Patricia Racette to Headline Chicago Opera Theater's February Double Bill

Chicago Opera Theater (COT) continues its 2015/16 season with a double bill featuring Francis Poulenc's emotional and passionate "La Voix Humaine" and Giacomo Puccini's delightful "Gianni Schicchi" at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance (205 E. Randolph St.) on Feb. 6 and 14. The operas will be directed by COT's Stefan Edlis and Gael Neeson General Director Andreas Mitisek and conducted by Ari Pelto.

The evening of one act operas begins with Poulenc's "La Voix Humaine," starring acclaimed soprano, Patricia Racette, as Elle in her COT debut. Racette is one of the most renowned and popular sopranos working in opera today, and has been featured on the stages of the greatest opera houses of the world including the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Canadian Opera Company, Royal Opera House, La Scala, Paris Opera, Theater an der Wien and the Bayerische Staatsoper. She has garnered particular acclaim for her portrayals of the title roles of "Madama Butterfly," "Tosca," "Jenufa," "Kátya Kabanová," and all three lead soprano roles in "Il Trittico." Her performances of "Madama Butterfly" and "Peter Grimes" at the Metropolitan Opera were seen in movie theaters across the world as part of the "The Met: Live in HD," with "Madama Butterfly" being one of the most successful broadcasts in the history of the series.

La Voix Humaine
Written in 1959, Francis Poulenc's stunning forty-minute work, "La Voix Humaine," is based on the play by Jean Cocteau, who worked closely with the composer to adapt it as an opera. Performed in French, Racette plays the role of Elle as she makes her final phone call to the man who kept her as a mistress, but who is now moving on, leaving her alone and distraught. The New York Times hailed the piece as "gripping...an overwhelming tour de force."

Gianni Schicchi
Giacomo Puccini's 1918 one act comedy is considered to be one of the wittiest operas of all time, described by The New York Times as "uproariously funny...so full of life, humor, and ingenious devices." The story, performed in English, is set in Florence around the deathbed of the rich Buoso Donati as his relatives all try to fight for a portion of his wealth, only to find that he left everything to a monastery. In a deceiving plan to take the place of a dead man, Gianni Schicchi tries to dictate a new will. The piece was composed as part of "Il Trittico," which featured three one act operas.

Leading the COT cast is baritone Michael Chioldi in the title role. Chioldi was last seen at COT as "Giacomo" in its 2013 production of "Giovanna d'Arco." Lauretta, the leading female role, is sung by Chicago favorite Emily Birsan, and Rinuccio will be sung by Christopher Tiesi. Other roles will be sung by Barbara Landis, Scott Ramsay, Helen Wyatt, Bruce Hall, Kira Dills-DeSurra, Andrew Simpson, Nicholas Davis, Matthan Ring Black, Martin Woods and Christopher Remmel.

Andreas Mitisek, Stefan Edlis and Gael Neeson General Director
A native of Austria, Mitisek has been the Stefan Edlis and Gael Neeson General Director of COT since June of 2012. He has also been Artistic and General Director of Long Beach Opera (LBO) since 2003. Mitisek was named "Chicagoan of the Year for Classical Music" by the Chicago Tribune in 2014 and was selected as one of the "25 people that will be a major force in the field of opera in the coming decade" by Opera News.

He recently directed and designed Mozart's "Lucio Silla," by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, "Macbeth" by Ernest Bloch, "Maria de Buenos Aires" by Astor Piazzolla and "The Emperor of Atlantis & The Clever One" by Viktor Ullmann and Carl Orff. Mitisek is on the board of directors for OPERA AMERICA, the national service organization for U.S. opera companies.

Performance Schedule
Saturday, February 6, 2016 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, February 14, 2016 at 3 p.m.

Performances will be at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph St. Tickets are now on sale. Tickets range in price from $35 - $125 and can be purchased by calling 312.704.8414 or via cot.org. Student tickets are also available for $15 with a valid school ID on the day of the performance.
Closing the 2015/16 season, the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in association with COT presents the baroque masterpiece "Dido and Aeneas," composed by Henry Purcell and performed by the internationally renowned Mark Morris Dance Group and Music Ensemble.
For more information please visit cot.org.

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