Lyric Opera of Chicago's 60th anniversary season continues with Capriccio, starring Renée Fleming and conducted by Sir Andrew Davis, longtime collaborators in performance and colleagues as Lyric's creative consultant and music director respectively. Richard Strauss's final opera “reunites Renée in a signature role with Sir Andrew, in a lovely production previously seen here in 1994,” says Anthony Freud, Lyric's general director.
To open its 60th anniversary season, Lyric Opera of Chicago presents Mozart's Don Giovanni, conducted by Sir Andrew Davis in a brand-new production by renowned director Robert Falls, artistic director of Chicago's Goodman Theatre. It opens on Saturday, September 27 with 10 performances through Wednesday, October 29. Performance dates are Sept. 27, 30, Oct. 11, 14, 17, and 29 at 7:30pm; Oct. 2, 5, 8, and 24 at 2pm.
Michael Tiknis, President and Managing Director of the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, today unveiled Beyond the Aria, a new performance series produced by Harris Theater in a unique first-time association with Lyric Unlimited, on the Pritzker Pavilion Stage at Millennium Park.
This fall, the Lyric Opera Chorus will give two special concerts that will feature the world-class ensemble performing operatic excerpts from Lyric's 60th-anniversary season. Led by Chorus Master Michael Black, the Chorus will perform at Chicago's Fourth Presbyterian Church (North Michigan Avenue and Delaware Place) on Friday, September 12 at 7 pm and at Evanston's Alice Millar Chapel (1870 N. Sheridan Rd.) on Saturday, November 22 at 3 pm.
Lyric Opera of Chicago kicks off its 60th-anniversary celebration with the 14th annual Stars of Lyric Opera at Millennium Park concert at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion on Saturday, September 6, at 7:30 pm. The free outdoor performance attracts capacity crowds of 11,000+.
Composer Jimmy López and librettist Nilo Cruz heard their music and words come to life recently when members of The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago sang through portions of Bel Canto backstage at the Civic Opera House on Friday, July 11. Sir Andrew Davis conducted the workshop, with pianists Maureen Zoltek and Craig Terry accompanying 11 singers performing multiple roles.
Anthony Freud, general director of Lyric Opera of Chicago, announced today that the company is reporting a break even operating performance for fiscal year 2014. Lyric has operated in the black for 26 of the past 27 years-a record among the country's not-for-profit music and performing-arts companies.
South African soprano Hlengiwe Mkhwanazi will make her Lyric Opera and role debut as Clara in Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, the company's general director Anthony Freud announced today. She replaces American soprano Angel Blue, who has withdrawn from the production for personal reasons.
Anthony Freud, general director of Lyric Opera of Chicago, today announced details around three new commissions and a brand-new family presentation in 2015: The Property, a klezmer opera by composer Wlad Marhulets and librettist Stephanie Fleischmann; Second Nature, a children's opera from composer Matthew Aucoin; El Pasado Nunca Se Termina, a mariachi opera by composer Jose 'Pepe' Martinez and librettist Leonard Foglia; and The Magic Victrola, a new family presentation.
Lyric Opera general director Anthony Freud today announced that Jane Lynch, the Emmy-winning actress acclaimed for portraying coach Sue Sylvester on the hit television series Glee, will serve as master of ceremonies for Lyric Opera of Chicago's 60th Anniversary Concert, November 1, 2014, at 6:30 pm at the Civic Opera House.
One of the world's most innovative and respected architects, Jeanne Gang, and her firm Studio Gang Architects (studiogang.net), are designing a new concert shell for Lyric Opera of Chicago. The shell will be used for the first time at Lyric's 60th Anniversary Concert, which takes place at the Civic Opera House on November 1, 2014, at 6:30 pm.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel joined Susan Ungaro, President of the James Beard Foundation (JBF), Don Welsh, President and CEO of Choose Chicago, and Sam Toia, President and CEO of the Illinois Restaurant Association, to announce that the James Beard Foundation Awards Ceremony and Gala Reception will be held at the Lyric Opera of Chicago on May 4, 2015. This will be the first year the prestigious JBF Restaurant and Chef Awards Gala will be held outside of New York City.
Billy Zane, star of James Cameron's international blockbuster Titanic and critically acclaimed for his portrayal of Billy Flynn in Broadway's Chicago, has been cast as Captain von Trapp, completing principal casting for Lyric Opera of Chicago's new production of The Sound of Music, tonight, April 25-May 18, 2014.
Lyric Opera of Chicago General Director Anthony Freud announced today four additional performances due to popular demand for Lyric Opera of Chicago's new production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's beloved Broadway musical The Sound of Music, April 25-May 25, 2014, at the Civic Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive. Additional performance dates are Today, May 23 at 7 p.m., Saturday, May 24 at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., and Sunday, May 25 at 1:30 p.m. Tickets start at $29 and are available now at lyricopera.org/soundofmusic or at 312-827-5600.
Lyric Opera of Chicago General Director Anthony Freud announced today that two major Broadway and TV performers – Jenn Gambatese and Edward Hibbert – have been cast in the new production and company premiere of Rodgers and Hammerstein's iconic The Sound of Music, to be presented at the Civic Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive, in Chicago, this spring.
Lyric Opera of Chicago's general director Anthony Freud announced today that two internationally acclaimed opera singers, American sopranos Christine Brewer and Elizabeth Futral, have been cast for the new production and company premiere of The Sound of Music, to be presented next spring.
Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) along with Chicago's civic and cultural leaders celebrate William Shakespeare's 450th Birthday with the premiere of 'Our City, Our Shakespeare,' a documentary exploring Shakespeare's enduring presence in Chicago, featuring Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Art Institute of Chicago, Joffrey Ballet, among others. Produced by Emmy award-winning HMS Media, the program premieres May 1 at 8:00 p.m. on WTTW Channel 11. Shakespeare's 450th birthday on April 23 begins the internationally recognized Shakespeare Quadricentennial Celebration through 2016, marking 400 years of Shakespeare's legacy since his death in 1616. On this occasion, Chicago's cultural community heralds the prolific poet and playwright's lasting impact on our lives-through our everyday speech and in cultural institutions, schools and neighborhoods across the city.
Lyric Opera of Chicago General Director Anthony Freud announced today four additional performances due to popular demand for Lyric Opera of Chicago's new production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's beloved Broadway musical The Sound of Music, April 25-May 25, 2014, at the Civic Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive. Additional performance dates are Friday, May 23 at 7 p.m., Saturday, May 24 at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., and Sunday, May 25 at 1:30 p.m. Tickets start at $29 and are available now at lyricopera.org/soundofmusic or at 312-827-5600.
Lyric Opera of Chicago General Director Anthony Freud announced today four additional performances due to popular demand for Lyric Opera of Chicago's new production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's beloved Broadway musical The Sound of Music, April 25-May 25, 2014, at the Civic Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive. Additional performance dates are Friday, May 23 at 7 p.m., Saturday, May 24 at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., and Sunday, May 25 at 1:30 p.m. Tickets start at $29 and are available now at lyricopera.org/soundofmusic or at 312-827-5600.
