L'Orfeo Preview

This program will be held in-person at the Newberry Library.

Please arrive early to view the collection items from the Newberry related to the performance. 

The collection items will be on display from  5-6pm in Baskes Boardroom.

The presentation will be held from 6-7pm in Ruggles Hall.

Haymarket Opera Company and The Newberry Consort join forces to present Claudio Monteverdi’s 1607 operatic masterpiece, L’Orfeo. Following a 2025 presentation of the oldest surviving opera, Jacopo Peri’s Euridice, Chicago's acclaimed historical-performance ensembles return to the myth of Orpheus in a new, fully staged production of Monteverdi’s timeless favola in musica (fable in music) on the same myth. L’Orfeo stands as one of the most enduring masterpieces of the operatic genre. More than four centuries after the opera’s premiere, this co-production will captivate both seasoned opera lovers and first-time audiences, restoring Monteverdi’s revolutionary work to its full splendor for the 21st-century stage.

Members of Haymarket Opera Company and The Newberry Consort will come together for a presentation and performance on the upcoming production.

This event is co-sponsored by the Center for Renaissance Studies at the Newberry.

Speakers

Haymarket Opera Company contributes to the diverse and culturally vibrant artistic community of Chicago and the Midwest through the historically informed presentation of opera and oratorio from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, including many Chicago and U.S. premieres. Since its founding in 2010, Haymarket has offered more than thirty productions using period instruments and historically informed staging conventions, shining a spotlight on many lesser-known but quality pieces by a wide diversity of composers, sung and played by a combination of international stars and top regional talent.

The Newberry Consort brings together singers and instrumentalists of the highest caliber to create historically informed performances of music from the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Baroque, and beyond. By integrating historical performance and research with contemporary themes and multimedia, The Newberry Consort inspires audiences, musicians, and scholars, providing a window into earlier times and diverse cultures. The Consort continues to uplift Chicago’s early-music community through mentorships, teaching, and engagement of local artists.

Louise K. Stein will give a presentation alongside performers from the Haymarket Opera Company and the Newberry Consort.

Cost and Registration

This program is free and open to all. Advance registration required.

Registration opens July 1. 

Support the Newberry

Your generosity is vital in keeping the library’s programs, exhibitions, and reading rooms free and accessible to everyone.

Questions?

Call us at (312) 255-3592 or send us an email.

Past Public Programs

Check out video recordings of past Newberry public programs on our YouTube channel.