Fox Valley Opera to host Summer Spectacular concert in St. Charles Sunday

The Fox Valley Opera marked its one-year anniversary last month on May 13 and will celebrate the milestone with a “Summer Spectacular” community concert on Sunday June 8.

The opera promises an evening of entertainment for both seasoned opera fans and newcomers, blending world-class artistry and community spirit, from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Norris Cultural Arts Center at 1040 Dunham Road in St. Charles.

The performance will feature about 40 voices from a mix of professional performers and local volunteers, including a duet performance by youth artists from local high schools, arias from over a dozen soloists, and full chorus numbers.

Tickets range in price from $20 for students to $75 for V.I.P. seating, and can be purchased at the venue website.

The Opera’s co-founders Antoinette Konow and Brad Noffsinger Morrison met on stage in 2023 while performing in an opera together and within a year the Fox Valley Opera was created.

Fox Valley Opera began as a grassroots initiative and has evolved into a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit aimed at providing local performers with opportunities and creating accessible, community-driven shows.

“They don’t have to go into the city and spend hundreds of dollars to experience something that I think everyone should experience at least once in their life,” Konow said. “We try to show people that opera is fun and not scary, and anyone can come and enjoy it...The stories speak to universal human experiences.”

Fox Valley Opera was formed in late 2023. The group put on its first unofficial show in February of 2024 and officially launched in May 2024.

One year and six shows later, the nonprofit has a board of five members, a team of six volunteers (including Konow and Morrison), and over 20 volunteer performers and chorus members.

Konow and Morrison both grew up in Kane County, and said they chose to start the Fox Valley Opera to foster local talent and represent their home where the opera scene was lacking.

“There weren’t any opera companies in the ‘burbs,” Konow said. “This is our home and we love our home... We felt we could find the best of the best because we had connections, and we were like, ‘we can do this’.”

So far, the nonprofit has only put on concerts, each supporting a local charity by donating a percentage of ticket sales, but Morrison said they have been working on their first stage production, which they aim to put on this winter.

The group has been rehearsing for their upcoming performance out of the Oswego Presbyterian Church, and has held performances in several locations across the Fox Valley.

While Fox Valley Opera is made up of community members, its founders insist that their talent is on par with the best companies in the country.

“Even though it’s people in the local community, it’s not ‘community opera’,” Konow said. “You’re still hearing world class singers.”

While the eventual goal is for Fox Valley Opera to have its own space to operate in, Morrison said the immediate goal is to finalize a permanent season schedule and continue growing their presence in the communities they serve.