Cecelia Olszewski on her 2025 Haymarket summer internship
When I signed up for a Bienen Alumni Career Panel back in March, I had no idea where it would lead. I never expected that the brief conversation I had with Chase Hopkins would open the door to any opportunity. What began as a quick networking moment turned into an experience that has solidified my passion for opera production. My summer internship with the Haymarket Opera Company has taught me so much about the opera world, and I am eager to apply what I have learned as I enter my senior year at Northwestern.
Production has always been a part of my creative life, even before I could recognize it as such. Growing up outside of Philadelphia, I studied violin and piano from an early age, and I loved writing musicals and putting them on with my friends. When I began composing as a freshman in high school, I quickly realized how central self-production would be to my ability to succeed as a composer. If I wanted to hear my music performed, I had to be the one to make it happen.
Self-production followed me to Northwestern University, where I began writing opera as a composition major. In 2024, I founded Cosmia Opera Collective as a way to produce both my own work and the works of other historically marginalized (female-identifying, LGBTQ+, and/or POC) composers at Northwestern. The fulfillment I found in running this organization led me to declare a second major in arts administration and to seek out opportunities to gain firsthand experience within a professional opera company. When I saw that the general director of an opera company was coming to Bienen for a career panel, I jumped at the opportunity. After a one-on-one conversation with Chase about my interests in production and development, I reached out that spring, and he generously designed this internship for me.
As my internship has come to a close, I feel deeply grateful. In just one summer, I have not only learned so much about opera administration, but I have also had the privilege of getting to know and work alongside so many incredible people. I had long been a fan of early music, but from Artaserse to Alcina, Haymarket’s productions revealed early opera to me as something more vivid and captivating than I had previously thought. These works reminded me that people centuries ago experienced the same emotions we feel today, and that using music to express and process them is a tradition that remains just as urgent and necessary now as it was then. I was surprised by the singers’ ability to portray such a wide range of relatable emotions, and I especially loved witnessing the energy in the audience at every performance.
It was also an honor to meet the Haymarket donors who keep early opera thriving. Their friendly faces at events and performances, and the kindness and encouragement they extended to me, made this experience especially meaningful. Equally invaluable was the mentorship I received from Chase and Jianghai. Their career advice and willingness to share the inner workings of Haymarket gave me exactly what I had hoped for in a summer internship. I was especially surprised by how similar early opera and contemporary opera are from a production standpoint. Many of the works Haymarket presents, such as Artaserse, which had never been performed in the U.S. before, are being heard for the very first time by most audience members. It felt as if each performance of Artaserse was a world premiere, even though it had been composed nearly three hundred years ago.
This experience has been truly transformative, and I am so grateful to Chase and Haymarket for helping me discover and strengthen my path forward in opera production. Looking ahead, I intend to continue pursuing both composition and production, building upon the skills and insights I have gained through this incredible opportunity.
Learn more about Cecelia Olszewski.
About the author
Cecelia Olszewski is a composer, producer, violinist, and collaborative artist based in Evanston, Illinois. Her body of work includes chamber opera, small and large ensemble composition, film music, and installation art. Her pieces have been performed by members of the Philadelphia Orchestra, International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), and Cosmia Opera Collective. She is currently pursuing a B.M. in Music Composition and Arts Administration at Northwestern University.
Her work positions itself on the threshold between states of being, giving form to liminal spaces through an interdisciplinary, research-based practice. Her first chamber opera, devoted, premiered in 2023 at Northwestern University’s Ryan Opera Theater. Her second chamber opera, GREEN ROOM, will premiere in January of 2026. Cecelia is the founder and president of Cosmia Opera Collective (@cosmiaoperaco), a student-run production company at Northwestern facilitating the performance of new works by historically marginalized (female-identifying, LGBTQ+, and/or POC) composers.
About The Haymarket Review: This new digital publication including thoughts about the work produced by Haymarket is designed to deepen our connection to audiences, nurture and feed audience curiosity about historical performance, offer critical opinions and thoughtful reflections on our performances, and provide a forum for Haymarket and its audience to connect through sharing insights, opinions, learning, and expertise.