The founding artistic director and principal conductor was Cleofonte Campanini, while the general manager and chief underwriter was Harold F. In the spring of 1915, it was announced that a new company, the Chicago Opera Association, had been formed with Harold McCormick as president.The opening performance took place on 15 November 1915 with La Gioconda. It was decided not to give a fall 1914-15 season. Shortly a number of subscribers withdrew their support and the company filed for bankruptcy. The deficit for the 1913-1914 season was $250,000 during a slight recession. Campanini was not skillful in handling the company’s finances. The Tribune wrote, “If Miss Garden puzzled the audience at first, Debussy’s opera proved a riddle that was almost unsolvable.” After a few more performances the Tribune called it the “success of the season.” The following Saturday night, Chicago heard Pelléas et Mélisande and Mary Garden for the first time. The success of Chicago opera means the success of all culture in this city and the establishment of a finer standard of art than has ever been known here before. The Record-Herald critic, Felix Borowski, wrote: This was not the first time Aida opened a Chicago opera season, but none more spectacularly as this one. The Company launched its career on Thursday, 3 November 1910, with a sold out production of Aida. Campanini was the younger brother of tenor Italo Campanini, who sang in Chicago during the 1880’s, and was also the brother-in-law of the great coloratura soprano Luisa Tetrazzini. It established the city as an operatic center of national prominence, thanks in large part to music director and conductor Cleofante Campanini’s openness to experimentation and innovation and to the patronage of Harold and Edith McCormick. In 1910, the Chicago Grand Opera Company was opened as the city’s first permanent resident company. Despite having several beautiful opera houses over these early years, only visiting troupes appeared in them. The rise and fall and rise and burn of the Crosby Opera House demonstrated that Chicago embraced the art, yet never had their own company till 1910. Opera has been in Chicago since the 1850’s.
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