In Benjamin Britten’s courageous Owen Wingrave, a soldier chooses peace despite the demands of duty and family legacy. In this Art Institute examination of the work, artists from the Chicago Opera Theater explore pacifist expressions in art and opera. Speakers include: COT Conductor Steuart Bedford, who conducted the first staged performance of Owen Wingrave in 1973 and was one of Britten’s close collaborators; John Evans, a Britten scholar who is editing Britten’s early diaries; and Mary Sue Glosser, Creative Director of Lectures and Performances at the Art Institute of Chicago. The COT will perform Owen Wingrave during the theater’s upcoming 35th anniversary season.

Recorded Thursday, May 21, 2009 at The Art Institute of Chicago-Fullerton Hall.