for composers with an interest in writing opera to hone their craft, it also immerses them into all aspects of opera production and how the industry works,” said Chicago Opera Theater Edlis Neeson General Director Lawrence Edelson. “In addition, our most recent commissions have paired emerging opera composers with experienced librettists. This season, guest librettist Stephanie Fleischmann, a recent winner of the Campbell Opera Librettist Prize, has collaborated with our resident Vanguard composer Carlos Carrillo to create an enchanting and beautiful story for the opera stage. We look forward to sharing Remedios Varios with Chicago.”
COT will also host its annual gala titled Infinite Possibilities: Blossoming Beyond 50 Years in conjunction with the concert premiere of Remedios Varios at The Athenaeum from 5:00-10:00 PM on April 5. Benefitting COT’s artistic, educational, and community engagement programs, the gala is given in honor of COT’s Immediate Past Board President Susan J. Irion for her passion, dedication, and leadership. The gala is chaired by Erika Erich and will include a sit-down dinner, auction, and a reception with the artists.
Gala tickets start at $500 and must be reserved by March 25. For more information and to purchase tickets visit chicagooperatheater.org/gala.
About Chicago Opera Theater
Chicago Opera Theater’s mission is to enrich the lives of those who live, work and play in Chicago by bringing rarely produced and contemporary operas to life, supporting gifted emerging artists, and providing hands-on experiences with opera that entertain, empower creativity, and cultivate a lasting and meaningful connection to the arts. Guided by our core values, COT serves Chicago through unique, relevant, and innovative opera experiences that reflect the aspirations of our city — dynamic, inclusive, and forward-thinking — fostering inspiration, dialogue and belonging. Since its founding in 1973, COT has grown from a grassroots community-based company to a national leader in an increasingly vibrant, diverse, and forward-looking art form. COT has staged over 160 operas, including over 90 Chicago premieres and 50 operas by American composers. COT is led by Edlis Neeson General Director Lawrence Edelson who was appointed in 2023.
COT’s 2024-45 season concludes with the world premiere of She Who Dared, by Jasmine Arielle Barnes and Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton June 3-8 at the Studebaker Theater. She Who Dared is, remarkably, the first opera to be professionally produced in the United States that has been written by two Black female artists. Everyone has heard of Rosa Parks, but she wasn’t the first to refuse to move. She Who Dared recenters the spotlight on the courageous women who helped desegregate the Montgomery bus system in the 1950’s leading to the momentous court case of Browder v. Gayle. Tickets for She Who Dared are available at chicagoopeartheater.org.
