Productions
The Order of the Virtues 2024
In 1152, Hildegard von Bingen finished her Ordo Virtutum (The Order of the Virtues). In 1971 Pauline Oliveros published her first book of Sonic Meditations. Today we are bringing together two women, 800 years apart, who lived their lives fully in sound.
Our world can make us feel exhausted, burnt out, and lonely but it is also full of beauty and hope. These are women that knew that to find beauty sometimes all you needed to do was listen with care. Here we will tell the story of a saint. A saint who survived her own church and built a better one.
Here is the story of ourselves. How we survive and how we grow with the help and guidance of our virtues.
Cast:
The Soul: Tracey Furling (she/they)
Humility Queen of the Virtues: Jessie Lyons (she/her)
The Virtue of Faith: Angela Born (she/her)
The Virtue of Love: Katherine Bruton (she/they)
The Virtue of Victory: Ariel Andrew (she/her)
The Virtue of Hope: Amanda Payne (she/her)
The Virtue of Knowledge: Val Beck (she/her)
Production:
Stage Director: Rose Freeman (ze/zir)
Artistic Director: Alexandra Enyart (she/her)
Costumer: Kay Flynn (she/her)
Technical Director: Matt Peckham (he/him)
Rusalka
2024
Set in a wild wood full of fae sprites, Rusalka is guaranteed to delight. The story is quite familiar to us, resembling The Little Mermaid but told from Slavic origins. Rusalka, a water sprite, longs to be human and to experience love with a handsome prince she's seen in the woods. Her father warns her only woe will come from such things but Rusalka is driven to know exactly what life is like beyond the waters edge. This is a story of longing, of wishing desperately to catch a glimpse of something more than the life we live.
Rusalka: Val Beck
Prince: Karlos Piñero-Mercado
Vodník: Jeremiah Strickler
Jezibaba: Nicole Rivera
Princess: Megan Wilhelm
Sprite: Katherine Bruton
Sprite: Kay Flynn
Sprite: Jessie Lyons
Production:
Director - Angela Torres-Kutkuhn
Conductor - Alexandra Enyart
Pianist: Jordan Crice
Bluebeards Castle 2023
Our second show of the season is Bluebeards Castle. Perfect for anyone that loves a psychological thriller, Bluebeard makes us question what is life and answers with "the echo of the echo of a sigh." Dramatic, scary, and deeply moving, this show will feature the cinematography of Peckham Media Productions alongside our live performances.
Cast:
Judith: Angela Born
Bluebeard: Matthew Peckham
Director: Paige Dirkes-Jacks
Conductor: Alexandra Enyart
Pianist: Jordan Crice
La Femme Bohème 2023
This season we have stories of love and loss!
First we start with La Femme Bohème, a production of Bohème with all women for the leads. This group of artists strives to live the Bohemian life in Paris. They avoid rent, dodge their bills, and instead spend their time painting or writing poetry. Widely considered to be one of Puccinis best operas, there is something for everyone in this Parisian party as we partner with The Valkyrie Ensemble.
Mimi: Angela Born
Rodolfo- Alannah Spencer
Marcello- Beck Buechel
Musetta- Marnie Baylouny
Schaunard- Tracey Lynne
Colline- Angela Torres
Benoit/ Alcindoro- Jeremiah Strickler
Parpignol- Molly Clementz
Director: Paige Dirkers-Jacks
Conductor: Alexandra Enyart
Pianist- Lilia Woolschlager
Don Giovanni 2023
One of the most important pieces in operatic history, Don Giovanni signals a turning point of what opera will become in the eras to come. For the first time a theme begins with the overture and chases after Don Giovanni all the way until his fiery end.
Don Giovanni a classic example of Mozart's love of gender and class warfare this time through a retelling of the legend of Don Juan. Come and join us for what Mozart called a "Drama with Jokes" as we tell the legend of one particularly unpleasant man.
Cast:
Don Giovanni - Lucas Bouk
Leporello - Jeremiah Strickler
Donna Anna - Katherine Bruton
Donna Elvira - Jessie Lyons
Don Ottavio - Vincent McPherson
Zerlina - Kay Flynn
Masetto - Zachary Mendenhall
Commendatore - Timothy Krueger
Production:
Director - Angela Torres-Kutkuhn
Conductor - Alexandra Enyart
Pianist - Cody Michael Bradley
Tosca 2022
A triangle of interplay between faith, art, and politics drives the drama as lives are overturned in the span of one night. Tosca herself is one of the strong women of opera. She is full of fire and passion and at the same time she is just a woman trying to do the right thing in a world where political villains have power over her.
Tosca is not the only strong women in this production. For two years we have been in meetings, conferences, and phone calls talking about who opera will be for when it comes back. To put our money where our mouth is Ouroboros Opera will be presenting Tosca with Cavaradossi as a woman. Cavaradossi is an incredible rebel, painter, and activist. She is bold and stand offish and as funny and charming as Tosca. Tosca and Cavaradossi are an incredible couple and I am so honored and excited to present them to Chicago in a new way.
Cast:
Katherine Bruton - Floria Tosca
Jessie Lyons - Maria Cavaradossi
Dorian McCall - Scarpia
Jeremiah Strickler - Sacristan/Scarpia Cover
Matt Peckham - Angelotti/Sciarrone
Katherine B. Dalin - Spoletta/Cavaradossi Cover
Amanda Payne - Shepherd/Tosca Cover
Production:
Stage Director - Ross Kyo Matsuda
Conductor - Alexandra Enyart
Pianist - Cody Michael Bradley
Carmen 2020
Burlesque opera
Cancelled due to COVID
Pelléas et Mélisande 2019
An all-star team of your storefront favorites comes together to create Ouroboros opera. Ouroboros opera is a cooperative program in which all performers are part of the production team. It is a bold effort to create change in opera by showing a system that functions differently than the current model. We invite you to join us in performance as we prove that opera can be made more equitable without losing any of its beauty or meaning.
Cast:
Pelléas - Jon Wilson
Mélisande - Marysa Abbas
Golaud - Matthew Brennan
Arkel - Bryan Dahl
Yniold - Sally Olson
Geneviève - Katarina Bakas
Le berger | Le médecin - Kota Terrace
Production:
Pianist - Jordan Crice
Director - Alexandra Schiano
Conductor - Alexandra Enyart
