In 2011, Claire founded Thompson Street Opera Company, frustrated by the exploitative working conditions that young singers and composers were forced to accept in the name of building their resumes and getting "opportunities." The company's first performance had a budget of $200 and the artists were paid in home-cooked meals. More than ten years later, Thompson Street Opera Company is a thriving organization with three annual productions, where every artist is paid for their time. The company is based in Chicago IL, and promotes exciting new work by living composers, using exceptional young and local talent to make the works come to life onstage. Since its founding, the company has received support from the Illinois Arts Council, the City of Chicago, the BMI Foundation, the Wilhelm Family Foundation, the ArtsWork Fund, the Saints, Americans for the Arts, the Chicago Together Now Fund, Copland House, and the Moritz von Bomhard Fund, in addition to countless donations from individual patrons. 

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The company persevered during the COVID-19 crisis by commissioning three new short works specifically designed for remote performance,  producing an all-virtual mid-season multidiciplinary event which included an opera rehearsed and recorded with each member of the cast in isolation, and in spring 2021, an operatic film, rehearsed and shot with a fully vaccinated cast and crew, which was streamed online. Since returning to live performance in the fall of 2021, they continue to produce live performances in Chicago, IL. 

 

TSOC was also one of the hundreds of organizations who received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2024 which was subsequently revoked by the Trump administration in 2025. Thanks to support from local organizations and individual donors, the company is now in a stronger position than ever to continue producing performances that challenge the artistic, social, and political status quo. 

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For more information about the company and to join their email list, please visit www.thompsonstreetopera.org.