World Premiere Youth Opera SECOND NATURE Debuts at Lincoln Park Zoo This Week

By: Aug. 19, 2015
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Lyric Unlimited presents the world premiere of Second Nature, a new opera for youth from the acclaimed composer/librettist Matthew Aucoin, at Café Brauer at Lincoln Park Zoo (2021 N. Stockton Dr., Chicago). Four world-premiere performances will take place today, August 19 at 10am and 12pm, and tomorrow, August 20 at 4pm and 6pm. The performances are free and open to the public, but reservations are recommended. For more information or to reserve a free ticket, visit lyricopera.org/secondnature.

Set in a fictional future when humans have retreated from nature because of the deteriorating environment, Second Nature tells the story of two inquisitive and courageous youths who decide to leave the safety of their artificial habitat and work to heal the planet. Second Nature is recommended for children ages 7 to 12. Each performance will also include an interactive, informational talk about conservation work at Lincoln Park Zoo.

Matthew Aucoin is an award-winning composer, pianist, poet, and conductor. He has been called "the next Leonard Bernstein" by The Wall Street Journal and "Opera's great 25-year-old hope" by The New York Times Magazine. His opera, Crossing, just received its world premiere at the American Repertory Theater in Boston, and he is working on a new opera for the Metropolitan Opera/Lincoln Center Theatre's commissioning program. He recently completed his tenure as the Solti Conducting Fellow at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and has served as an assistant conductor at the Metropolitan Opera and Rome Opera.

"Lyric is thrilled to be presenting the latest new work from Matthew Aucoin, one of opera's rising young stars," said Anthony Freud, Lyric's general director. "Our creative consultant Renée Fleming flagged Matthew as a composer to watch several years ago, and we are delighted to be one of the first companies to have commissioned and now to premiere a work by this outstandingly talented composer and librettist."

"Two facets of Lyric Unlimited's mission are to identify and nurture new operatic talent and to present opera that explores contemporary themes in unexpected venues. Second Nature succeeds on both counts," added Cayenne Harris, director of Lyric Unlimited. "We are so pleased that families will be able to enjoy this work that celebrates the importance of nature and conservation in a setting as appropriate as Lincoln Park Zoo."

Second Nature stars Sylvia Szadovszki (debut), James Onstad (debut), David Govertsen, Julie Miller,and Leah Dexter. Govertsen and Miller are alumni of The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center at Lyric, the company's premier artist-development program. This world-premiere opera is directed by Matthew Ozawa, with sets by William Boles (who was set designer for Lyric Unlimited's world-premiere klezmer opera, The Property), and costumes by Sally Dolembo (debut).

After the performances at Lincoln Park Zoo, Second Nature will also be presented at schools and community venues around Chicago throughout the fall as part of Lyric Unlimited's ongoing Opera in the Neighborhoods program.

About Lyric and Lyric Unlimited - Founded in 1954, Lyric Opera of Chicago's mission is to express and promote the life-changing, transformational, revelatory power of great opera. Lyric exists to provide a broad, deep, and relevant cultural service to Chicago and the nation, and to advance the development of the art form.

Lyric is dedicated to producing and performing consistently thrilling, entertaining, and thought-provoking opera with a balanced repertoire of core classics, lesser-known masterpieces, and new works; to creating an innovative and wide-ranging program of community engagement and educational activities; and to developing exceptional emerging operatic talent.

Under the leadership of general director Anthony Freud, music director Sir Andrew Davis, and creative consultant Renée Fleming, Lyric strives to become The Great North American Opera Company for the 21st century: a globally significant arts organization embodying the core values of excellence, relevance, and fiscal responsibility.

Lyric Unlimited is a long-term, evolving initiative that encompasses company activities that are not part of Lyric's mainstage opera season. Its mission is to provide a relevant cultural service to communities throughout the Chicago area and to advance the development of opera by exploring how opera as an art form can resonate more powerfully with people of multiple backgrounds, ethnicities, and interests. It also leads the development of innovative partnerships with a wide range of cultural, community, and educational organizations to create a breadth of programming through which Chicagoans of all ages can connect with Lyric. In the 2014/15 season, more than 126,000 children, students, and adults participated in Lyric Unlimited activities. For more information about Lyric Unlimited program offerings, visit lyricopera.org/lyricunlimited.

About Lincoln Park Zoo - Lincoln Park Zoo, a historic Chicago landmark founded in 1868, is dedicated to connecting people with nature by providing a free, family-oriented wildlife experience. A leader in conservation science both globally and locally, the zoo exemplifies the highest quality animal care and educational outreach. The not-for-profit zoo, managed by The Lincoln Park Zoological Society, is a member-supported organization and one of the nation's only free, privately managed zoos. For more information, call 312-742-2000 or visit lpzoo.org.



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