May 06, 2025

Musical highlights of the 2024/25 Season

With beloved classics and bold new works, Lyric's 2024/25 Season was a feast for the senses. From the opening night of Verdi's Rigoletto to the final curtain of La Bohème, this season was one to remember. Keep scrolling to relive some of our favorite performances and lock in your subscription for the 2025/26 Season to keep the music going all year long.

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Mané Galoyan performs "Caro nome" from Verdi's Rigoletto

In her Lyric Opera of Chicago debut, soprano Mané Galoyan performs Gilda's heartfelt Act One aria, "Caro nome" from Verdi's Rigoletto. In this scene, she expresses her new-found love for the penniless student, Gualtier Maldé, unaware that he is the Duke of Mantua in disguise.

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“O welche Lust” (Prisoners’ Chorus) from Beethoven's Fidelio

In one of the opera's most powerful moments, prisoners emerge from their cells to see the sun — and feel hope — for the first time since entering the prison.

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Kayleigh Decker performs “Non so più cosa son, cosa faccio" from The Marriage of Figaro

Bursting with adolescent energy and romantic confusion, Cherubino (sung here by Ryan Opera Center alumna Kayleigh Decker) confides in Susanna (Ying Fang), telling her about the uncontrollable feelings of love and passion that seem to overwhelm him at every turn.

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"Welcome to the Daddy Club" from Tesori/Thompson's Blue

Following the birth of his son, the Father (Kenneth Kellogg) is welcomed to sleepless nights, illnesses, and more by his friends on the police force (Terrence Chin-Loy, Jonathan Pierce Rhodes, and Christopher Humbert Jr).

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Pene Pati and Ailyn Pérez sing "O soave fanciulla" from Puccini's La Bohème

It's love at first sight when Rodolfo (tenor Pene Pati) sees Mimì's (soprano Ailyn Pérez) beautiful face bathed in moonlight. Falling under the spell of a magical Christmas Eve, the couple heads out, arm-in-arm, to meet friends at Cafe Momus.

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Claire (Nicole Heaston) communes with a Coyote in The Listeners

I like the wild in you...brings out the wild in me. In this excerpt from Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek's opera The Listeners, Claire (soprano Nicole Heaston) encounters a coyote (dancer Rachel Harris) outside her suburban home. She feels an immediate sense of camaraderie with the wild animal, who she also believes can hear the "hum" driving her mad.

There's nothing like hearing your favorite artists perform live onstage, but we hope these clips helped you relive the magic. For more performance excerpts, interviews, and behind-the-scenes content, subscribe to Lyric Opera of Chicago on YouTube.

Don’t miss your chance to experience the artistry and grandeur in person when we return to the stage on October 11 with Cherubini's Medea. Learn more about the full 2025/26 Season and lock in your seats with a package of four or more performances, on sale now.

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This season is packed with unforgettable performances that showcase the power of music and storytelling on our historic stage.

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Header photo: Lyric's 2024/25 production of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, credit: Liz Lauren