The Chicago Opera Theater (COT) is an opera company that was founded as the Chicago Opera Studio in 1974 by Alan Stone to give vocal students performance experience, although it has grown into a professional opera company. The stated mission of COT is to provide first class productions of operatic repertoire that include the greatest works of the 17th through 20th centuries, and in the past it has had an emphasis on American composers and performers who sing in English. Currently, COT extends the Chicago opera season by scheduling its performances after the Lyric Opera of Chicago's season ends in spring.
The company's home is the 1,525-seat Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Chicago's Millennium Park. The Harris Theater was built in 2003 as a mostly underground, state-of-the-art downtown performance facility, and is also home to the Hubbard Street Dance Company. Prior to the 2004 season, COT was most recently at the Athenaeum Theatre on the city's north side.
Read more about Chicago Opera Theater: Staff, Recent Seasons' Productions
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