Furlanetto to star in summer opera; Elgin Symphony chooses new conductor
Ferruccio Furlanetto will provide a welcome boost to Chicago’s operatically fallow summer months.
The celebrated Italian bass will appear courtesy of the Opera Festival of Chicago, a young yet ambitious company that is clearly on the rise.
Furlanetto will star as Thomas Becket July 6 and 9 in performances of Ildebrando Pizzetti’s Murder in the Cathedral, based upon T.S. Eliot’s play of the same name. The production, which also includes soprano Maria Kanyova and bass Andrea Silvestrelli, will be presented, aptly, at the Chicago Temple in the Loop.
Furlanetto—last seen locally in Lyric Opera’s 2016 Don Quichotte—will also perform a recital of opera arias July 13 at the Harris Theater, including selections from Boris Godunov, Don Carlo, The Marriage of Figaro, and Don Giovanni.
Verdi’s Attila will be the Opera Festival of Chicago’s second major work this summer. Silvestrelli sings the title role July 20 and 23, with Jenny Schuler as Odabella and Franco Pomponi as Ezio, presented at Cahn Auditorium in Evanston.
The festival will also present “An Italian Soiree” July 11 with Silvestrelli, Kanyova, Patrick Blackwell and Anna Laurenzo performing opera arias, duets and trios at Artifacts Events in Ravenswood.
Tickets are now on sale. operafestivalchicago.org
Following a highly public two-year search, the Elgin Symphony Orchestra has named Chad Goodman as the next music director of the northwest suburban orchestra.
“I am eager to build upon the incredible work the ESO has done for decades within the community,” said the California-born conductor. “I want everyone, from first-time concertgoers to seasoned classical musical lovers, to feel not only welcomed but energized and inspired by their orchestra.”
“The members of the ESO treat one another like family. There’s a true sense of camaraderie and it’s clear that everyone is there to push themselves to the highest level of music making.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Chad to the ESO,” said CEO Marc Thayer. “He brings a wealth of experience and talent to the ESO along with an infectious energy and enthusiasm that we look forward to sharing with the community,”
Goodman has been the conducting fellow of the New World Symphony since 2018 where he has earned consistent acclaim.
He will be the orchestra’s fifth music director, and open the Elgin Symphony 2023-24 season October 7-8 leading a program that includes Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances and Strauss’s Four Last Songs with soprano soloist Christine Brewer. elginsymphony.org
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