In the first post in our Auditions series, Claire DiVizio, Executive and Artistic Director of Chicago's Thompson Street Opera Company, shares some valuable insights about auditions from the standpoint of the person doing the casting: what she looks for, what she prioritizes (it isn't what you think), and what turns her off of a singer.

Our Developing Organizations and Audiences column features opera companies and producers who are making inroads into non-traditional opera audiences, and creating captivating art in unexpected places. This week, Emily Cox interviews Clare DiVizio, who founded and runs Thompson Street Opera Company in Chicago, Illinois — a company committed to the performance of new and exciting works never before seen by opera audiences.