Lyric Opera News - Vol 1 2015/16

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Lyric Opera of Chicago is going full
steam through the summer with single
tickets on sale, special events being
planned, sets being built, publications
being written, and all the other efforts
we undertake before rehearsals begin.
Our 2015/16 season has many
firsts for Sir Andrew Davis, our
remarkable music director: Cinderella,
his first bel canto opera at Lyric;
Wozzeck, his debut in a work he’s
eagerly awaited the chance to conduct;
and Bel Canto, his first Lyric world
premiere. Add The Merry Widow
(a recent triumph for him at the Met),
and you have further evidence of the
astounding versatility for which Sir
Andrew is so celebrated.
This season marks a new chapter in
Lyric’s history, with David T. Ormesher
as our new board president. The
company will benefit immeasurably
from the intelligence, imagination,
and brilliant leadership that have
made David such an extraordinarily
successful businessman. He also
happens to be a passionately
enthusiastic operagoer!
I’m hugely excited about every
opera this season, beginning with
Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro. It’s a
source of great satisfaction to me that
Barbara Gaines accepted my invitation
to direct our new production. She is
as delighted as I am at the prospect of
seeing our marvelous cast bring this
masterpiece to life on the Lyric stage.
In this issue, you can read more
about Figaro and the four other
productions in the first half of
the season. Together they create a
wonderful variety: Cinderella, both
wildly comic and infinitely touching
in Joan Font’s captivating production;
Wozzeck, an opera I highly recommend
to audience members who may be
new to opera but are attracted to
powerfully emotional experiences in
the theater; The Merry Widow, that
intoxicating blend of Parisian elegance
and Viennese sentiment; and Bel Canto,
commissioned by Lyric, our first world
premiere since 2004 and a production
eagerly awaited throughout the entire
international operatic scene.
We have many great friends of the
company—all of them extraordinary,
world-renowned artists—appearing
in starring roles, from Renée Fleming,
Thomas Hampson, and Isabel Leonard
to Danielle de Niese, Sophie Koch, Alice
Coote, Joseph Calleja, and Alessandro
Corbelli. At the same time that we’re
welcoming back those marvelous
performers and others who have
been so successful at Lyric, we’re also
introducing many new artists in their
company debuts.
I’ll look forward to seeing you
at the Civic Opera House, and to
having you share in our excitement
as we all enjoy this wonderful season.
Long live passion!
GENERAL
DIRECTIONS
PRE-OPERA TALKS Join us for our FREE
pre-opera talks! Lyric staff and opera experts share
their wealth of knowledge and insights to enhance your
opera experience. The 30-minute talks start one hour
prior to curtain for every mainstage opera performance
(excluding all special events and King and I performances).
Visit lyricopera.org for more details.
by Anthony Freud
ELEONARD
CONTENTS
Executive Editor
Lisa Middleton
Editor
Holly H. Gilson
Deputy Editors
Magda Krance, Roger Pines
Contributors
Maggie Berndt, Emily Esmail, Marta Garczarczyk,
Magda Krance, Roger Pines
Project Manager
Stefany Phillips
Production Manager
Jocelyn Park
Design
Shawn Sheehy
Sales
Performance Media
Cover
Bel Canto creative team: Nilo Cruz, Sir Andrew Davis,
Jimmy López, and Kevin Newbury PHOTOTODDROSENBERG
Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Design are registered
trademarks of Lyric Opera of Chicago.
3
General Director, Lyric Opera of Chicago
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