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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 8 - March 13, 2016
Mel Gray heard a lot of opera
long before he became interested in it.
“My father loved music. It was a part
of his life, and thus part of my life from
birth. An avid collector of recordings, he
would come home from the office, and
the music would come on; there was
always music playing wherever he was.
To the consternation and horror of most
of the family, a good deal of that music
was opera. I recall that I didn’t like it,
and I don’t think any of my six brothers
and sisters particularly did either. But it
was there.”
Flash forward a few decades, and
Mel will admit that he is now somewhat
of an opera fanatic. Having left Chicago
for college in Missouri and a law degree
from Harvard, he returned home with
Sue in 1956 to begin their life together
and work for the family business. His
brother had married an opera lover, and
they had been attending performances
at Lyric since its inception in 1954. It
wasn’t long before Mel and Sue were
invited to come along, and in 1958 they
saw
Madama Butterfly
starring Renata
Tebaldi. “I would ascribe the impact of
the performance to Ms. Tebaldi. When I
heard that voice, something rang in me.”
And that was that. All those years
begrudgingly listing to his father’s opera
records flowered into a full-fledged pas-
sion, intensifying with each passing season.
When Mel’s business travels found him often
in London, Covent Garden was his home
away from home. “It became automatic that at
the end of the work day I would go to Covent
Garden, get in line, buy a ticket; no matter
what the opera was, I was there. I remember
that with great pleasure; it really helped ease
the feeling of being alone and far away.”
For Sue – although she is an enthusiastic
amateur pianist and a lover of literature and
theater – appreciation for the opera came more
slowly; but it came nonetheless. “I will say that
for both of us it is a privilege to be associated
with such a great institution in Chicago. Lyric
is something that so many people benefit from
and enjoy, it’s a monument in the community,
and that is part of the reason I join Mel in
supporting Lyric. But I have learned a lot over
the years, and I actually am very fond of new
operas. I like the imagination of putting them
together, the creativity behind them; often
the stories are more interesting to me, so I am
quite a fan of anything new.”
As Mel’s business and Sue’s admiration
for opera both grew, the couple began sub-
scribing and contributing to Lyric’s Annual
Campaign. Eventually, Mel was tapped for
leadership, joining the Board of Directors in
1998 and the Investment Committee in 2006.
“I have had considerable experience over my
lifetime with investments as a subject, so I felt
that was an area where I could possibly make
some contribution. I have been delighted to
serve on the Investment Committee to help
oversee the investable assets that are an impor-
tant financial foundation for the company.”
Along the way, Mel developed another
passion: young artist development. “Over
time, I have become particularly interested in
young singers and the development of their
careers. It happened about 35 years ago that
a friend of ours told us about a young
singer named Sharon Graham who had
a wonderful voice, and was studying at
Lyric. We were introduced, and as a
result, we were able to help her travel to
Europe for auditions and performances.
We became good friends, and she had
some success as an operatic singer.”
The Gray’s philanthropy of young
artists fits naturally within The Patrick
G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center,
on whose board Mel has served since
2007. Mel and Sue have enjoyed watch-
ing Ryan Opera Center Ensemble mem-
bers grow before their very eyes into the
next generation of international opera
stars. They regularly attend auditions,
master classes, and workshops, and they
cosponsor
Rising Stars in Concert
, the
annual celebration of the Ensemble’s
accomplishments, for the sixth consecu-
tive year this season.
“It’s interesting to talk to members
of the Ensemble and get their feedback.
What you hear is that for anyone wish-
ing to make a career in this business,
a field that is nearly impossible to suc-
ceed in, it is widely believed that the
best place to go is Lyric’s Ryan Opera
Center.”
Mel continues, summarizing the
role the Ryan Opera Center plays in
Lyric’s success as a whole. “I think it is a
wonderful thing for the company to generate
its own talent. I do that in my business life,
and I see that as a vital dimension to what I do
for a living. When I see the same thing being
done here, I am very gratified and proud.
Lyric is generating its own future by fostering
the development of these young people. What
could be better than that?
“I feel intensely privileged to be able to
contribute in some small way to the welfare of
Lyric Opera, to provide a little bit of help in
ensuring its permanence; ensuring that it con-
tinues indefinitely. The music that surrounds
the performance onstage reaches the deepest
parts of a person. Anything I can do to make
possible the continuation of these performanc-
es that I enjoy more than I can even express is
an honor and a privilege.”
—
Meaghan Stainback
Mel and Sue Gray:
Investing in Lyric’s Stars of Today and Tomorrow
Sue and Mel Gray
celebrate
Rising Stars
in Concert
ROBERT KUSEL
DAN REST
Mel Gray with Ryan Opera Center alumna Amber Wagner