Opera Festival Of Chicago brings back The Love of Three Kings after 70 years

The Opera Festival of Chicago will open its fifth season on Friday, May 9 with a triumphant performance of The Love of Three Kings (L’Amore dei tre Re), bringing a long-lost Italian masterwork to the Chicago stage for the first time in 70 years. The season, running through June 29, offers opera lovers a rich lineup of rarely performed works, bold storytelling, and thrilling music across a range of venues in the Chicagoland area.

The 2025 season launched at the Athenaeum Center with The Love of Three Kings, a darkly romantic tale of power, betrayal, and doomed love by Italian composer Italo Montemezzi. Directed by Sasha Gerritson and conducted by Uff. Emanuele Andrizzi, the production featured a cast of over 40 performers and an orchestra of 39 musicians. The opera, first premiered at La Scala in 1913, was once internationally acclaimed but has since slipped into obscurity, until now.

Set in a conquered medieval kingdom, The Love of Three Kings follows the blind King Archibaldo, his suspicious son Manfredo, the secretive Fiora, and her forbidden lover Avito. Tension, jealousy, and fate spiral toward a devastating end in a story told through lush orchestration and powerful vocal performances. The lead cast included Andrea Silvestrelli as Archibaldo, Maria Kanyova as Fiora, Franco Pomponi as Manfredo, and Andrew Morstein as Avito.

The 2025 season carries the theme “Love is a Triangle,” reflected in both its repertoire and its emotionally charged narratives. Upcoming highlights include the Delicatessen Recital on June 5, celebrating food-inspired arias; the Love is a Triangle concert on June 14 and a season finale featuring Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci on June 27 and 29.

General Director Sasha Gerritson, who co-founded the festival in 2021, emphasized its mission to revive Italian operatic gems rarely seen in the U.S. “We created this festival to breathe new life into incredible works that deserve to be heard,” Gerritson said. “Our fifth season is a celebration of passion, power, and musical excellence.”

In addition to fully staged productions, the festival also supports rising talent through its Young Artists Program, offering early-career performers opportunities to train and perform alongside seasoned professionals.

Performances this season will take place at key venues across the city, including the Athenaeum Theatre, Artifacts Events, the Jarvis Opera House at DePaul University, and the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets for all events range from $25 to $50, with subscriptions and further information available at OperaFestivalChicago.org.