Terrific trios from Lyric's 2025/26 Season

The upcoming season at Lyric offers a wealth of incredible performances, featuring both exciting new works and timeless classics. From Billy Corgan's innovative 30th anniversary reimagining of The Smashing Pumpkins' album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness to Cherubini's powerful classic Medea, there's something for everyone, from opera novice to aficionado. With a variety of exceptional productions to choose from, why not create your own perfect subscription?

We've curated a tri-fold of themed show trios to inspire your subscription package choices — whether you're captivated by bold new compositions, seeking reimagined classics, or planning to enamor your valentine through the spirit of opera. Choose a set (or mix and match!) to create a subscription that reflects your tastes in the beauty, innovation, and timelessness of the 2025/26 Season at Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Sonic magic awaits. For those with eclectic musical tastes, Lyric presents a trio of performances that celebrate the power of music in all its forms. Whether you're drawn to genre-blending innovation, symphonic reinterpretations, or the timeless beauty of the human voice, these performances speak directly to those who live for melody, harmony, and masterful composition. 

Legacy of rhythm. safronia explores the triumph and tragedy of the Great Migration, blending universal themes with deeply personal storytelling. In this groundbreaking work by Chicago's first-ever poet laureate, avery r. young effortlessly merges poetry, gospel, R&B, and opera, creating a genre-defying experience that will leave you singing, clapping, and moving to the rhythm of his resonant work.

An orchestral musical revolution. A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness is a reimagining by Chicago legend Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins' career-defining album. This planned rebirth of the mega-selling record features guest artists, Corgan himself, and the Lyric Opera Orchestra and Chorus. Together, Corgan, composer James Lowe, and the creative team at Lyric Opera of Chicago present an unforgettable evening, blending choral, composition, and orchestration into a reimagined rock opus like you've never seen.

The voice of nature. An opera icon makes her triumphant return to the Lyric stage: Renée Fleming in Recital: Voice of Nature. This breathtaking one-night-only solo performance highlights the incredible vocal prowess of one of opera's most celebrated living legends. Based on her 2023 Grammy-winning Best Classical Vocal Solo Album, Voice of Nature: The Anthropocene, this performance will mesmerize music-lovers of every kind.

Whether you're exploring new sounds or reconnecting with beloved classics, these rich productions are the perfect way to build your own custom Lyric subscription. Choose three or more and create a season that sings to you — literally.

Romance, anyone? If you love opera steeped in the whims and woes of love and loss, these performances are sure to draw you in with their dramatic takes on romance. From 1940s femme fatales to farcical, centuries-old gender-swapping, roaring beach clubs to the voice of nature, this triptych of shows showcases romance in just about every way opera can express it.

This Così fan tutte is set almost a century ago, yet it's easy to watch as a modern-day rom-com. Wanting to win a bet with a friend, two soldiers disguise themselves as strangers to test their fiancées' fidelity. But as the two clever women catch on too quickly, hilarity ensues, calling the very nature of love and loyalty into question. Jacquelyn Stucker, Cecilia Molinari, and Anthony León proudly make their Lyric debuts alongside Ryan Opera Center alumnus Ian Rucker and Grammy nominees Ana María Martínez and Rod Gilfry in a performance brimming with talent.

For the first time in 20 years, Lyric presents Strauss's Salome, a reimagining of Oscar Wilde's play of the same name. Set in 1940s fascist Italy, this production features soprano Elena Stikhina in the title role of the young femme fatale, whose greed and infatuation prove to have fatal consequences. Reuniting two powerful voices from our recent Ring cycle, Brandon Jovanovich and Tanja Ariane Baumgartner take the stage in this powerful production by Sir David McVicar, boldly illuminating the timeless themes of entitlement and greed among the wealthy and elite.

Experience one of the world's greatest love stories in Gabriela Lena Frank and Nilo Cruz's El último sueño de Frida y Diego. Following a critically acclaimed world premiere in 2022, director Lorena Maza brings the iconic marriage of artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera to Lyric's stage. A grieving Diego is reunited with Frida, and together they must face an impossible question: how would you spend one final day with the love you've lost? Conducted by Roberto Kalb in his Lyric debut and starring Daniela Mack as Frida, audiences are invited to witness an operatic dreamscape where art, memory, and love intertwine — if only for a day.

This trio is the perfect selection for all opera lovers — and their respective loves. Join Lyric for this boisterous triad of passion, comedy, and heartache, where love takes center stage in all its forms.

This season, we present three fresh interpretations of three iconic operatic works — Cavalleria rusticana & Pagliacci, Cosi fan tutte, and Madama Butterfly. With bold vision, fresh perspective, and daring creative direction, Lyric breathes new life into beloved classics — honoring tradition while embracing meaningful innovation.

Premiering over 120 years ago, Madama Butterfly was initially met with a lukewarm reception at Milan's Teatro alla Scala. Yet over time, Puccini's masterwork has become one of opera's most cherished staples. Still, many of the themes and cultural portrayals from its past productions no longer resonate with today's audiences. That's why director Matthew Ozawa leads this newly staged production with thoughtful reimagination, guiding it toward the modern sensibilities and artistic integrity. 

Breathing new perspective into these timeless works is what keeps them vibrant and resonant for the thousands of Lyric patrons — young and old — who fill the seats each season. These productions prove that tradition doesn't have to mean stagnation — it can be the foundation for something bold, moving, and entirely new.