Event

La Traviata

Verismo Opera Theater, a professional opera company based in Chicagoland's Oak Park, Illinois, is preparing a production of Verdi's masterpiece "La Traviata" staged in 1915 Oak Park. The sets, costumes and atmospheric elements will all reflect the signature style of world-renowned architect and Oak Park native Frank Lloyd Wright.

The Verismo Opera Theater team has recruited the assistance world-renowned bass-baritone William Powers as director, renowned coach Pedro Yanez as music director and of Frank Lloyd Wright scholar and image collector Thomas A. Heinz who will assist in creating unique projections featuring his one-of-a-kind collection of more than 35,000 Frank Lloyd Wright images to create the Wright-inspired set using homes in Oak Park. Mr. Heinz will also prepare a free pre-concert lecture on the work of Frank Lloyd Wright.

The mission of the Verismo Opera Club is to engage our audiences by producing relevant, truthful, and emotionally direct performances. We strive to share with our colleagues and patrons the moment of recreation by focusing on the essence of the opera the music and the humanity within the composer's score. "Verismo" not only applies to a genre of opera, but rather a philosophy of connecting with our public the eternal truths inherent in everyday life. An opera is merely a collection of the most pivotal moments in life written for each character. The journeys that these characters take us on should resonate with us all as we go through our day-to-day existence. We strive to share on the stage what we experience in our own lives love, loss, joy, hope. We recognize that by ourselves, the music is lifeless. Therefore we need to share with our audiences in order to create art.

Production stars Christine Steyer as Violetta Valery, Steve Wallace as Alfredo Germont and Russell Hoke as Giorgio Germont