January 30, 2026
Neighbors for Nature
A Community Conservation Fair
Renée Fleming makes a much-anticipated return to the Lyric Opera House on Thursday, February 5, 2026, for a one-night-only recital, Voice of Nature: The Anthropocene. Inspired by her 2023 Grammy Award–winning album, the program reflects Fleming’s longtime fascination with the natural world as a source of emotional grounding and creative inspiration. During the pandemic, she turned to the outdoors for clarity and balance, deepening her awareness of the planet’s beauty and vulnerabilities.
Blending classical and contemporary works with immersive visuals from the National Geographic Society, Voice of Nature: The Anthropocene traces humanity’s evolving relationship with nature. In conjunction with the performance, Lyric will host a Community Conservation Fair on the Mezzanine level beginning at 5:30 p.m. and during intermission, connecting the themes explored on stage with local environmental action. The fair brings together Chicagoland organizations dedicated to conservation, education, and stewardship, offering audiences a chance to learn more about efforts to protect and restore the region’s natural resources.
International superstar Renée Fleming and pianist Inon Barnatan team up in Voice of Nature: The Anthropocene.
Our Partners
The Morton Arboretum cultivates, studies, and teaches about trees and other plants for people to enjoy and learn from today and in the future. Its mission is to inspire people to learn from and protect trees and nature. Their living collections, scientific research, and public programs foster understanding of the natural world and support conservation efforts locally and globally.
Founded in 1979, Friends of the Chicago River is dedicated to protecting and restoring the 156-mile Chicago-Calumet River system for all people, water, and wildlife. With more than 46,000 members, volunteers, and online activists, Friends envisions a healthy, biodiverse, and climate-resilient river system with equitable, open access for all. The organization was recognized in 2025 with the Thiess International River Prize for its extraordinary conservation work.
The Alliance for the Great Lakes
The Alliance for the Great Lakes is a nonpartisan nonprofit working across the region to protect and restore the fresh, clean waters of the Great Lakes. For more than 50 years, the organization has advanced policies that support healthy lakes and communities, built research and partnerships that motivate action, and educated and united people as a leading voice for the Great Lakes, ensuring clean water for current and future generations of people and wildlife.
Chicago’s Garfield Park Conservatory is one of the largest botanical conservatories in the nation. Often described as “landscape art under glass,” the Conservatory features thousands of plant species from around the world across eight indoor display gardens, as well as more than 10 acres of outdoor gardens, nature play spaces, and a water lily pond. Through year-round access to these living collections, the Conservatory supports plant conservation, environmental education, and public engagement with the natural world.
Brookfield Zoo Chicago is dedicated to inspiring conservation leadership by connecting people to wildlife and nature. Since opening in 1934, the Zoo has played a leading role in animal care and the conservation of the natural world, earning an international reputation for its work. Through its programs and initiatives, Brookfield Zoo Chicago engages conservationists, students, educators, and the broader public to protect threatened wildlife and ecosystems and to foster positive action on behalf of the natural world.
Learn more and secure tickets for this extraordinary recital at lyricopera.org/voiceofnature.
Join us in celebrating the beauty of the natural world through Renée Fleming’s artistry while supporting local organizations dedicated to protecting and restoring our environment.
