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February 22 - March 19, 2016
Lester and Renée Crown
THE CROWN FAMILY
Two of Chicago’s leading philanthropists, Renée and Lester
Crown, are devoted patrons of Lyric Opera. The Crown
Family is a sponsor of the Renée Fleming Initiative and
made a generous commitment to Lyric’s Breaking New
Ground Campaign. They have also made major contribu-
tions to the Annual Campaign, the Building on Greatness
Capital Campaign, the Campaign for Excellence, and the
Great Opera Fund. Mrs. Crown is a past President of the
Women’s Board. Mr. Crown joined Lyric’s Board of Directors in 1977 and has served
as Chairman of the Executive Committee ever since. In 2004, Renée and Lester Crown
were recipients of the Carol Fox Award, presented in recognition of their outstand-
ing leadership and commitment to Lyric. Lyric is also honored to have Mrs. Nancy
Carrington Crown serve on its esteemed Women’s Board. Lyric is forever indebted to
The Crown Family for their many years of dedicated service to Lyric Opera of Chicago.
THE DAVEE FOUNDATION
Lyric Opera is extremely grateful to The Davee Foundation and the late Ruth Dunbar
and Ken M. Davee for their tremendous generosity over the years. The Foundation’s
exemplary support of Chicago-area charities reflects the Davees’ wide-ranging interests,
including their great love of music and the arts. Lyric Opera is fortunate to be among
the organizations benefiting from The Davee Foundation’s enduring philanthropy,
which helps secure Lyric’s future for generations to come. Recently, The Davee
Foundation provided critical support to enhance amplification and sound systems used
in the American Musical Theater Initiative. The Foundation has generously cosponsored
Lyric premieres of
Oklahoma!
(2012/13),
The Sound of Music
(2013/14), and
Carousel
(2014/15), and has committed to support the remaining installments of Lyric’s five-year
partnership with the Rodgers and Hammerstein Foundation, cosponsoring this season’s
The King and I
and next season’s
South Pacific
.
JOHN EDELMAN and SUZANNE KROHN
John Edelman and Suzie Krohn are passionate members of
the Lyric Opera family. Lyric is grateful for their leadership
gift to the Breaking New Ground Campaign, as well as
their generous annual support. Lyric is proud to have
John Edelman serve on its Board of Directors, continuing
the family legacy of his late father, Daniel J. Edelman.
John and Suzie are avid supporters of Lyric’s education
initiatives, and John also serves on the Lyric Unlimited Committee.
STEFAN T. EDLIS and GAEL NEESON
Passionate patrons of the arts, Stefan Edlis and Gael
Neeson are actively involved with organizations in Chicago,
New York, and Aspen. Mr. Edlis and Ms. Neeson have
supported and subscribed to Lyric Opera for more than 30
years. They have previously cosponsored the Stars of Lyric
Opera at Millennium Park concert and named their seats
through the Your Name Here program. Stefan and Gael
have previously cosponsored four mainstage operas, and are generously cosponsor-
ing this season’s new production of
Wozzeck.
They also made a leadership gift to the
Breaking New Ground Campaign. Lyric is honored to have Stefan Edlis serve on its
Board of Directors and Production Sponsorship Committee.
EXELON
The philanthropic initiatives of Exelon Corporation help generate and sustain Chicago’s
cultural stature and economic vitality. For several decades, Exelon has generously
supported the Annual Campaign, Fantasy of the Opera, Wine Auction, and the Great
Opera Fund as well as Lyric’s education and community-engagement programs.
Exelon’s many cosponsorships have included
The
Mikado
(2010/12), the Renée
Fleming and Dmitri Hvorostovsky Subscriber Appreciation Concert (2011/12),
La
bohème
(2012/13),
Rusalka
(2013/14), and Lyric’s second mariachi opera,
El Pasado
Nunca Se Termina
(2014/15). This season, Exelon
cosponsors Lyric’s new production of
The Marriage
of Figaro
. Lyric Opera is fortunate to have found in
Exelon an outstanding corporate partner.
MR. and MRS. W. JAMES FARRELL
Lyric sincerely appreciates the dedicated support of Maxine
and Jim Farrell. Devoted fans of opera, the Farrells are Lyric
subscribers and have both taken substantial leading roles
in fostering the company’s success. Maxine Farrell is a past
President of Lyric’s Women’s Board (2005–2008) and was
Chairman of Opera Ball 2004. W. James Farrell, retired
Chairman and CEO of Illinois Tool Works, has served on
Lyric’s Board of Directors since 1996. They provided a substantial gift to Lyric to establish
the W. James and Maxine P. Farrell French Opera Endowed Chair and made a major
contribution to the Campaign for Excellence and the Breaking New Ground Campaign.
They were cosponsors of
Werther
(2012/13), and
The Sound of Music
(2013/14), and this
season, Mr. and Mrs. Farrell generously cosponsor
Romeo and Juliet.
Mark Ferguson and Liza Yntema
THE FERGUSON-YNTEMA FAMILY TRUST
Passionate supporters of the arts in Chicago, Mark Ferguson
and Liza Yntema are vital members of the Lyric Opera
family. Through their family trust, they have generously
supported Lyric’s Annual Campaign, most recently
dedicating their gift to underwrite discounted tickets
for college students through Lyric Unlimited’s NEXT
program. Mark and Liza have also made a leadership gift to
the Breaking New Ground Campaign. A Partner at Bartlit
Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott LLP, Mark has secured funding for the ever-popular
Grand March, a part of the Opera Ball festivities, for many years as well as cosponsoring
Lyric’s Board of Directors Annual Meeting. Lyric is honored to have Mark Ferguson
serve on its Board of Directors, Innovation and Lyric Unlimited Committees.
FORD FOUNDATION
Lyric is honored to have the tremendous support of the Ford Foundation. For nearly 80
years, the Foundation has worked with visionary leaders and organizations worldwide
to ensure that all people have the opportunity to reach their full potential, contribute
to society, have a voice in the decisions that affect them, and live and work in dignity.
Lyric is deeply grateful for the Ford Foundation’s
essential support for Lyric’s landmark Chicago Voices
initiative during the 2015/16 and 2016/17 seasons.
MAURICE and PATRICIA FRANK
Jerry and Pat Frank are steadfast friends of Lyric Opera,
having subscribed for over four decades. Faithful
contributors to Lyric’s Annual Campaign for many years,
Jerry and Pat recently enhanced their relationship with
Lyric by deepening their engagement with The Patrick G.
and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center, first by sponsoring the
Renée Fleming Master Class in 2013/14. They are now
proud Singer Sponsors of first-year Ryan Opera Center tenor Mingjie Lei. The Franks
provided a substantial planned gift as part of the Breaking New Ground Campaign to
secure Lyric’s future.
Julius Frankel
JULIUS FRANKEL FOUNDATION
A founding patron of Lyric Theatre (now Lyric Opera) and a Lyric
Opera Board member at the time of his death in 1982, Julius
Frankel devoted his philanthropic giving to making Chicago a great
place to live and enjoy life. In past seasons, Julius Frankel sponsored
Lyric productions of
Andrea Chénier
(1979) and
Lohengrin
(1980)
in memory of Betty Frankel. The Julius Frankel Foundation has
sustained this noble legacy under the guidance and longtime
dedication of former trustees Nelson Cornelius and John Georgas
and current trustee BMO Harris Bank N.A. Lyric’s audiences have
benefited greatly from the Foundation’s major grants for general operating support and
production sponsorships. The Julius Frankel Foundation has generously sponsored/
cosponsored many celebrated new productions at Lyric including
Die Fledermaus
(1989/90),
Xeres
(1995/96),
Carmen
(1999/00) in memory of Ardis Krainik,
Cavalleria
rusticana
/
Pagliacci
(2002/03),
Il Trovatore
(2006/07), and
La Traviata
(2013/14) in
honor of the late Nelson D. Cornelius.
Elizabeth Morse Genius
ELIZABETH MORSE GENIUS CHARITABLE TRUST
One of two trusts established in memory of Elizabeth Morse Genius,
daughter of 19th-century industrialist Charles Hosmer Morse, the
Elizabeth Morse Genius Charitable Trust is a major, and deeply
appreciated, leader among Lyric’s contributors. Through the Trust’s
support of classical fine arts, Co-Trustees Bank of America, N.A.
and James L. Alexander seek to enrich the quality of life in Chicago,
especially for youth and elderly citizens. In recognition of the Trust’s
Building on Greatness Capital Campaign support, Lyric named the
distinctive Opera House chimes and music library in honor of the
Elizabeth Morse Genius Charitable Trust. Along with The Elizabeth Morse Charitable
Trust, the Trust sponsors mainstage productions each season, and is cosponsoring this
season’s
Nabucco
. The Trust funds Lyric’s ongoing board diversity efforts, and helped
preserve Lyric’s history through support of the Archives project. James L. Alexander is a
Vice President of Lyric’s Board of Directors, Chairman of the Production Sponsorship
Committee, and serves on the Executive, Finance, Investment, and Nominating/
Governance Committees. In 2010, Lyric recognized
the dedicated leadership and vital involvement of
James L. Alexander by awarding him the Carol Fox
Award, Lyric’s most prestigious honor.
ANN and GORDON GETTY FOUNDATION
Lyric is extremely grateful for the longstanding support of the Ann and Gordon Getty
Foundation. The Foundation has made vital contributions to the Annual Campaign,
providing essential general operating support to foster Lyric’s achievements. Gordon
Getty is an esteemed National Director of Lyric’s Board of Directors.