Florencia en el Amazonas opens Saturday, November 13

November 13-28, 2021

View Florencia en el Amazonas images here

CHICAGO (11/12/21)—Join Lyric Opera of Chicago on a journey down the Amazon with the company premiere of Florencia en el Amazonas, the first Spanish-language work to be presented as part of Lyric's mainstage season. The opera's lush music was composed by the late Daniel Catán, who has been hailed as Mexico's finest composer. Marcela Fuentes-Berain penned the opera's libretto, suffusing it with the trademark magical realism of her mentor, the novelist Gabriel García Márquez. Conductor Jordan de Souza makes his Lyric debut leading the Lyric Opera Orchestra in interpreting Catán's dreamlike score. Acclaimed director Francesca Zambello revisits her world-premiere production with members of her original creative team alongside new talents, creating a fresh take on this contemporary classic especially for Chicago audiences.

Audience favorite Ana María Martínez returns to Lyric for her 11th mainstage role as the passionate and hopeful Florencia. Also starring Gabriella Reyes in her Lyric debut as Rosalba, Deborah Nansteel as Paula, Mario Rojas as Arcadio, Levi Hernandez as Álvaro, Ethan Vincent in his Lyric debut as Riolobo, and Raymond Aceto as the Captain.

View Lyric's Florencia en el Amazonas program book here

View Lyric's Florencia en el Amazonas music information summary here

View Florencia en el Amazonas images here

Please utilize Lyric Opera's online press room, where you can easily access the latest images, artwork, and video files, plus press releases—all in one place. We've introduced a password-protected area within the press room to enable media access to images.

A high-resolution video trailer will also be posted soon to Lyric's YouTube channel.

Performance dates for Florencia en el Amazonas are November 13, 18, 21, 26, and 28 at the Lyric Opera House, 20 N Wacker Dr., Chicago. Performance times vary.

For tickets and information, call 312.827.5600 or go to lyricopera.org/florencia.

Florencia en el Amazonas is performed in Spanish with projected English texts. Running time is 2 hours and 5 minutes, including one 25-minute intermission.

Lyric's premiere of Catán's Florencia en el Amazonas is generously made possible by an Anonymous Donor and Marion A. Cameron-Gray.

Lyric Opera of Chicago thanks its Official Airline, American Airlines.

Lyric Opera of Chicago is supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

Lyric’s premiere of Catán’s Florencia en el Amazonas is generously made possible by

Anonymous Donor

Marion A. Cameron-Gray

Additional support is provided by Lyric Opera of Chicago's Production Circle.

Original production from Houston Grand Opera.

An opera in two acts with music by Daniel Catán and libretto by Marcela Fuentes-Berain.

About Lyric

About Lyric

Lyric Opera of Chicago is where the world sings — and where Chicago comes alive.

Under the leadership of General Director, President & CEO John Mangum and Music Director Enrique Mazzola, Lyric stands at the intersection of artistic excellence and civic purpose, harnessing the full power of opera — voice, orchestra, stagecraft, and story — to illuminate the questions, emotions, and experiences that define us as human beings. Nearly 75 seasons of world-class performances have made Lyric one of the greatest opera companies in the world. What drives us now is what has always driven us: the belief that this art form, at its best, can move people in ways nothing else can.

Lyric is also Chicago’s partner — in its neighborhoods, its schools, and its communities — through education, engagement, and a relentless commitment to making opera accessible, relevant, and irresistible to everyone. At the heart of that commitment is The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center, which trains the artists who will carry this art form into its future. Every night when the curtain rises, Lyric reminds this city — and the world — why live performance still matters.

Lyric Opera of Chicago doesn’t just present opera, it redefines what opera can be. It’s where Chicago comes to be moved, inspired, and connected.

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