Formed in 1921 by Chicago social leader Edith Rockefeller McCormick and composer Elinor Everest Freer to promote music, the American Opera Society of Chicago commissioned the translation of 23 operas in English. In its later incarnation it became a support group providing scholarships to rising opera stars. The collection includes several boxes and six albums of clippings, performance announcements, photos, member lists, meeting minutes and programs.