The Chicago Opera Association was founded in the Auditorium Theater in 1915. The troupe manager was Harold McCormick.
The music director was Campanelli and then Mariuzzi. In 1921 the general manager, for commercial reasons, decided to close the opera association. For the final chord, he invited Mary Garden to the position of artistic director. Under the direction of Garden, the theater spent a huge amount of money in a season – over a million dollars. In 1921, after the premiere of Prokofiev’s opera, the Opera Association was declared bankrupt.
On its basis, the city opera was created. The Chicago City Opera remained in the same premises, with the same artistic director, only the general manager changed. They became Samuel Insull. In 1922, the opera house opened with the premiere of Verdi’s Aida. The repertoire of the theater was usually equally divided between productions by Italian and French authors. As an exception, operas by German composers were staged. This was due to the musical preferences of Insall and Garden. In 1929, the city opera moved to new premises. The construction was supposed to pay off by renting out offices that were located above the theater. These plans were thwarted by the Great Depression. In 1932, the opera also went bankrupt.
