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All of us at Lyric were immensely gratified by the critical and public acclaim accorded the
company premiere of Weinberg’s
The Passenger
. This musically and dramatically stunning
work, which had languished unperformed until as recently as 2010, was based on a novel by
Holocaust survivor Zofia Posmysz. Her visit to Chicago for this production made the final
rehearsals and the opening-night performance doubly memorable. The extraordinarily
dedicated ensemble onstage—headed by Amanda Majeski, Daveda Karanas, and Brandon
Jovanovich—gave heart and soul to David Pountney’s magnificent production, as did
Sir Andrew on the podium.
Following the opera season was the much-praised third installment of Lyric’s American
Musical Theater Initiatve, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s
Carousel
. The exceptionally talented
artistic team—conductor David Chase, director Rob Ashford, and designers Paolo Ventura,
Catherine Zuber, and Neil Austin—created a magical production. Onstage was a coming-
together of major figures from Broadway (Steven Pasquale, Laura Osnes, Jenn Gambatese),
film (Tony Roberts), and opera (Denyce Graves).
Our 60th Anniversary was celebrated in a dazzling gala on November 1, hosted by the
marvelous Jane Lynch. Onstage were such renowned artists as Stephanie Blythe, Renée
Fleming, Christine Goerke, Susan Graham, Ana María Martínez, Marina Rebeka, Amber
Wagner, Johan Botha, Quinn Kelsey, Mariusz Kwiecień, and Eric Owens, with Sir Andrew
conducting. In addition, the evening featured appearances by jazz legend Ramsey Lewis,
the Ryan Opera Center Ensemble, and performers from The Second City.
Also highlighting the season were two other special events: the world premiere of Lyric’s
second mariachi opera,
El Pasado Nunca Se Termina (The Past Is Never Finished)
by Pepe
Martínez and Leonard Foglia, which elicited enormous enthusiasm for performances at Lyric
as well as in Pilsen and Waukegan; and the second Lyric recital by Lang Lang, one of the
world’s most gifted and charismatic pianists.
Amanda Majeski, Daveda Karanas, and Brandon Jovanovich in
The Passenger
.
This message would not be complete without my paying tribute to Ken Pigott, our remarkable
president, who died unexpectedly on February 13, 2015. Collaborating with Ken was one of my
greatest pleasures at Lyric. I will miss his brilliance, his imagination, his enthusiasm for opera,
and his devotion to the company more than I can say. I am very grateful to Dick Kiphart for
returning to his position of President and CEO on an interim basis while remaining Chairman.
I would like to express my gratitude to Sir Andrew Davis, Creative Consultant Renée Fleming,
the Lyric staff, and everyone contributing to our productions—both onstage and backstage—
as well as to our extraordinarily hardworking volunteer boards and, of course, to the entire
Lyric audience. I know all of us will recall the 60th Anniversary season with joy and gratitude
for many years to come.
2014/15
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