April 22, 2025
50 Years of The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center
In 1974, the leadership of Lyric Opera of Chicago incorporated and launched one of the earliest professional programs of its kind. As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center, we take a look back at its many accomplishments.
A movement class during the first decade.
Decade 1: Raise the Curtain
Birth of a Training Program
1974
The Opera School of Chicago is first incorporated, comprising 10 Ensemble members. The Chicago Tribune describes the new program as “...the most exciting development to take place in local opera history since the establishment of Lyric Opera itself 20 seasons ago!”
Ensemble members perform 21 roles for Lyric’s mainstage season.
General Manager Carol Fox and Music Director Bruno Bartoletti choose the multi-talented American lyric tenor and conductor Herbert Handt, formerly of the Berlin Staatsoper, to direct the program.
Guest artist Sherrill Milnes leads a master class with Ensemble members.
1975
The entire Ensemble joins the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra for its first-ever concert in the park. Repertoire includes excerpts from Fidelio and numerous Verdi arias.
Ensemble member Patricia Guthrie (1973-74) with Chorus Master Giulio Favario.
1977
The School mounts The Turn of the Screw as its first-ever presentation in the 750-seat Civic Theatre.
Renowned American conductor Lee Schaenen — formerly assistant to Herbert von Karajan at La Scala and in Berlin — is appointed as Director.
Ensemble soprano Trudy Hines and guest tenor Frank Little in The Rake’s Progress.
1981
The program is renamed as the Lyric Opera Center for American Artists.
Backstage at the Civic Theatre, for a 1977 performance of The Barber of Seville for students.
Decade 2: Gaining Strength
From 1984 to 1994, the Ryan Opera Center welcomed Composers-in-Residence and added important performing opportunities.
Increasing Opportunities
1984
Director of the Lyric Opera Center for American Artists (LOCAA), Lee Schaenen (appointed in 1977), is instrumental in launching an innovative Composer-in-Residence program; it bears fruit in the 1985/86 Season with the world premiere of William Neil’s The Guilt of Lillian Sloan, conducted by Schaenen.
Ensemble bass-baritone Mark S. Doss as Jago in Ernani (1984).
1986
LOCAA artists appear in a tripartite musical television ad for McDonald’s, alongside segments with Roger Miller (“King of the Road”) and Gladys Knight and the Pips. Filming takes place on Lyric’s main stage, with Ensemble members holding Big Macs and singing the sandwich’s theme song.
The 1986/87 Ensemble.
1989
The tradition of Rising Stars concerts begins.
Filming a McDonald’s commercial on the main stage, 1986.
1991
Schaenen retires, and acclaimed bass-baritone Andrew Foldi — a hit as Schigolch in Alban Berg’s Lulu at Lyric in the 1987/88 Season — becomes LOCAA’s Director.
A workshop for The Guilt of Lillian Sloan.
1993
A quartet of “Les jeunes chanteurs du Lyric” performs at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.
A quartet of LOCAA members took several programs on tour to Paris in 1993.
1994
Concluding a decade of expanding performance opportunities in venues as varied as Grant Park, Highland Park High School, the Chicago Cultural Center, and the Woodstock Opera House, LOCAA singers perform an all-Mozart program to accompany an exhibition by set designer Karl Friedrich Schinkel (1781-1841) at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Decade 3: Making Some Noise
In its third decade, artists from the Ryan Opera Center performed all over town — and the city’s airwaves. Opportunities with full orchestra proliferated as well.
Raising Their Voices
1994
New World Records releases the LOCAA recording of Six Characters in Search of an Author by Hugo Weisgall.
From the mid-90s into the early 2000s, LOCAA enjoys ever-widening performance opportunities — at the Grant Park Music Festival and Chicago Humanities Festival, and with a number of regional orchestras including the Rockford Symphony Orchestra (1998), Lake Forest Symphony (1999), Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (2000), and Northwest Indiana Symphony (2002).
The Ensemble takes a bow at a 2001 Grant Park Music Festival concert at the Petrillo Music Shell.
1995
Richard Pearlman, a veteran educator and director who made his Lyric debut with La Bohème in 1982, is named LOCAA Director. He helps launch numerous significant careers, including that of Matthew Polenzani, an Ensemble member from 1995 to 1997.
1996
The comedic performer (and true operaphile) Charles Nelson Reilly conducts a master class.
Actor and comedian (and operaphile) Charles Nelson Reilly leads a 1996 master class.
1997
Between Two Worlds (The Dybbuk), a work by Shulamit Ran, the first woman and Lyric’s fifth composer-in-residence, receives its premiere.
The 1997 Rising Stars in Concert performance.
1998
As part of its WTTW Presents series, the local television station broadcasts “The Opera-Philes,” a LOCAA performance at the Ravinia Festival.
2000
In honor of LOCAA’s 25th anniversary, Rising Stars in Concert is performed with full orchestra — a tradition that continues today.
The 2002/03 Ensemble.
Decade 4: Paving the Way
The decade from 2004 to 2013 brought numerous milestones for the Ryan Opera Center, including new leadership and even a new name.
Expanding Horizons
2006
After serving as Director of Vocal Studies since 2002, Gianna Rolandi is appointed Director of the program. As a performer at Lyric, the renowned soprano made her debut in the 1986/87 Season as Dorinda in Orlando.
In recognition of a transformative gift, the program is renamed The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center. General Director William Mason announces the news on opening night.
The 2005/06 Ensemble.
2011
The annual Rising Stars in Concert is broadcast for the first time on Chicago’s classical radio station, 98.7 WFMT.
2012
Ensemble members debut with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago under the baton of Sir Andrew Davis, the first collaborative performance between the artist-development programs.
The first season of the Ryan Opera Center Recital Series airs on 98.7 WFMT. It is the only such series of its kind in the world.
2013
Final auditions are opened to an audience of Lyric donors and subscribers, marking a milestone that provides patrons with a unique opportunity to experience the selection process.
After serving as the program’s Manager since 2000, Dan Novak is promoted to Director of the Ryan Opera Center.
A member of Lyric’s music staff since 2005, Craig Terry is appointed the Ryan Opera Center’s first Music Director, overseeing Ensemble artists’ musical development.
Maureen Zoltek is selected as the new Ensemble pianist, a position offering specialized training opportunities as a coach and assistant conductor.
Sir Andrew Davis leads the Civic Orchestra and members of the 2012/13 Ryan Opera Center Ensemble.
Decade 5: Celebrating Success
From 2014 to the present, the Ryan Opera Center has celebrated remarkable successes, showcasing its exceptional talent and embracing innovation.
Making History
2014
Renowned soprano Julia Faulkner is appointed Director of Vocal Studies.
In collaboration with Lyric and the Ryan Opera Center, the Harris Theater launches the Beyond the Aria series of special cabaret-style programs performed on the Pritzker Pavilion stage. Lyric principal artists are featured alongside Ensemble members with series Artistic Director Craig Terry at the keyboard.
2016
The first Ryan Opera Center Gala, The Five Tenors, is held at The Casino Club.
2017
Exceptional alumni Andriana Chuchman, Anthony Clark Evans, Quinn Kelsey, Matthew Polenzani, Christian Van Horn, and Amber Wagner perform starring roles across Lyric’s season.
Renée Fleming leads an inspiring master class with Ryan Opera Center artists, as part of her annual involvement with the program.
The 2017/18 Ryan Opera Center Final Auditions.
2020
Amid pandemic restrictions, the Ryan Opera Center creates the innovative Ryan Opera Center from Home video series, connecting artists with audiences virtually.
The Ryan Opera Center is at the heart of reimagining Lyric’s 2020/21 Season with seven major digital projects, netting nearly 200,000 total viewers, including Lawrence Brownlee and Friends: The Next Chapter, Master Classes with Sir Andrew Davis, Pasión Latina with Ana María Martínez, Sole e Amore with Enrique Mazzola, and Magical Music Around the World.
The 2019/20 Rising Stars Ensemble.
2021
Donald Lee III becomes the Ensemble’s inaugural conductor/pianist, the first of three new Ensemble positions that solidify the Ryan Opera Center’s leadership role in training emerging artists across the full spectrum of the field.
2022
Luther H. Lewis III is named the first Ensemble Stage Director, and Tess Naval is named the first Ensemble Stage Manager.
The 2021/22 Ensemble.
2023
The Factotum, co-written by Ryan Opera Center alumnus Will Liverman, is premiered and features several current Ryan Opera Center members.
2024
Lyric Music Director Enrique Mazzola leads the first public Ryan Opera Center Master Class since the pandemic.
Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Ryan Opera Center celebrates its 50th Anniversary, honoring five decades of nurturing exceptional talent.
