Omar makes its Chicago premiere on Friday, October 23

CHICAGO (10/22/2026) — Omar, the Pulitzer Prize–winning opera by Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels, receives its long-awaited Chicago premiere at Lyric Opera of Chicago this week — a landmark work Lyric has helped shape as a co-commissioner since its inception.

Omar draws its power from an extraordinary source: the memoirs of West African Islamic scholar Omar ibn Said, one of the only firsthand accounts of American slavery ever written in Arabic. The opera fuses hymns, spirituals, gospel, and bluegrass with West African percussion into a sound at once ancient and utterly alive.

Issachah Savage stars in the title role, alongside Kearstin Piper Brown, Zoie Reams, Kyle Ketelsen, and Briana Hunter. Conductor Kazem Abdullah returns to lead the Lyric Opera Orchestra, and director Kaneza Schaal brings a bold visual imagination to her Lyric debut.

We hope audiences can join us as Omar ibn Said’s words reach us still, in song, on the Lyric stage, for three performances only: October 23, 25, and 28.

View Omar images here

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 Omar before the performance.

Performance dates for Omar are October 23 at 7:00 p.m.; October 25 at 2:00 p.m.; and October 28 at 7:00 p.m. All performances take place at the Lyric Opera House, 20 North Wacker Drive, Chicago.

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

A total running time of 2 hours and 40 minutes, including one intermission.

American Sign Language interpretation, audio description, a guided touch tour of the set, and SoundShirts will be available at the October 25 performance. Braille and large-print programs, high-powered opera glasses, assistive listening devices, and booster seats are available from the theater’s Steiner Parquet coat checks at all performances; new Auracast assistive listening technology is also available at all performances. For more information on these and other accessibility services, visit lyricopera.org/accessibility.

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

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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