What you need to know about Mozart's Requiem

CHICAGO (2/15/24) — Lyric Opera of Chicago will present two performances of Mozart’s Requiem for the first time in the company's history on March 22 and 24, 2024. These special events also represent a first for Lyric Music Director Enrique Mazzola, who will be conducting his first Mozart work for North American audiences.

The creation of this special program by Maestro Mazzola has two distinct parts. The first, featuring the incidental music that Mozart composed for the play Thamos, King of Egypt, is full of splendid and dramatic choruses, a perfect showcase for the Lyric Opera Chorus, prepared by Lyric Chorus Director Michael Black, along with the forces of the Lyric Opera Orchestra. The second half is a performance of Mozart’s Requiem, one of the world’s greatest choral pieces, with esteemed guest artists.

Four internationally acclaimed vocal soloists will take center stage to perform the Requiem’s profoundly moving score: soprano Heidi Stober, mezzo-soprano Elizabeth DeShong, tenor Matthew Polenzani, and bass-baritone Kyle Ketelsen.

Soprano Heidi Stober has performed several roles at Lyric. Notable appearances include Gretel in Hansel and Gretel (2022/23) and Dalinda in Ariodante (2018/19). Beyond Lyric, her career has flourished since her acclaimed debut at Deutsche Oper Berlin in 2008, and she has graced stages worldwide, including Semperoper Dresden and the Metropolitan Opera.

Mezzo-soprano Elizabeth DeShong, a Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center alumna, is well known to Lyric audiences with 14 roles since the 2005/06 Season, including standout performances of Pauline in The Queen of Spades (2019/20) and Adalgisa in Norma (2016/17). Her recording of Messiah with the Toronto Symphony, conducted by former Lyric Music Director Sir Andrew Davis, received two Grammy nominations in 2018.

Tenor Matthew Polenzani, also a Ryan Opera Center alumnus, has portrayed 15 roles at Lyric since the 1995/96 season, including recent performances as the title role in Idomeneo (2018/19) and the Duke in Rigoletto (2017/18). Polenzani's 2023/24 season includes engagements at Wiener Staatsoper, Teatro di San Carlo, and a return to the Metropolitan Opera.

Bass-baritone Kyle Ketelsen has performed seven roles on Lyric’s stage since the 2004/05 season, including Dulcamara in L'elisir d'amore (2021/22) and the King of Scotland in Ariodante (2018/19). Ketelsen's 2023/24 season includes a debut at Opéra National de Paris and performances at Staatsoper Hamburg and the Metropolitan Opera.

Production details:

Only two chances to see these special performances with very limited ticket availability: Friday, March 22 at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, March 24 at 2:00 p.m.

Performed in German and Latin with projected English titles above the stage.

A running time of 2 hours and 15 minutes, including 1 intermission.

Learn more about this concert event.

Mozart’s Requiem is generously made possible by Lead Sponsor The Negaunee Foundation with additional support from Production Sponsors Randy L. & Melvin R.* Berlin.
*deceased

Maestro Enrique Mazzola is generously sponsored by Alice & John Butler, H. Gael Neeson, Sylvia Neil & Daniel Fischel, and the Robert and Penelope Steiner Family Foundation as members of the Enrique Circle.

Lyric Opera's Season is presented by

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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