Lyric's season opens with Medea on Saturday, October 11

 
CHICAGO (10/9/2025) — Hell hath no fury like a sorceress scorned:  Cherubini’s Medea ignites at Lyric Opera of Chicago to open its 71st season on Saturday, October 11, 2025.

In her Lyric homecoming, Chicagoland native soprano Sondra Radvanovsky delivers a tour-de-force performance as the vengeful Medea; her co-stars include two artists who also have strong Chicago ties: tenor Matthew Polenzani, an alumnus of Lyric’s Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center, as Giasone, and mezzo-soprano Zoie Reams as Neris. Medea also features the anticipated Lyric debut of soprano Elena Villalón as Glauce as well as the return of bass-baritone Alfred Walker as King Creonte.

Internationally acclaimed director Sir David McVicar returns to Lyric with a breathtaking production of Olympic scale, with the Lyric Opera Orchestra led by Music Director Enrique Mazzola.

We hope audiences can join us for this historic and electrifying Lyric premiere, where myth meets music and operatic fire burns as never before, on stage for six performances only through October 26.
 
 
A high-resolution video trailer will be available soon on Lyric's YouTube channel and in Lyric's online press room.

Read the digital program book of Medea before the performance.

Performance dates for Medea are October 11 at 7:30 p.m.; October 14, 17, and 20, at 7 p.m., and matinee performances on October 23 and 26 at 2 p.m. All performances take place at the Lyric Opera House, 20 North Wacker Drive, Chicago.

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

A total running time of 2 hours and 45 minutes, including one intermission.

Audio description, a guided touch tour of the set, and SoundShirts are available at the Sunday, October 26 matinee performance. Braille and large-print programs, high-powered opera glasses, assistive listening devices, and booster seats are available from the coat checks on the Steiner Parquet (main floor) at all performances. For more information on these and other accessibility assets, visit lyricopera.org/accessibility.

A coproduction of Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Metropolitan Opera, Greek National Opera, and Canadian Opera Company.

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

 

Sponsors

Lyric’s presentation of Cherubini’s Medea is generously made possible by Lisbeth Stiffel, Julie & Roger Baskes, Marlys A. Beider, and Patricia A. Kenney & Gregory J. O’Leary.

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

Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Chorus is generously sponsored by an Anonymous Lead Sponsor.

Lyric Opera's Season is presented by

Lyric Opera of Chicago thanks its Official Airline, United Airlines, and acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council.

United Airlines
Illinois Arts Council

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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