From sweeping music and unrelenting drama, to fearless performances and fantastical scenery, Cherubini's "Medea" comes to Lyric for the first time in the 2025/26 Season.
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Medea
October 11. 2025 - October 26. 2025
Upcoming Dates
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October 11. 2025 - October 26. 2025
Hell hath no fury like a sorceress scorned. Medea
Lyric Opera of Chicago presents Medea, a tale of infidelity and revenge like no other. Euripides’s millennia-old tragedy comes to life — and gruesome death — in this presentation of acclaimed director Sir David McVicar’s iconic, grand-scale production.
Featuring Lyric’s own Music Director Enrique Mazzola on the podium, this intense spectacle stars international powerhouse soprano Sondra Radvanovsky in one of the fiercest, most demanding roles ever written. She shares the stage with equally formidable tenor — and Lyric favorite — Matthew Polenzani.
Medea dials the drama up to 11, bringing new meaning to “blood and thunder” as it tantalizes hardcore opera lovers and leaves new audiences glued to the edge of their seats.
- Language: Sung in Italian with projected English titles
- Running Time: 3 hours and 20 minutes, including 1 intermission
- Location: Lyric Opera House
- Composer: Luigi Cherubini
Sponsors
Lyric’s presentation of Cherubini’s Medea is generously made possible by Lisbeth Stiffel, Julie & Roger Baskes, Marlys A. Beider, and Patricia A. Kenney & Gregory J. O’Leary.
Maestro Enrique Mazzola is generously sponsored by Alice & John Butler, H. Gael Neeson, Sylvia Neil & Daniel Fischel, the Robert and Penelope Steiner Family Foundation, Mary Stowell, and the Zell Family Foundation as members of the Enrique Circle.
Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Chorus is generously sponsored by an Anonymous Lead Sponsor.
Articles
The upcoming season at Lyric offers a wealth of incredible performances, featuring both exciting new works and timeless classics. With a variety of exceptional productions to choose from, why not create your own perfect trio of performances?
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Internationally renowned tenor and Ryan Opera Center alumnus Matthew Polenzani has been an audience favorite since his Lyric debut in 1995. This season he returns as Giasone in Cherubini's Greek drama, "Medea."
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Berwyn-born soprano Sondra Radvonovky has thrilled audiences with her powerful portrayals as some of opera's most dramatic heroines from Norma to Lady Macbeth. This fall she opens Lyric’s 25/26 season with Medea. We sat down with her to chat about this thrilling performance and how she prepares for such a demanding role.
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Post show October 26, 2025
Artist Talkback
Artist Talkback
Join us immediately after the performance on Sunday, October 26, as Roger Pines leads a discussion with the artists from Medea. Deepen your experience of this visceral production by hearing how they brought Sir David McVicar's compelling vision to life — and explore each artist’s personal connection to the material.
Saturday, October 18, 3:00 p.m. at The University of Chicago
Medea Opera Insights
Medea Opera Insights
Lyric is partnering with the Chicago Humanities Festival to present an Opera Insights discussion for Medea. This riveting conversation will examine and contextualize Cherubini’s classic opera, within the broader storied tradition of theatrical adaptations of the Greek tragedy. Through compelling conversation, this event will shed light on how Medea, one of mythology’s most complex figures, is transformed through music and drama for the opera stage.
Artists
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Sondra Radvanovsky
Medea
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Matthew Polenzani **
Giasone
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Elena Villalón *
Glauce
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Zoie Reams
Neris
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Alfred Walker
Creonte
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Enrique Mazzola
Conductor
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Sir David McVicar
Director & Set Designer
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Doey Lüthi *
Costume Designer
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Paule Constable
Original Lighting Designer
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S. Katy Tucker
Projection Designer
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Michael Black
Chorus Director
Jo Meredith *
Movement Director
* Lyric debut
** Ryan Opera Center alumnus
Credits
A coproduction of Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Metropolitan Opera, Greek National Opera, and Canadian Opera Company.
Photo credit: John Shaw/Lyric Opera of Chicago