Chicago Summer Opera

Michael rejoins Chicago Summer Opera as principal conductor of Britten’s ever-delightful A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The production is directed by Joshua Miller, Dean of Students at The Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, PA.

Performances on:
Thursday, August 10, 2023 at 7:30pm (central)
Saturday, August 12, 2023 at 7:30pm (central)

Both at Ganz Hall of Roosevelt University in downtown Chicago.

Further details can be found at the link here.

Lyric Opera of Chicago - Lyric Unlimited

Michael makes his debut with the Lyric Opera of Chicago as Music Supervisor (rehearsal & performance pianist) for a revival production of The Scorpions’ Sting as part of the Lyric Unlimited initiative. Music and libretto by Dean Burry.

Performances May 3 (Governors State University), May 4 (College of Lake County), May 11 and 12 (Reva & David Logan Center for the Arts)

More details can be found at the link here.

Chicago College of Performing Arts of Roosevelt University

Michael is guest conductor for CCPA’s Graduate Opera production this spring, featuring a double-bill of Giacomo Puccini’s Suor Angelica together with Jonathan Dove’s Tobias and the Angel. Both performances are free admission and will take place at The Chicago Temple.

More information may be found at the link here.

Two free performances:
• Friday, March 31 at 7:30 p.m.
• Saturday, April 1 at 5:30 p.m.

Michael Pecak, conductor
Shannon McGinnis and Dana Brown, music directors
Rose Freeman, stage director

A double-bill of one-act operas, Love and Redemption pairs an early 20th-century work in the grand opera tradition with an imaginative and intimate "church opera" composed in 1999. Puccini's Suor Angelica tells the tragic story of a young nun, banished to the convent and forced to leave behind a child born out of wedlock. In Jonathan Dove's imaginative retelling of the Hebrew fable Tobias and the Angel, young Tobias is forced by family circumstances to leave home and confront the challenges of the wider world. The historic Chicago Temple provides a stunning backdrop for the depiction of these complex spiritual journeys, which ultimately illustrate the power of divine grace - and love - to bring about forgiveness and redemption.

Suor Angelica will be sung in Italian with English supertitles. Tobias and the Angel will be sung in English.

Run time: 2 hours 10 minutes, with intermission

Chicago Opera Theater

Music serves as assistant conductor to Dame Jame Glover DBE for this production of Benjamin Britten’s Albert Herring.

Creative Team

Conductor: Dame Jane Glover DBE
Assistant Conductor: Michael Pecak
Director: Stephen Sposito

Cast

Albert Herring: Miles Mykkanen
Lady Billows: Whitney Morrison
Mrs. Herring: Leah Dexter
Mr. Upfold, the Mayor: Justin Berkowitz
Mr. Gedge, Vicar: Bill McMurray
Miss Wordsworth: Teresa Castillo
Superintendent Budd: Samuel J. Weiser
Florence Pike: Alissa Anderson
Cis: Boya Wei
Nancy: Veena Akama-Makia*
Emmie: Corinne Costell*
* Denotes COT Young Artist

Performances on January 26, 2023 (7:30pm), January 28, 2023 (3:00pm), and January 29, 2023 (3:00pm)

Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture
Chicago, IL

Further details available at the link here.

Chicago Opera Theater

Michael serves as assistant conductor and head Polish diction coach for the Chicago premiere of Karol Szymanowski’s Król Roger.

Conductor: Lidiya Yankovskaya
Assistant Conductor & Diction Coach: Michael Pecak
Director: Dylan Evans

Cast

King Roger: Mariusz Godlewski
Queen Roxana: Iwona Sobotka
Edrisi: David Cangelosi
Deaconess: Alissa Anderson

Performances on November 18, 2022 (7:30pm) and November 20, 2022 (3:00pm)

Harris Theater for Music and Dance
Chicago, IL

Further details available at the link here.

Pegasus Early Music/NYS Baroque

As Rising Artists, soprano Hannah De Priest and fortepianist Michael Pecak will present a series of recitals for Pegasus Early Music/NYS Baroque. Their program centers around the 18th-Century soprano Josepha Duschek, star of stage and salon as well as the friend and dedicatee of W. A. Mozart and L. v. Beethoven. Michael and Hannah will perform concert arias and art songs by Mozart and Beethoven written for Madame Duschek.

The duo will perform in Ithaca (Cornell University), Rochester, and Syracuse (Syracuse University), which will also include a masterclass for the piano and voice students of the Setnor School of Music.

More details to follow soon at the link here.

Chicago Summer Opera

Michael is principal conductor of this production of Copland’s The Tender Land together with director Colter Schoenfish.

Performances on August 12, 2022 (7:30pm) and August 14, 2022 (2:00pm)

Prairie Lakes Theater
Des Plaines, IL

Further details available at the link here.

Chicago Summer Opera

Michael is principal conductor of this production of Massenet’s Cendrillon together with director Colter Schoenfish.

Performances on July 14 and 16, 2022 at 7:30pm

Prairie Lakes Theater
Des Plaines, IL

Further details available at the link here.

Cleveland Institute of Music

Michael and soprano Hannah De Priest are invited as one of ten duos to participate in the prestigious Cleveland Art Song Festival.

The Festival's mission is to promote the rich and enticing art song repertoire and to cultivate its performance through recitals by major guest artists and master classes. This year’s festival artists and master teachers are soprano Tamara Wilson, tenor David Portillo, and pianists Craig Terry and Warren Jones.

More information about the festival can be found at the link here.

Chicago Opera Theater

Michael returns to COT as assistant conductor in the world premiere performance of Quamino’s Map by composer Errollyn Wallen and Librettist Deborah Brevoort. Conductor Jeri Lynne Johnson leads the production alongside director Kimille Howard.

Performances at the Studebaker Theater in Chicago on
Saturday, April 23, 2022 at 7:30pm
Friday, April 29, 2022 at 7:30pm
Sunday, May 1, 2022 at 3:00pm

More details linked here.

Cast & Creative

Conductor: Jeri Lynne Johnson
Assistant Conductor: Michael Pecak
Director: Kimille Howard
Dramaturg: Cori Ellison

This story is loosely inspired by the novel Incomparable World by S. I. Martin, who serves as Historical Consultant for this project.

Juba Freeman: Curtis Bannister
Amelia Alumond: Flora Hawk
Quamino Dolly: Damien Geter

Studebaker Theater
410 S Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL 60605

Production Sponsor: Virginia Tobiason
Commission Sponsor: The Robert & Isabelle Bass Foundation, Inc.

Chicago Opera Theater

Michael makes his principal conducting debut at Chicago Opera Theater, leading the world-premiere performance of The Beekeeper, a new opera by composer Wang Lu and librettist Kelley Rourke. The opera’s commission and its performance are part of COT’s Vanguard Initiative.

Performance on March 4, 2022 at the Athenaeum Theater in Chicago.

Further details linked here.

Vanguard Emerging Opera Composer Wang Lu has been paired with librettist Kelley Rourke and dramaturg Kate Pitt; she has been mentored by Vanguard Artistic Director Lidiya Yankovskaya and Vanguard Composer Mentor Jake Heggie. Conductor Michael Pecak leads the world premiere performance.

March 4, 2022 @ 7:30pm

Athenaeum Theatre
2936 N. Southport Ave
Chicago, IL 60657

Roosevelt University, CCPA Orchestra

As assistant/cover conductor, Michael is preparing the CCPA Orchestra of Roosevelt University for the live concert premiere of Immigrant Mass, a large-scale work for orchestra, mixed chorus, and vocal soloists by composer Carlos Jaquez Gonzalez.

Further details about the concert can be found at this link.

Thursday, November 4, 2021
7:30 pm
Ganz Hall of Roosevelt University
430 S. Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL 60605

Oxford Lieder Mastercourse, Oxford, UK

Michael and soprano Hannah De Priest are invited as one of ten international duos to participate in the prestigious Oxford Lieder Mastercourse.

The Mastercourse reflects Oxford Lieder’s commitment to cultivating the next generation of song performers. The course offers students the chance to immerse themselves completely in song, working with leading professionals including Joan Rodgers, Julius Drake, Graham Johnson, and James Bailleu.

Chicago Opera Theater

Michael joins Chicago Opera Theater as assistant conductor to Lidiya Yankovskaya in COT’s original concert production of Bizet’s Carmen, featuring Jamie Barton in the title role and Stephanie Blythe (in her alter-ego Blythely Oratonio) as Don José.

Performances on Thursday, September 16, 2021 at 7:30pm and Saturday, September 18, 2021 at 3:00pm at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Chicago.

More details linked here.

Cast & Creative

Conductor: Lidiya Yankovskaya
Assistant Conductor: Michael Pecak
Director: Joachim Schamberger

Carmen: Jamie Barton
Don José: Stephanie Blythe as Blythely Oratonio
Escamillo: Michael Sumuel

Harris Theater for Music and Dance
205 E Randolph St
Chicago, IL 60601
Production Sponsor: Patricia Kenney and Gregory O’Leary

Opera Festival of Chicago

Michael joins the music staff of the Opera Festival of Chicago as assistant conductor for productions of Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari’s Il Segreto di Susanna and Giacomo Puccini’s Il Tabarro.

More details linked here.

Chicago Opera Theater

Michael joins Chicago Opera Theater as assistant conductor and répétiteur for Daniel Catán’s La Hija de Rappaccini. This staged production will be streamed by Valhalla Media on Saturday, April 24, at 7:30pm (central).

Further details may be found at the link here.

Composer: Daniel Catán
Librettist: Juan Tovar
based on the play by Octavio Paz and the short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Conductor: Enrico Lopez-Yañez
Assistant Conductor/Répétiteur: Michael Pecak
Director: Crystal Manich

Rappaccini: Levi Hernandez
Giovanni: Daniel Montenegro
Beatriz: Megan Pachecano

Dr. Baglioni: Curtis Bannister
Isabela: Jenny Schuler

Flower #1: Rachel Blaustein
Flower #2: Emily Birsan
Flower #3: Morgan Middleton

Chicago Opera Theater

Michael joins Chicago Opera Theater as Assistant Conductor and Répétiteur for their production of Taking Up Serpents, an opera by composer Kamala Sankaram and librettist Jerre Dye. COT Music Director Lidiya Yankovskaya leads this Midwest premiere, which will be broadcast online by Valhalla Media Live on February 27, 2021 at 7:30pm (central time).

Further details about this production may be found at the following link.

Creative Team

Composer: Kamala Sankaram
Librettist: Jerre Dye

Conductor: Lidiya Yankovskaya
Director: Jerre Dye
Assistant Conductor/Répétiteur: Michael Pecak

Costume Designer: Brenda Winstead
Lighting Designer: David Bradke
Wig & Makeup Designer: Rebecca A. Scott

Cast

Kayla: Alexandra Loutsion
Nelda: Leah Dexter
Daddy: Michael Mayes

Reba / Young Mother: Morgan Middleton
Save Mart Worker / Bus Driver: William Ottow
Save Mart Customer / Queer Kid: Rachel Blaustein

Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago

Part 2 of CAIC’s Polish Art Song Workshop consists of individual language coachings for registered singers and pianists. Participants will meet on Zoom with Michael to work on Polish diction in selected art songs.

Further details may be found here.

Chicago Opera Theater

Michael joins Chicago Opera Theater as Assistant Conductor and Répétiteur for their production of N. Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera Kashchej The Immortal (Кащей бессмертный). COT Music Director Lidiya Yankovskaya leads this Midwest premiere, which will be broadcast online by Valhalla Media Live on November 21, 2020 at 7:30pm (central time).

More details about this production as well as ticket purchases may be found at this link.

Creative Team

Composer: Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
with orchestral arrangement by Francis Griffin

Librettist: Sofia and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
based on Yevgeny Petrovsky

Conductor: Lidiya Yankovskaya
Assistant Conductor/Répétiteur: Michael Pecak

Production Stage Manager: Sandra Zamora
Assistant Stage Manager: Alaina Bartkowiak

Cast

Princess: Raquel González
Kashcheyevna: Annie Rosen
Kashchej: Tyrone Chambers II
Prince Ivan: Will Liverman
Wind Spirit: Wilbur Pauley

Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago

Michael and soprano Hannah De Priest participate as a duo in a masterclass led by acclaimed collaborative pianist Myra Huang. This event is part of CAIC’s 2020 Collaborative Works Festival.

This masterclass is devoted expressly to repertoire by composers and poets who are women of color. Michael and Hannah will perform two art-songs by Florence Price, “I Grew a Rose,” and “Love-in-a-Mist.” The masterclasses will be broadcast online between Oct. 2-4.

More details may be found at the link here.

Chicago Opera Theater

Michael will work as the rehearsal pianist for the piano/vocal workshop of The Puppy Episode, a new opera by composer Matthew Recio and librettist Royce Vavrek. COT Music Director Lidiya Yankovskaya leads these sessions, which are part of the COT Vanguard Emerging Opera Composers program. The Puppy Episode is slated to premiere at COT this spring.

More details may be found at the link here.

Chicago City Wide Orchestra

In an effort to keep the music going in Chicago and our community, Michael leads a series of weekly outdoor rehearsals with string players from the Chicago City Wide Orchestra in music by W. A. Mozart and J. Boulogne. Their efforts will culminate in a virtual concert later this fall and will include pre-recorded video contributions from the orchestra’s wind players.

Program:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Divertimento in B-flat major, K. 137
Joseph Boulogne, Chev. de Saint-Georges: Symphony in D Major, Op. 11 no. 2
Others: TBA