Choose your own opera adventure at Explore Your Lyric

CHICAGO (3/31/2025) — Once a year, the doors of the Lyric Opera House swing wide open for a behind-the-scenes experience like no other! On Saturday, April 26, 2025, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., audiences of all ages can step into the world of opera at Explore Your Lyric, an immersive, hands-on event where visitors choose their own adventure by navigating through a host of special opportunities and performances.

Ever wanted to stand on Lyric’s grand stage? Peek into the orchestra pit? Try your hand at stage combat or design? This is your chance! Guests can move through the Opera House at their own pace, diving into the artistry that brings productions to life. From costume displays to makeup artistry, live music to movement workshops, DJ sets to magical illusions, this interactive event puts visitors at the center of the action.

“Explore Your Lyric is all about creativity, curiosity, and fun,” said Jill LeCesne Potter, Senior Director of Learning Programs at Lyric Unlimited – Learning & Civic Engagement. “It’s a day to step into the roles of designer, musician, performer, and see what makes opera such a thrilling, collaborative art form.”

One highlight of the day is a live performance of Frida Kahlo and the Bravest Girl in the World, Lyric’s 2024 Opera in the Neighborhoods tour production. This family-friendly opera, based on Laurence Anholt’s book, tells the true story of a young girl’s friendship with Frida Kahlo and brings the artist’s vibrant world to the stage.

Other interactive experiences include:

Amazing magic with acclaimed illusionist Walter King (The Magic of the Spellbinder)
Stage combat demonstrations that bring dramatic fight scenes to life
Movement-based workshops led by bilingual storyteller Jasmin Cardenas
A mobile street art cart with artist William Estrada
A live DJ set by audience favorite DJ Houston of J Mayberry Events
An open-ended, play-based structure building with ¡Anímate! Studio
Visitors can also chat with Lyric’s artists and technicians, explore interactive exhibits, and get hands-on with musical instruments alongside Lyric Opera Orchestra musicians.
Meet the Maestro – From 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in the Grand Foyer, guests can chat with Maestro Enrique Mazzola, get an autographed photo, and receive a special gift (while supplies last).

Tickets for Explore Your Lyric are available now. Don’t miss this once-a-year chance to go beyond the footlights by stepping into the magic of opera. For more information and to reserve tickets, visit lyricopera.org/explorelyric.

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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