Chicago's love affair with opera began early, in 1850, when the frontier town welcomed its first traveling opera singers. A full house applauded the opening performance, but during a repeat performance the next day, the theater burned to the ground. Nonetheless, Chicago had been bitten by the opera bug, and it has never lost its enthusiasm for the art. More than 60 years - and many visiting opera companies - would pass before the city established an opera company of its own. Robert Marsh recounts the triumphs and failures of the entrepreneurs and the colorful international artists who brought...