“Time moves in one direction, memory in another.”

(William Gibson)

This season, Chicago Fringe Opera invites you to consider when to revel in days past and how to honor the gift of memory by moving forward with the lessons it provides. Step into the future with us: we’ve planned an array of contemporary works to compel audiences and artists alike into tomorrow.

Then

Our season began with “La Jetée,” a chamber opera adaptation of the cult 1962 science fiction film La Jetée, later remade by Terry Gilliam as 12 Monkeys. The piece is a vivid meditation on memory, dreams, and time, a moving love story, and a stark metaphor of human existence as a time loop in which we are doomed to commit the same fatal mistakes over and over again.

Now

“Come Home” is part of the Decameron Opera Coalition’s annual digital presentation and is Fringe’s video contribution to this year’s holiday songbook, “DOC the Halls.” It features Chicago composer Matthew Recio and the poetry of Jenna Lanzaro. Tune in live on December 2, 2022.

Next

 “Chicago Currents” is a song cycle exploring the ecology and history of Chicago’s waterways. Our program will guide you through the pre-colonial era, Chicago’s non-indigenous settlement by Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, to its development into a major industrial center. Join us March 18-23, 2023.

Last year’s moving season championed a return to in-person performance; this year, we continue to support our mission by showcasing local talent, presenting marginalized voices, and illuminating the path forward. 

Of course, none of this is possible without you.

Will you support our mission to present innovative contemporary works to Chicago communities with a gift today?