In May, the company co-presents The Tyrant, a new work composed by Paul Dresher and with a libretto by Jim Lewis. John Duykers will sing the lead role, about a king who never physically leaves his throne, out of fear of being deposed. The Seattle Chamber Players will give The Tyrant its premiere this spring at Seattle's On the Boards.

The season opens with Tchaikovksy's Eugene Onegin, directed by Leon Major and starring Stephen Powell, Barbara Shirvis, Richard Troxell and Elizabeth Batton. Robert Chumbley, the company's general director, conducts.

John Osborn and Alison Trainer make their Cleveland Opera debuts in Donizetti's The Elixir of Love; Gounod's Rom_o et Juliette stars Laura Pederson and Gran Wilson in the roles they performed for the Indianapolis Opera in 2003.

Cleveland Opera was founded in 1976 by David Bamberger, Carola Bamberger, and John D. Heavenrich, and now boats an annual audience of nearly 100,000.