Chicago City Opera (CCO) continues its 2025-26 season with the romantic fairytale opera Cendrillon – or Cinderella- aptly timed to coincide with Valentine’s Day. A charming French opera with a familiar story, the work by composer Jules Massenet and librettist Henri Caïn tells the classic tale of the downtrodden Cinderella who, with the help of her fairy god mother, attends a life changing ball. Cendrillon will be presented in two performances only, Friday, February 13 and Saturday, February 14 at 7:30 PM at The CheckOut 4116 N Clark St. General admission tickets are $30 with preferred seating for $40. Tickets are on sale now at thecheckout.org.
Staring sopranos Hayley Fox as Cinderella and Valerie Beck as Prince Charming, the cast also includes Noah Gartner as Cinderella’s father, Tracey Furling as the Fairy Godmother, Marissa Simmons as the Stepmother, Marnie Baylouny and Bethany Brewer as the Stepsisters, Jeremiah Strickler as the King and Isabel Schmitz and Keaton Payne as the Servants. CCO Artistic Director Alexandra Enyart conducts and Ross Matsuda directs with pianist Jordan Crice serving as the orchestra
“The CheckOut is a vital new music venue in Chicago, and we are thrilled to present its very first opera,” said CCO Executive Director Kelsey Enyart. “We look forward to inviting our audiences into this new community hub to celebrate a romantic Valentine’s Day weekend with us and the music of Massenet.
“Cendrillon provides the perfect foil to our thrilling production of Carmen last fall,” added CCO Artistic Director Alexandra Enyart. “With a plot that remains endearing despite numerous retellings and music that is both upbeat and charming Cendrillon is a fun and heart-warming opera perfect for cold winter nights.”
About Chicago City Opera
Founded in 2019 under the name Ouroboros Opera, Chicago City Opera is a Chicago based non-profit dedicated to providing high-quality performances of standard operatic repertoire in intimate spaces, making opera accessible to audiences and performers. CCO’s unique and egalitarian approach to production utilizes a collaborative model in which all the performers on stage invest as equal shareholders to produce an opera. CCO continues to be committed to the community of Chicago and is dedicated to creating the best experiences possible for our community on both sides of the stage.