A Stellar Mix

Grand operas, a pair of world premieres, and a roster of world-class talents will arrive at Lyric for the 2025/26 Season.

Lyric Opera of Chicago’s 2025/26 Season will take audiences from ancient Corinth to a 1930s seaside resort, and from Puccini to the Smashing Pumpkins. A robust mix of live performances by the superb Lyric Opera Orchestra and Chorus, the season includes two world premieres, two Lyric premieres, and three new-to-Chicago productions, plus a solo recital by one of opera’s most legendary stars, and performances by some of the biggest names in musical theater.

“Next season is filled with a tremendous range of lavish and powerful opera productions that we are excited to share with audiences,” says John Mangum, General Director, President & CEO of Lyric Opera of Chicago. “Equally as compelling are the other performances and productions that comprise the full season at Lyric and clearly illustrate how this company will push the art form forward. We’re opening the aperture, broadening the definition of what opera is and what an American opera company can be.” 

The season begins on October 11 with an iconic Greek tale of sorcery and revenge, Cherubini’s Medea. Lyric favorite Sondra Radvanovsky returns to Lyric in the title role, one of the most demanding in the repertoire, for which she previously won critical acclaim at the Metropolitan Opera in the 2022/23 Season. Sharing the stage is Ryan Opera Center alumnus Matthew Polenzani, making for a showcase of spectacular talent that is sure to leave audiences on the edge of their seats. Conducted by Lyric Music Director Enrique Mazzola and directed by the acclaimed Sir David McVicar, the production should demonstrate once and for all that Hell hath no fury like a sorceress scorned. 

The season continues with a duo of one-act operas full of passion and betrayal. Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci take listeners to the idyllic Sicilian countryside in the perfect operatic sampler for those new to the art form — and for those ready to revisit an old favorite. Russell Thomas, Quinn Kelsey, and Gabriella Reyes lead the cast in stories that are whirlwinds of twists and turns. Enrique Mazzola will be on the podium for this revival of director Elijah Moshinsky’s thrillingly original production.

Cav/Pag, as it is affectionately known in the opera world, will be followed by three exciting performances of one of classical music’s greatest hits: Carmina Burana. Framed by the dramatic “O Fortuna” chorus, the work is an exhilarating smorgasbord of sound. Based on 24 medieval poems in various languages, the blazing cantata spotlights the renowned Lyric Opera Chorus. More than 175 artists, including soloists Jasmine Habersham, David Portillo, and Ian Rucker, will take the stage for this run of three performances.

Having seen Mozart’s Requiem at Lyric last season, Billy Corgan, frontman for the decade-defining alt-rock group Smashing Pumpkins, had an idea: to create an operatic version of the band’s smash double album, about to mark its 30th anniversary. Thus was born A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness, a seven-night run with soloists including Corgan at center stage, the Lyric Opera Orchestra and Chorus, and a groundbreaking musical experience. Fusing rock and operatic grandeur, this one-of-a-kind event reimagines a beloved classic on an epic scale. Mellon Collie promises to push boundaries and leave a lasting impression on all who experience it.

Then comes another work of grand scale. For the first time in 20 years, Lyric will present Richard Strauss’s Salome, in Sir David McVicar’s production of this opera adapted from Oscar Wilde’s one-act play of the same name. Set in 1940s fascist Italy, the production features Elena Stikhina as the teenage femme fatale whose greed and infatuation lead to fatal consequences. Brandon Jovanovich as Herod and Tanja Ariane Baumgartner as Herodias share the stage in this moving production, unafraid to shine a light on the timeless themes of the entitlement and avarice of the wealthy and elite. Joined by conductor Tomáš Netopil and director Julia Burbach in their Lyric debuts, this timely production is sure to leave audiences absolutely breathless.

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Lyric is excited to present the second work in the Mozart/Da Ponte trilogy, the enduring and amusing Così fan tutte. This production, set in a stylish 1930s seaside resort, is practically a modern-day rom-com. Making their debuts as the (possibly) duped Fiordiligi and Dorabella are noted Mozartians Jacquelyn Stucker and Cecilia Molinari; they are paired with the Ryan Opera Center’s Ian Rucker as Guglielmo and Anthony León, in his Lyric debut, as Ferrando. Grammy winners Ana María Martínez, as Despina, and Rod Gilfry, as Don Alfonso, round out the bravura cast.

International superstar Renée Fleming makes her much-anticipated return to the Lyric stage for one night only on Thursday, February 5, 2026, with a program based on her 2023 Grammy-winning album and performed with pianist Inon Barnatan. Voice of Nature: The Anthropocene, created in partnership with the National Geographic Society, which curates the recital’s immersive video elements, blends classic Romantic era works and contemporary selections in a program that captures the evolution of the human experience in nature.

Continuing the string of exciting debuts next season are those of Karah Son, as Cio-Cio-San, and Evan LeRoy Johnson, as Pinkerton, in Puccini’s beloved Madama Butterfly. Newcomers to opera will be captivated by the vivid spectacle — from stunning sets to exquisite costumes — seamlessly paired with the soaring melodies that have kept this tale alive for generations. As Butterfly falls for a Naval lieutenant in a captivating love arc, it seems everyone but Cio-Cio-San knows that the sailor will soon break her heart. Join Lyric to experience the tragic and soaring melodies conducted by Domingo Hindoyan and brought to life by Lyric’s own, director Matthew Ozawa, in a stirring reimagined production, where not all is as it seems.

After a critically acclaimed world premiere in 2022, El último sueño de Frida y Diego (The Last Dream of Frida and Diego) arrives for its Lyric premiere. This magical-realist opera, by composer Gabriela Lena Frank and the librettist Nilo Cruz (librettist for Lyric’s world premiere Bel Canto in the 2015/16 Season), brings the iconic marriage of the legendary Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera to life — at least for a short time. On the Day of the Dead, the ghost of Frida is allowed to leave the underworld for 24 hours to visit her grieving husband, Diego. The opera, inspired by Mexican folk music traditions, is led by conductor Roberto Kalb and director Lorena Maza as they make their Lyric debuts. Starring Daniela Mack as Frida, the production invites audiences to join the couple as they answer the question: How would you spend a single day reunited with your lost love?

From avery r. young, Chicago’s first-ever poet laureate, Lyric presents a musical world premiere commission, for two nights only. safronia follows the Booker family as they journey back to the South to lay their patriarch to rest, retracing the path they once took during the Great Migration. In line with Lyric’s commitment to presenting art that resonates with our diverse city and its stories, this powerful new work weaves together folklore, poetry, and history with the rich sounds of gospel, blues, funk, and soul. A true masterpiece in the making, this work promises a deeply moving and uniquely Chicago experience.

There are, of course, numerous other surprises in the works — chances to visit the opera house that are still being imagined and developed. Please stay tuned. We look forward to seeing you here next season.

Lyric Opera of Chicago’s 2025/26 Season is on sale now, with several curated packages and “create your own” package options that allow you to customize every detail. Explore the season at lyricopera.org/subscribe, and join us for an extraordinary season of live performances.