Students take the stage

Lyric Opera of Chicago’s inaugural Choral Fest welcomed students to the opera house for a day of musical education and collaboration. 

“When we open our doors and students fill the Grand Foyer with vibrant energy, they show us that this isn’t just an opera house — it’s their opera house,” shares Jill LeCesne Potter, Senior Director of Learning Programs for Lyric Unlimited, reflecting on the inaugural Choral Fest hosted by Lyric Opera of Chicago during the 2024/25 Season.

Lyric’s Choral Fest was created as an extension of the High School Choir Residency, a Lyric Unlimited program that supports vocal instruction and enrichment in Chicago Public School and Big Shoulders high school choir programs. The residency pairs classroom teachers with Lyric professional teaching artists to enrich students’ learning through opera. 

Lyric teaching artists work collaboratively with choir teachers to deliver student instruction and foster artistic growth through a variety of lessons tailored to fit the learning objectives of each class. Lessons can range from warmups, technique building activities, and sectional work to master classes, demonstrations, and preparations for future auditions. In addition to musical support in the classroom, students are also given the opportunity to interact with experienced guest artists and even watch a final dress rehearsal at Lyric. 

The High School Choir Residency has continued to grow over the years following its launch in the 2015/16 Season, building a supportive network for teachers, teaching artists, and students from schools across Chicago. The idea for Lyric’s Choral Fest was born out of the network built by the program, developed in partnership with choir directors from partnering CPS high schools who expressed an interest in bringing their students together. The inaugural event ushered 120 students into the opera house, with one choir attending from each of the five participating CPS high schools, for a day centered around musical collaboration and education. Choral Fest provided students an inviting space to improve their musical skills, learn about professional career paths in the arts, and build relationships with their peers from across the city. 

Students were given a behind-the-scenes look at the world of professional opera as they came together in groups to participate in activities throughout the opera house. The day of opera education kicked off in Lyric’s backstage rehearsal rooms, where choir directors from each school, in collaboration with their residency partner teaching artist, led sectionals with students from all five schools. In this session, students learned their vocal part for “O Love,” a choral piece by Elaine Hagenberg, rehearsing in the same spaces used by professional opera singers. 

For the next session, students broke into small groups to learn more about the professional paths they could take as they continue on their journeys in the performing arts. The career breakout session featured members of the Lyric staff from across the company, with students hearing from Costume Director Kim Buetzow and members of the wardrobe department, Assistant Technical Director Benji McCormack, and Chorus Director and Head of Music Michael Black, as well as members of the Lyric Opera Chorus. These sessions offered students valuable insight into the different types of work that goes into bringing an opera to life, both onstage and behind the scenes. 

After a break in the day to socialize with their peers from across the city and enjoy lunch in the beauty of Lyric’s Grand Foyer, the students took the stage for a final performance. Choral Fest culminated with all 120 students coming together on the Lyric stage to unite their voices for a full ensemble rehearsal of “Oh Love” led by Michael Black. It was a proud, full circle moment for the High School Choir Residency students, who began by developing their choral skills in the classroom, visited Lyric as members of the audience, and were now performing on the very same stage.

 “As they take the stage to rehearse and their voices rise together, there is a palpable shift in a student’s confidence when they realize this is not just a place for someone else’s art,” Potter reflects on the experience. “They are not just rehearsing a piece of music together, but rehearsing a future where they know they belong in spaces like this, where their voices matter. The opera house becomes a launchpad, not just a landmark.”