Get to know: Mazzoli/Vavrek's THE LISTENERS

Do you hear it? Lyric Opera of Chicago presents The Listeners, one of the most innovative operatic experiences of the 2024/25 Season. Created by the brilliant composer and librettist duo of Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek, this contemporary opera weaves a hauntingly beautiful soundscape, exploring how suffering fuels the search for human connection, all under the shadow of an unrelenting hum. Co-produced and co-commissioned by Lyric Opera of Chicago, The Listeners is part of the continued effort to shape and support the next generation of opera. Experience the seduction of sound at Lyric from March 30 to April 11, 2025.

Claire is a high school teacher whose simple life is fractured by the arrival of an antagonizing hum — an unplaceable droning sound that only certain people can hear. A community group of other plagued "listeners" quickly forms around putting an end to the painful sound. The group quickly becomes frighteningly cult-like, ultimately leading to catastrophic consequences as the prophet-like Howard attempts to make this group his followers of the noise.

After a brief American premiere at Opera Philadelphia, The Listeners quickly gained critical acclaim, with The New York Times calling it "the unmissable opera of the season" and later naming it one of their "6 Performances Our Classical Critics Can't Stop Thinking About." The daring libretto, devised from an original story by Canadian author Jordan Tannahill, also became a 2021 novel and a praised television series on the BBC in 2024. While the hum of The Listeners soars throughout this powerful operatic production, at its heart, this startling narrative poses the question: How much are you willing to sacrifice to feel like you belong?

Chicago-born soprano Nicole Heaston makes her much-anticipated Lyric debut as Claire — a role she originated and performed to critical acclaim in the Oslo and Philadelphia productions of The Listeners. Audience favorite Kyle Ketelsen returns to Lyric as the enigmatic cult leader, Howard. The bass-baritone was last seen at Lyric as Doctor Dulcamara in Donizetti's The Elixir of Love (2021/22 Season). They are joined by rising-star soprano Jasmine Habersham in her Lyric debut as Claire's outspoken daughter, Ashley. Mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack returns to Lyric in the role of Angela following her debut as the Kitchen Boy in Dvořák's Rusalka (2013/14 Season). Tenor Jonas Hacker appears as Kyle, a highschool student who becomes tormented by the sound; Hacker previously starred as Timothy Laughlin in Gregory Spears and Greg Pierce's Fellow Travelers in Lyric's 2017/18 Season. After a previous appearance as Marcello in Lyric's 2018/19 Season production of Puccini's La Bohème, baritone Zachary Nelson appears as Paul, Claire's husband who is overshadowed by the hum. In his Lyric debut, John Moore appears as Dillion.

Lyric Music Director Enrique Mazzola will conduct the immersive composition by Missy Mazzoli. Mazzola continues to build his contemporary repertoire, previously conducting Mazzoli's These Worlds in Us with the London Philharmonic Orchestra in 2021. The innovative direction of Lileana Blain-Cruz, who directed the world premiere in Oslo, will be showcased on the Lyric stage for the first time, with revival direction by Mikhaela Mahony. This highly visual production seamlessly combines innovative videography and unconventional projection elements, merging modern technology with opera in this must-see spectacle.

This dark dramedy is a chilling yet relatable exploration of dramatic family dynamics, the desperate search for human connection, and the vulnerable individuals manipulated by charismatic leaders exploiting their suffering. It delves into the human desire for belonging and the dangerous hypnotism of those who promise comfort in exchange for control. The Listeners leaves audiences questioning: will the hum consume them as well?