Soldier Songs / Chicago

The 2019/2020 season at Chicago Opera Theater concludes with the Chicago premiere of the intimate opera “Soldier Songs.” World-renowned baritone Nathan Gunn (hailed by OperaWire as “one of America’s great modern-day baritones") comes to Chicago Opera Theater to perform a solo work at the Edlis Neeson Theater at the Museum of Contemporary Art, telling the story of a soldier who is deployed to Afghanistan. Composer and librettist David T. Little combines elements of theater, opera, rock-infused-concert music and animation to explore the soldier’s perceptions ), the exploration of loss, the exploitation of innocence, and the difficulty of expressing the truth of war. The libretto was adapted from recorded interviews with veterans of five wars and depicts the character in the three phases of life: Youth, Warrior and Retired Veteran. The opera is presented in partnership with Beth Morrison Projects and will be performed at the Edlis Neeson Theater at the Museum of Contemporary Art May 14, 15, 16 and 17, 2020.

“Soldier Songs” Music and Libretto by David T. Little
Film by Bill Morrison

May 14, 15, 16 & 17, 2020 Edlis Neeson Theater at the Museum of Contemporary Art Conducted by COT Staley Music Director Lidiya Yankovskaya
Directed by Ashley Tata
Starring Nathan Gunn
Partner: Beth Morrison Projects