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On behalf of the Board of Directors, I’m delighted to welcome you to Lyric Opera of Chicago.
This season has been a particularly varied and distinctive one. Prior to the captivating presentation of Mozart›s
Così fan
tutte
that you’re enjoying tonight,
our audiences thrilled to Gluck’s exquisite
Orphée et Eurydice
in John Neumeier’s historic new
production; a powerfully dramatic revival of Verdi’s
Rigoletto;
the second installment of Lyric’s monumental new production of
Wagner’s
Ring
cycle with
Die Walküre;
Bizet’s ravishing
The Pearl Fishers;
Puccini’s
formidable
Turandot;
and Bellini’s glorious
I puritani.
I hope you’ll return for the
final opera of the mainstage season, Gounod’s matchlessly romantic
Faust
.
Speaking personally, one of the most rewarding aspects of Lyric – not only as
chairman, but as a longtime subscriber and patron – is my joy in introducing family,
friends, and business colleagues to the company and the art form. I hope you’ll
consider doing the same! When I receive out-of-town visitors during the opera
season, I always try to include an evening at Lyric. It’s inevitably a major highlight of
their stay.
A Lyric performance isn’t only an opportunity to dress up and go out with your
significant other or with close friends for an elegant evening – it’s also an
unforgettable and rewarding experience of timeless stories set to some of the world’s
greatest music and performed by many of the top artists of our day.
Lyric’s mainstage productions are, of course, the core of every season we present.
I also encourage you to explore the unique activities of Lyric Unlimited, our
initiative focused on community engagement and education. It is one of the ways
that the company stays relevant as a cultural service provider to all of Chicago,
whether with newly commissioned works, community-created performances or the
special programs presented in dozens of public schools all over Chicago every year.
The level of creativity at work in Lyric Unlimited presentations has been truly
inspiring, and it has exposed the art form of opera to tens of thousands of students across Chicagoland.
By presenting opera in new and non-traditional ways, Lyric Unlimited helps to grow and expand our audiences. I invite you to
join me at one of the Lyric Unlimited performances of
Fellow Travelers
in March or
Family Day at Lyric
on April 7.
At Lyric, we truly cherish our donors and patrons. We consider each one of you as members of the Lyric family. It can sometimes
be trite to declare, “Every gift counts,” but at Lyric it’s true: you’re going above and beyond what you’re paying for the ticket price.
You’re investing in Lyric, entrusting that we will turn your gift into great art. We take that responsibility very seriously and are
constantly imagining new ways to enhance your personal experience at Lyric, build new audiences for opera, and do it all in the most
cost-effective way we can.
Many thanks to all of you who play a vital role in ensuring that our great art form and our great company continue to serve
Chicago and the world of opera today and in the years to come.
L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O
TODD ROSENBERG
From the Chairman
David T. Ormesher
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February 17 - March 16, 2018