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P A T R O N S A L U T E | L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O
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February 22 - March 19, 2016
Claire Siragusa’s relationship with
opera began with regular fam-
ily gatherings around the radio on
Saturday afternoons to listen to The
Metropolitan Opera broadcasts,
which seemed to be an unavoidable
obligation for many American chil-
dren of her generation. Opera was
an important part of her father’s life,
and he traveled the world to attend
performances. Although she recalls
being reluctant at first, Claire has fully
embraced opera as an essential part of
her life, too.
While Claire was a theater stu-
dent at Northwestern, a new opera
company called Lyric Opera formed
in nearby Chicago. She was dating
her now husband, John R. “Jack”
Siragusa, who was also an opera lover,
and they found themselves making
the trip from Evanston to enjoy per-
formances in the early days of Lyric’s
history. Claire, like others who were
fortunate enough to witness it, readily
identifies Maria Callas’s 1954
Lucia di
Lammermoor
as one of the most mem-
orable performances at Lyric Opera
she has ever seen.
Jack’s father, Ross D. Siragusa,
was an early member of Lyric’s Board
of Directors, serving the company in
its crucial formative years. When he
stepped down in 1966, Jack was invit-
ed to continue the family’s invaluable partner-
ship with the company. It quickly became a
full family affair when Claire was elected to the
esteemed Women’s Board in 1968, and she has
been a member ever since.
Throughout her nearly 50 years of ser-
vice, Claire has dedicated countless hours to
some of the most important projects which
fall under the wide-ranging scope of Women’s
Board activity. One such undertaking is the
annual Opening Night Opera Ball. In addi-
tion to kicking off each Lyric season in style,
this event provides essential income for Lyric,
generating more than $400,000 in net rev-
enue last year. Claire actively participated on
the planning committee from 1997 to 2003,
doing whatever was needed to ensure the
event’s success.
Claire has also played a role in the tri-
ennial Wine Auction, serving on the menu
committee several times and donating wine
to the silent auction. Raising a total of $9
million since its inception in 1988, the two
most recent Wine Auctions in 2012 and 2015
have each yielded a record $1.8 million in net
proceeds to benefit Lyric Opera.
“The Wine Auction has been the thing
that has brought people together almost bet-
ter than anything else while I’ve been on the
Board,” Claire says. “It has grown into quite
an event, moving from a modest gathering in
the lobby to needing to build the stage out into
the theater to accommodate the more than 400
attendees. It is great fun, and board members
really get to know each other by working
together through the process.”
As much as Claire has enriched the
Women’s Board with her time and talents, so
has The Siragusa Foundation invested greatly
in Lyric’s education and community engage-
ment programs. Founded by her father-in-law
and former Lyric Board member Ross
Siragusa, the Foundation carries on
his legacy of service in his community
by helping underserved people in the
Chicago area experience a better qual-
ity of life through arts and culture,
education, and human services.
“Mr. Siragusa was interested in
education for young people more than
anything, and he felt that was how
we could reach children that may not
have otherwise had access to the arts
and certain health services. I think it is
wonderful that we are able to continue
his legacy.”
As Lyric strives to reach com-
munities and people for whom opera
has had no relevance before now,
the company is grateful for long-
standing partners like The Siragusa
Foundation, who have supported
Lyric’s most essential community
engagement programs for more than
four decades. Most recently, the
Foundation has been a regular funder
of Lyric Unlimited programming
such as Performances for Students
and the Senior Matinee, which serve
thousands of children and seniors
each year.
The Siragusa family is deeply
rooted in the tradition of service.
Three generations are represented on
the board of The Siragusa Foundation,
allowing family members to be personally
involved in living out the mission and vision
set in place by their patriarch. Irene S. Phelps,
Claire’s niece, served as the Foundation’s
Executive Director from 1997 to 2014, and
remained a good friend of Lyric’s during her
tenure.
Being involved with Lyric Opera is part
of the Siragusa family tradition, as well. “From
Jack’s father’s involvement to my own, Lyric
is a very important part of our family’s lives.
Now we take our daughter and grandchil-
dren to the opera, and they all love it. I
admire so many of the people we have worked
with, including Carol Fox, Ardis Krainik, Bill
Mason, and now Anthony Freud. They are just
great people, and I think we are all very proud
to be a part of it.”
—
Meaghan Stainback
Claire Siragusa and The Siragusa Foundation:
A Family Legacy of Service
Claire Siragusa with daughter Sinclair C. Siragusa
and niece Irene Siragusa Phelps, former executive director of
The Siragusa Foundation, on the red carpet at Opening Night 2009.