On Saturday, September 10, at 7:30 p.m., Lyric Opera of Chicago presented a star-studded free outdoor concert at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. Soprano superstar Renée Fleming, Lyric’s creative consultant, headlinee the performance, which attracted an audience upwards of 16,000.
French conductor Emmanuel Villaume led the Lyric Opera Orchestra and an array of outstanding soloists including stars from the season tenor Matthew Polenzani, bass-baritone James Morris, sopranos Anna Christy and Susanna Phillips, mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton, and baritone Ljubomir Puškarić – joined by featured artists from Lyric’s Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center – in selections by Verdi, Puccini, Donizetti, Gounod, Massenet, and more. Polenzani, Morris, and Christy star in Lyric’s season opener, The Tales of Hoffmann, conducted by Mo. Villaume. Phillips stars in the title role of Lucia di Lammermoor. Barton has roles in The Tales of Hoffmann, Boris Godunov, and Ariadne auf Naxos; Puškarić appears in Boris.
Program included highlights from Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, La fille du régiment, La favorite, and Linda di Chamounix; Bellini’s I puritani; Verdi’s Nabucco and I vespri siciliani; Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi; Gounod’s Faust and Roméo et Juliette; Massenet’s Manon and Werther; Saint-Saëns’ Samson et Dalila; Delibes’s Lakmé; and Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann. (Subject to change.)
The “Stars of Lyric Opera at Millennium Park” free concert was broadcast live on 98.7WFMT and wfmt.com by The Matthew Bucksbaum Family Lyric Opera Broadcasts. George Preston, 98.7WFMT’s afternoon drive-time program host, and Roger Pines, Lyric’s dramaturg, hosted the “Stars of Lyric Opera at Millennium Park” concert broadcast.
TWITTER CONTEST OFFICIAL RULES
Lead Sponsor: Accenture
Cosponsored by: an Anonymous Donor, Stefan Edlis and Gael Neeson, the Audrey Love Charitable Foundation, the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, Rhoda and Henry Frank, and AT&T; with additional funding from the Music Performance and Film Funds.