On Sunday, a theatre near Chicago hosted a jubilee performance marking the 70th anniversary of the legendary Chicago Lithuanian Opera, which was founded by the post-war diaspora in 1956.
“Not everyone has heard of the Chicago Lithuanian Opera, although for those of us who sing in Kaunas, Vilnius or Klaipėda, it was already a myth, a legend, from our very first years of study when we first heard about it,” said opera soloist Liudas Mikalauskas.
The Chicago Lithuanian Opera has also become a cultural focal point, staging performances and opera productions every two years.
“Getting the chance to perform there was the greatest dream,” he added.
After the Soviet occupation of Lithuania, masters of the interwar Kaunas Opera first moved their performances to post-war refugee camps in Germany and soon afterwards across the Atlantic.
