With musical tributes being performed worldwide this year to mark the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth, it is only fitting that DePaul Opera Theater (DOT) has chosen to bring this composer’s glorious “The Marriage of Figaro” to the stage in March for its annual spring opera.

“Figaro” teams DOT director Harry Silverstein with Eric Weimer, assistant conductor at Lyric Opera of Chicago and Metropolitan Opera, in his DOT debut. Opening night is March 10 at 7:30 p.m., with successive performances on March 11 at 7:30 p.m. and March 12 at 2 p.m. at DePaul’s Merle Reskin Theatre, 60 E. Balbo Drive in Chicago.

DOT has been presenting opera for almost two decades and, as in past years, this production of Figaro will be sung in English and fully staged, complete with striking contemporary costumes and sets. The 11 principal singers and 20 choristers are all members of DOT, which, under the leadership of Silverstein, has become an increasingly successful training workshop for DePaul music students seeking a professional career in voice.

For Silverstein, the decision to present Figaro was an easy one. “This is one of the most popular operas in the world,” he said. “The music is wondrous, and the humor and politics of the story – based on the middle play of French dramatist Beaumarchais’ trilogy – are incredibly current today. Many of the roles are well-suited to young singers. All and all it is a perfect choice for this Mozart anniversary year.”

Silverstein, regarded as a Mozart specialist, has directed productions of “Figaro” for the Houston Grand Opera, Opera Pacific and twice previously for DePaul Opera Theatre.

The 40-piece ensemble, drawn from DePaul’s highly regarded Symphony Orchestra, will be led by Chicagoan Weimer. As an assistant conductor at the Lyric Opera since 1987 and New York’s Metropolitan Opera since 1991, Weimer has coached and prepared more than 70 opera productions, especially those in the Italian and German repertoire. With increasing frequency he has taken up the baton as a cover conductor for Lyric productions. Last summer he led Lyric Opera’s performances of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute.”

Costume and set designs are the creations of Holly Windingstad, a member of the DePaul Theatre School faculty, and Noelle Hathaway a DePaul alumnae, respectively. The lighting designer is Jason Brown, a graduate of DePaul’s Theatre School and currently on the staff at the Lyric Opera.

Astonishing in its originality and expressiveness, “The Marriage of Figaro” recounts the confusion in the court of Count Almaviva prior to the marriage of his valet, Figaro, to Susanna, the countess’ maid. The abiding humanity of this opera reveals itself in the thoughts and actions of Mozart’s characters. Mozart composed this score at a whirlwind pace, completing much of his four-act comic opera in less than two months. “As fast as I wrote the words, Mozart set them to music,” wrote his librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte. “Figaro” premiered May 1, 1786, with the composer conducting from the keyboard. The opera was heralded as a triumph throughout Europe, and as Mozart later wrote from Prague, “Nothing is played, sung, or whistled but Figaro. No opera is drawing like Figaro. Nothing, nothing but Figaro.”

Tickets for “The Marriage of Figaro” are on sale now at the box office of the Merle Reskin Theatre or by calling 312/922-1999. Tickets are $20 and $25 for main floor, and $5 for balcony seats. Discounts are available for students, seniors and groups. DePaul students and employees with identification are entitled to two free tickets if requested and picked up at the box office on the day of a performance. For more information about DePaul music events, please call the DePaul School of Music, 773/325-7260.