Lyric Opera News

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Lyric’s 62nd season is off to an amazing
start. We hope that you’ve already had the
pleasure of joining us for a performance or
an event. As this all-newdigital issue of
LyricOperaNewsreaches you, some of our
most breathtaking and ambitious efforts
are about to unfold fromourmain stage
and fromstages and places outside of the
CivicOperaHouse.
As with every Lyric season, in 2016/17,
the operas offer something for everyone.
Taken together, theseworks will provide
a sense of a journey, exploration, and
discovery, as well as the opportunity to
enjoy longtime favorites. We have begun
Lyric’s brand newproduction ofWagner’s
Ring cycle, beginningwithDas Rheingold,
which proved a huge critical and popular
success. We’ve also thrilled audiences
with the vocal virtuosity of our cast of
Lucia di Lammermoor,scoring our second
home run of the season. Right now, we are
excited for two very different productions;
the epic Les Troyens byHector Berlioz,
and Massenet’s DonQuichotte. Both
aremasterpieces of the French repertoire
and both conducted bymusic director Sir
AndrewDavis withwonderful casts. I do
hope you can you join us.
We aimfor all our productions to be
thrilling, entertaining and thought-
provoking. Newproductions ofMozart’s
TheMagic Flute, Bellini’s Norma and Bizet’s
Carmen, a classic revival of Tchaikovsky’s
EugeneOnegin and Lerner and Loewe’s
My Fair Lady are all ahead of us. You’ll be
transported backstage to discovermore
about Lyric’s current season in the pages
that follow.
Lyric’s power and reach also extends
beyond the main stage through Lyric
Unlimited, Lyric’s vital community
engagement and education arm.
This season, we are able to offer an
unprecedented range of activity,
including a ground breaking initiative
called Chicago Voices, inspired by our
creative consultant Renée Fleming.
The culmination of the first year of
Chicago Voices will be celebrated at
the Civic Opera House on February 4
with the Chicago Voices Gala Concert,
an opportunity for everyone to enjoy a
compelling array of performing artists,
from a variety of musical genres, all
coming together to celebrate Chicago’s
influential and legendary vocal music
traditions.
The 2016/17 season and the exciting
breadth of creative work it has spawned
represents the future of Lyric as
a dynamic innovator and helps to
illustrate the power of opera.
We thank you for your support as
we focus our collective energies on
becoming the great North American
opera company for the 21st century.
Together, we are driven to ignite
transformation through art.
We look forward to welcoming you to
Lyric,
Anthony Freud
General Director, President & CEO
GENERAL
DIRECTIONS
by Anthony Freud
STEVELEONARD
3
General Director, President & CEO
C O N T E N T S
Executive Editor LISAMIDDLETON
Editor HOLLYH. GILSON
Deputy Editors MAGDAKRANCE, ROGER PINES
Contributors RICHIEHOFFMAN, MAGDA
KRANCE, KAMARIAMORRIS, SCOTT PODRAZA,
ROGER PINES, MEAGHANSTEINBACK, KATE
LATER
Project Manager STEFANYPHILLIPS
Designer ERICABARRACA, Make it Better
ON THE COVER TheMagic Flute
LyricOpera of Chicago and the Design are registered
trademarks of LyricOpera of Chicago.
For up-to-the-minute information on all
things Lyric, check us out on Facebook, Twitter,
and Instagram@lyricopera.
LYRIC OPERA NEWS