2020/21 Season

At the core of Lyric's mission is a commitment to redefining what it means to experience great opera today. Though our stage may be dark due to public health considerations, Lyric is thrilled to present an exciting slate of virtual performance experiences giving you a multitude of ways to continue to make music, opera, and Lyric a part of your life. More details and finalized dates will be confirmed soon, so be sure to check back for more information.

Explore the season

Available for streaming through January 2021

Lawrence Brownlee and Friends: The Next Chapter

Lawrence Brownlee and Friends: The Next Chapter

Lyric's Ryan Opera Center presents a free virtual concert celebrating the depth and breadth of Black artistry, hosted by world-renowned tenor Lawrence Brownlee, who also serves as artistic advisor for the event. The concert also features prominent Ryan Opera Center alumni — soprano Whitney Morrison, mezzo-soprano J'Nai Bridges, and baritone Will Liverman — and three current 2020/21 Ryan Opera Center Ensemble members — tenors Martin Luther Clark and Lunga Eric Hallam, and baritone Leroy Davis.

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Available for streaming through December 2020

For the Love of Lyric Concert

For the Love of Lyric Concert

A free virtual concert from the stage of the Lyric Opera House. The starry lineup is led by world-renowned soprano Renée Fleming and features special guests, including Tony Award® and Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter-actress Heather Headley, soprano Ailyn Pérez, bass Soloman Howard, and mezzo-soprano and Ryan Opera Center alumna J'Nai Bridges, with Doug Peck serving as music director. Members of The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center Ensemble and members of the Chicago Children's Choir also perform in this enlightening and entertaining program of familiar and revelatory selections from the worlds of opera, Broadway, popular music, and some surprising sources.

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Breaking Down the Score: Attila with Maestro Enrique Mazzola

Breaking Down the Score: Attila with Maestro Enrique Mazzola

Music Director Designate Enrique Mazzola stars in an original, engaging, and delightful web series centered on the twelve musical numbers of Verdi’s Attila. In each episode, Maestro Mazzola shares a personal interpretation and reading of one of the pieces, offering unique insight into one of Verdi’s early masterpieces from a conductor at the height of his craft.

Tune in each week and be the first to see new episodes by subscribing to Lyric's channel on YouTube.

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Master Classes with Sir Andrew Davis

Master Classes with Sir Andrew Davis

Lyric takes you behind the scenes as Music Director Sir Andrew Davis leads a series of one-on-one master classes with Ensemble members of the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center Ensemble, one of the premier professional artist-development programs in the world. Working with the artists on one of his favorite operas, Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, Maestro Davis shares detailed insights to help them prepare for international careers.

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December 13, 2020

Pasión Latina

Pasión Latina

Celebrate music of the Spanish-speaking world with a free virtual concert starring and hosted by renowned soprano and Lyric favorite Ana María Martínez. Presented by The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center, the concert also features prominent Ryan Opera Center alumni—tenors René Barbera, David Portillo, Mario Rojas, and bass-baritone Richard Ollarsaba—and two current 2020/21 Ensemble members—soprano Denis Vélez and baritone Ricardo José Rivera. These engaging artists will perform a dynamic selection of some of their favorite music from Puerto Rico, Mexico, Cuba, Guatemala, Argentina, and Spain, with piano accompaniment by Ryan Opera Center music director Craig Terry and current Ensemble pianist Chris Reynolds.

Premiering December 13, 2020, at 6:00 pm CT on Lyric's YouTube and Facebook.

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February 21, 2021

Sole e Amore (Sun and Love)

Sole e Amore (Sun and Love)

Revel in the sounds of Italy with a virtual recital awash with beautiful lesser-known musical gems by beloved Italian opera composers, curated and hosted by Lyric's Music Director Designate Enrique Mazzola and presented by The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center. With Maestro Mazzola at the piano, members of the Ryan Opera Center 2020/21 Ensemble will perform songs by Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini, Verdi, Puccini, and Mascagni, selected with love by Mazzola.

Premiering Sunday, February 21 at 6:00 pm CT on Lyric’s YouTube and Facebook channels.

Photo: Jean-Baptiste Millot

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Creating The Factotum

Creating The Factotum

Follow the development of a new opera that transcends the limits of traditional repertoire. The Factotum will reinvigorate an established operatic comedy by giving it a fresh fade. Ryan Opera Center alumnus Will Liverman and DJ/recording artist K-Rico reimagine Rossini's The Barber of Seville by placing their work in a present-day Black barbershop in Chicago while combining operatic singing with hip-hop, barbershop, gospel, funk, neo soul, and R&B music. Working with the authors, the Ryan Opera Center will hold a music workshop for The Factotum in December. The behind-the-scenes process of creating the new work will be documented and shared with audiences at a future date.

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Twilight: Gods

Twilight: Gods

Experience a reimagining of the final chapter of Wagner's epic Ring cycle in the Chicago premiere of Twilight: Gods. From the safety of your own vehicle, you'll be immersed in a series of live performances, videos, and installations brought to life by singers, small instrumental groups, and actors as you drive through the parking garage. With new English texts written by Yuval Sharon and poetic transitions written and performed by Chicago interdisciplinary artist avery r. young, each of the discrete scenes is linked together and recontextualized, making this story unique to its time and place.

Dates and purchase details for three performances in April 2021 will be announced in early 2021.

Twilight: Gods is a project of Lyric Unlimited and is generously sponsored by Julie and Roger Baskes and Ethel & William Gofen.

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Attila Highlights in Concert: Explore More with Enrique Mazzola

Attila Highlights in Concert: Explore More with Enrique Mazzola

Music Director Designate Enrique Mazzola leads world-renown principal artists in a performance of piano-accompanied excerpts from Verdi's Attila, the story of the infamous "Scourge of God," his consuming desire for power, and his final downfall.

Attila Highlights in Concert: Explore More with Enrique Mazzola is generously sponsored by Julie and Roger Baskes.

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These projects are generously sponsored by

Patricia A. Kenney and Gregory J. O'Leary