For those of us who grew up with Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness as the soundtrack to our adolescence, its arrival this November on the Lyric Opera of Chicago stage doesn’t feel like a stretch, it feels like a full-circle moment. Thirty years later, the sprawling double album that always sounded like a symphony […]
Globe-trotting, internationally renowned opera and theatre director Francesca Zambello is back in Chicago at Lyric Opera of Chicago directing the universally beloved musical West Side Story — still relevant some 66 years since its Broadway debut — and how very lucky we are to have her here. She partnered previously with Lyric on productions of […]
It has often been said that opera is an acquired taste, more so than any other form of music or art. Many opera aficionados are well into adulthood and, over time, have come to enjoy and appreciate the beauty of a wonderfully executed performance, including the grandiose music, emotional vocals and elaborate costumes that are […]
It’s been five years since the Lyric Opera of Chicago has held its popular wine auction, dubbed by Wine Spectator as “one of the 15 best charity wine auctions in the country.” The last one, held in 2018, raised $2.2 million to support the opera company’s general operations, plus Lyric Unlimited, the company’s learning and […]
Lyric Opera of Chicago commemorated the opening of its 68th season by holding its annual gala in a familiar yet surprising location: inside its famed and glorious opera house. It was the first time in the company’s lengthy history it has held its yearly fundraising event inside the artistic venue. It all happened on September […]
When the great Yiddish author Sholom Aleichem created Tevye the Dairyman in a series of short stories first published in 1884, he never could have imagined that 80 years on, Tevye would become an iconic character of stage and screen. It nearly didn’t happen, because some producers originally considered the story and characters of Fiddler […]
Some of the Chicago-area’s most generous philanthropists gathered for the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s “Lyric Under the Stars” fundraiser, their first in-person gathering since the onstart of the pandemic. The sold-out event, held Sept. 25, drew 250 supporters to celebrate the Lyric’s return to live performances, and raised $1.8 million gross dollars. Gala Chairwoman Karen […]
The Joffrey Ballet’s 2021-2022 season marks a triumphant return to the stage. The fall program entitled Home: a Celebration, Oct. 13–24, 2021, includes original works with three inspired, new-to-the-stage works. They include: Bolero by Joffrey Company Artist Yoshihisa Arai, Under the Trees’ Voices by Joffrey Rehearsal Director Nicolas Blanc, and Swing Low by Winning Works choreographer Chanel DaSilva; along with the […]
Tony and Grammy Award winner Heather Headley has been no stranger to the stage — until now. Like so many fellow artists, Heather Headley hasn’t been able to share her talents with a live audience since the pandemic began. That changed this month when the Northwestern University graduate, who played the role of Nala in […]
Calling all opera, wine, food and travel lovers—aka everyone! (The committee behind the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Women’s Board Wine Auction, a fundraising initiative that has raised more than $11 million for Lyric since 1988, is urging those with an ability to do so to join in on a “social distancing campaign” in support of […]
