Janáček’s Jenůfa opens Sunday, November 12

View Jenůfa images here

CHICAGO (11/11/2023) — Janáček’s dramatic masterpiece Jenůfa returns to Lyric Opera of Chicago for the first time in more than 20 years, November 12 – 26, 2023. Jenůfa offers all the hallmarks of Lyric: a truly world-class cast singing gorgeous music, impeccable musical leadership of the Lyric Opera Orchestra & Chorus, and a profoundly theatrical production that dares its audiences to feel deeply.

Jenůfa’s all-star cast is led by two of opera’s biggest superstars: Lise Davidsen, in her thrilling Lyric debut, and Nina Stemme, who was unforgettable in the title role of Strauss’s Elektra in the 2018/19 Season. Also making their Lyric debuts are Pavel Černoch and Richard Trey Smagur.

Czech conductor Jakub Hrůša, who is renowned for his mastery of his country’s operas, makes his highly anticipated U.S. operatic debut. The daring staging by Claus Guth debuted to thunderous applause at London’s Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in 2021. This startling production, seen in the U.S. for the first time and led by revival director Axel Weidauer, has been hailed for its deep psychological insights into Janáček’s complex emotional world.

Jenůfa — an opera that masterfully combines music, theater, and dance — is a must-see event in Chicago’s fall arts season.

View Jenůfa images here

A high-resolution video trailer will be available soon on Lyric's YouTube channel.

Read the Jenůfa digital program book and get to know the conductor and the two leading stars.

Performance dates for Jenůfa are November 12 matinee, 15 matinee, 18, 21, and 26 matinee, 2023. All performances take place at the Lyric Opera House, 20 North Wacker Drive, Chicago.

Audio description, a guided touch tour of the set, and SoundShirts are available at the November 12 matinee performance. For more information, visit lyricopera.org/accessibility.

Jenůfa is performed in Czech, with easy-to-follow English titles projected above the stage.

The running time is 3 hours and 5 minutes, including two 25-minute intermissions.

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

Lyric's presentation of Janáček’s Jenůfa is generously made possible by Presenting Sponsors Julie & Roger Baskes with additional support from Production Sponsors David W. Carpenter and Orit K. Carpenter, in loving memory of David W. Carpenter, Richard O. Ryan, and Patricia A. Kenney & Gregory J. O’Leary.

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About Lyric

Lyric Opera of Chicago is committed to redefining what it means to experience great opera. The company is driven to deliver consistently excellent artistry through innovative, relevant, celebratory programming that engages and energizes new and traditional audiences.

Under the leadership of General Director, President & CEO Anthony Freud, Music Director Enrique Mazzola, and Special Project Advisor Renée Fleming, Lyric is dedicated to reflecting, and drawing strength from, the diversity of Chicago. Lyric offers, through innovation, collaboration, and evolving learning opportunities, ever-more exciting, accessible, and thought-provoking audience and community experiences. We also stand committed to training the artists of the future, through The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center; and to becoming increasingly diverse across our audiences, staff, programming, and artists—magnifying the welcoming pull of our art form, our company, and our city.

Through the timeless power of voice, the splendor of a great orchestra and chorus, theater, dance, design, and truly magnificent stagecraft, Lyric is devoted to immersing audiences in worlds both familiar and unexpected, creating shared experiences that resonate long after the curtain comes down.

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