Twilight: Gods program book

From the General Director

Welcome to an extraordinary adventure in the life of Lyric Opera of Chicago!

For more than a year, Lyric and every other opera company nationwide have confronted the dismaying reality of being unable to perform for live audiences in an opera house. The protocols in place due to the Coronavirus pandemic have compelled us to create streamed events, as well as performances in alternative spaces, employing formats far removed from what our audiences are used to experiencing. It has been truly heartening and inspiring that, during this profoundly difficult time, performers and creative teams have so brilliantly risen to the many challenges of presenting memorable work that successfully accommodates the very different world in which all of us in the performing arts are currently operating.

Last year, the pandemic prevented Lyric from presenting the premiere of our new production of Wagner’s Götterdämmerung and the three full Ring cycles that were to follow. It was wrenching for Lyric to have to abandon the Ring altogether, so we considered every possible way to perform any portion of it during this period of COVID. This led us to bring into the Lyric family the innovative director Yuval Sharon and the rest of the astonishingly gifted team that has created Twilight: Gods.

Recently appointed artistic director of Michigan Opera Theatre in Detroit (our artistic partners on Twilight: Gods), Yuval is the winner of the prestigious MacArthur Foundation “Genius Grant.” He’s also the first American to create a new production for Germany’s world-renowned festival of Wagner operas at Bayreuth. Sharon has radically reimagined Götterdämmerung/The Twilight of the Gods—the climactic fourth opera of the Ring—as a 70-minute series of installations that distill some of the core themes of Wagner’s massive work and concentrate on the central characters, as well as the decaying, corrupt society that they inhabit. Experiencing this remarkable event within the sprawling underground world of the Millennium Garages-Millennium Lakeside Parking Garage, with the music coming to you via your car radio, offers a unique and brand-new dimension to our art form.

I’m thrilled that our Twilight: Gods production includes the participation of one of the most dazzlingly talented figures on Chicago’s arts-and-humanities scene, the performer/writer/composer/producer avery r. young. We have a truly exceptional cast, including the magnificent Christine Goerke, a Lyric favorite who is acknowledged internationally as the leading Brünnhilde of our time; the remarkable tenor Sean Panikkar in his Lyric debut; and, making very welcome returns to the company, bass Morris Robinson, bass-baritone Donnie Ray Albert, and mezzo-soprano Catherine Martin. I’m delighted, too, that three gifted members of Lyric’s Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center will portray the three Rhinemaidens.

Enjoy the spectacular ride that is Twilight: Gods!

Characters in order of vocal appearance:

Members of the Lyric Opera Orchestra

Yin Shen
violin

Calum Cook
cello

Susan Warner
clarinet

Linda A. Baker
bass clarinet

Jeremy Moeller
trombone

Douglas Waddell
percussion

Eric Millstein
percussion

Lauren Hayes
harp

Chris Reynolds
keyboard

Eric Weimer
keyboard

Sam Shuhan
electric bass

Christine Janicki
Orchestra Personnel Manager

Students of the Joffrey Academy of Dance, official school of The Joffrey Ballet

Jacqueline Bertault

Isadora Bless

Lindsey Casale

Adam Littman Davis

Mila Garza

Will Giannuzzi

Sophie Graham

Katarina Jakimer

Mackenzie Kenyon

Emma Knowlson

Emily Porter

Bailey Smith

Isabella Stevens

Avery Laurel Ward

Tyler Wright

Production

avery r. young*
New Narrative Poetry

Edward Windels*
Musical Arrangements and Orchestrations 

Lewis Pesacov*
Sound Artist

Yuval Sharon*
English Translation

Yuval Sharon*
Concept and Direction

Jason H. Thompson*
Production Designer

Kaitlyn Pietras*
Production Designer

Mark Grey
Sound Designer

Scott Marr
Costume Coordination

François-Pierre Couture*
Associate Production Designer

William C. Billingham
Music Supervisor

Eric Weimer
Music Supervisor

Alexander Gedeon*
Assistant Director

John W. Coleman
Stage Manager 

Stephanie Farina
Sound Engineer

* Lyric debut
*** Ensemble member, The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center

Synopsis

- avery r. young

Listening and Watching: Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods)

Offers & information

Now through Monday, December 27, 2021

Free parking every Monday

Free parking every Monday

Receive 12 hours of free parking every Monday at any four garages when you register online. Those who register will receive a single barcode which is good for ten (10) free 12-hour Mondays now through Monday, December 27, 2021. In addition, you will receive a barcode with a special discounted rate for 12 hours valid at any four of our garages, any day of the week!!

Millennium Lakeside | Millennium Park | Grant Park North | Grant Park South

Your barcodes will expire once you have exhausted your 10 Mondays or on 12/27/2021, whichever comes first. Combine your free Monday barcode with our All Access Daily Card

Sign up for our All Access Daily Card & save on parking

Sign up for our All Access Daily Card & save on parking

We invite Twilight: Gods audiences to sign up to guarantee a discounted $12.95 rate valid at all four of our garages for up to 12 hours.

For more information or to sign up contact our sales team at [email protected]
Visit www.millenniumgarages.com for more information

Simple yet profound

Simple yet profound

Consider a gift to Lyric through your will, trust, or IRA. It costs nothing during your lifetime and leaves a lasting legacy.

We are extremely grateful for your donations. Large or small—every dollar makes a difference. In addition to their generous donations, more and more Lyric patrons are also choosing to support the future of Lyric with a legacy gift commitment.

A legacy gift commitment in your estate or financial plan is an easy and affordable way to ensure the future of opera. Some gifts can be made by simply signing a form with your IRA administrator or adding a sentence to your will or trust.

Once you have made such a legacy gift commitment, we would be honored to welcome you into Lyric's Ardis Krainik Society. When you join this legacy society, you become part of a like-minded community that is committed to making the magic of opera available for generations of audiences to come.

Please contact out Gift Planning office directly to discuss the benefits of becming a member of the Ardis Krainik Society.

Discover Lyric's Virtual Season

Lyric On Demand

Lyric On Demand

Explore an exciting and dynamic selection of FREE virtual programs, available for streaming whenever you like, on Lyric's Facebook and YouTube channels.

Twilight: Gods is a project of Lyric Unlimited and is generously sponsored by

Julie & Roger Baskes

Ethel & William Gofen

Donald & Anne Edwards

Twilight: Gods is a collaboration between Lyric Opera of Chicago and Michigan Opera Theatre.

Production space generously provided by Millennium Garages - Millennium Lakeside Parking Garage

Additional production credits

New-to-Chicago production

Adapted from Richard Wagner's Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods)

First performed at the Detroit Opera House Parking Center on October 17, 2020
First performed by Lyric Opera of Chicago on April 28, 2021

Premiere performances in Chicago and Detroit collaboratively produced by Lyric Opera of Chicago and Michigan Opera Theatre.

Additional scenic elements constructed by West End Studios of Detroit.

Lighting and projection equipment furnished by PXT Studio of Los Angeles.

Sound and video equipment provided by Onstage Audio (OSA).

avery r. young’s headdresses by Laura Whitlock.

Assistant Stage Managers: Alaina Barkowiak, Colter Schoenfish, Daniel Sokalski, Peggy Stenger, Rachel A. Tobias, Bill Walters.

The American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) is the Union that represents the singers, dancers, actors, and staging personnel at Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Special thanks to the
Chicago Federation of Musicians
Local 10-208 AFM

Special thanks to
International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees
IATSE Local 2 – Stagehands
IATSE Local 769 – Theatrical Wardrobe Union
IATSE Local 476 – Studio Mechanics
IATSE Local 829 – United Scenic Artists

2020|21 Season programming innovations from Lyric Opera of Chicago are generously supported by

Sylvia Neil and Daniel Fischel

Patricia A. Kenney and Gregory J. O'Leary

Susan and Robert Morrison

Anonymous

 

Virginia Tobiason

Lyric Opera of Chicago wishes to thank its Official Airline, American Airlines.

Photos: Mitty Carter/Michigan Opera Theatre.