Enrique Mazzola

Music Director

Lyric’s Music Director—only the third in the company’s history—is renowned as an expert interpreter and champion of bel canto opera and a specialist in French repertoire and early Verdi. Lyric audiences first experienced the Italian conductor’s artistry in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor in 2016/17, and subsequently in Bellini’s I puritani in 2017/18. During 2019/20, he led Verdi’s Luisa Miller to launch the company’s Early Verdi Series. Mazzola’s first opera as Lyric’s music director, Sir David McVicar’s new production of Verdi’s Macbeth, opened the 2021/22 season, followed by Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love as well as Verdi Voices and Rising Stars in Concert. Mazzola is Principal Guest Conductor at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and served as Artistic and Music Director of the Orchestre National d’Île de France from 2012 to 2019. Symphonic guest work has included the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, Philharmonia Orchestra, Vienna Symphony, London Philharmonic, and Brussels Philharmonic. He has conducted bel canto works for The Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, Paris’s Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, and the major houses of Florence, Strasbourg, Berlin, Zurich, Moscow, and Tokyo, in addition to a historic Meyerbeer cycle for Deutsche Oper Berlin. Past major European festivals have included Glyndebourne (including DVD releases of Il barbiere di Siviglia and Poliuto), new productions in 2019 for Bregenz (Rigoletto) and Salzburg (Orphée aux Enfers), Pesaro (Rossini Opera Festival), Venice, and Aix-en-Provence. Mazzola was born in Barcelona, Spain, into a musical family, and grew up in Milan, where he studied violin and piano, earning diplomas in composition and orchestral conducting at the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi of Milan. Enrique Mazzola is the John D. and Alexandra C. Nichols Endowed Chair.

Welcome Enrique Mazzola as Lyric’s next Music Director

Lyric Opera of Chicago names dynamic Italian conductor Enrique Mazzola as Lyric’s next music director.

Mazzola is only the third person to serve in this role at Lyric following Sir Andrew Davis, who celebrates his 20th year at the helm and will complete his tenure with Lyric’s 2020/21 Season, formally “passing the baton” to Mazzola for the 2021/22 Season.

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.

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Exploring with Enrique: Orchestra pit

What is Maestro Mazzola’s favorite seat in the house? Find out in this episode of “Exploring with Enrique,” as Lyric’s music director takes you inside the orchestra pit.

Exploring with Enrique: Model Room

Sometimes the smallest spaces can hold the biggest ideas. In this episode of Exploring with Enrique, we take a look inside the model room to see how new productions move from concept to reality.

“In solitaria stanza” with Denis Vélez

In this excerpt from “Sole e Amore,” Ryan Opera Center soprano Denis Vélez performs one of Verdi’s best-known songs, “In solitaria stanza” (“In a lonely room”), with Maestro Enrique Mazzola on piano.

Exploring with Enrique: Edison Vault

They say there’s nothing more boring than watching paint dry, but the Edison Vault is far from boring. In fact, it has an electrifying history. Join Maestro Enrique Mazzola as he explores the busy basement space in this episode of Exploring with Enrique.

Exploring with Enrique: Music Library

In this episode of Exploring with Enrique, we "check out" the Music Library — home to countless scores and performance librarians like Annika Donnen who help make sure everyone is on the same page when the curtain goes up.

Exploring with Enrique: Costumes

Whether your character needs the perfect petticoat or a top hat and tails, you're sure to find it in costume storage. While most of the costumes you see on stage are rented or created specifically for each production, we often need to pull additional costumes or foundation pieces for our chorus, supers, and principal artists. In this episode of “Exploring with Enrique,” Maestro Mazzola heads backstage to check out one of our biggest closets (and hopefully find the perfect outfit).

Exploring with Enrique: Props

Props are loosely defined as any object that an artist interacts with while on stage. They can be everyday items like books and brooms, or created specifically for a single production. In this episode of “Exploring with Enrique,” Maestro Mazzola visits Lyric’s props department to take a look at some of the carefully curated pieces we’ve collected and used over the years.

"La seduzione" with David Weigel

In this excerpt from Sole e Amore, recent Ryan Opera Center alumnus David Weigel performs Verdi's “La seduzione” (“The seduction”) with Maestro Enrique Mazzola on piano.

“M’ama…non m’ama” with Denis Vélez

In this clip from Sole e Amore, Ryan Opera Center soprano Denis Vélez performs Mascagni’s “M’ama…non m’ama” (“He loves me…he loves me not”), with Maestro Mazzola on piano.

“L’abbandono” with Ricardo José Rivera

In this clip from Sole e Amore, recent Ryan Opera Center alumnus Ricardo José Rivera performs the Bellini gem, “L’abbandono” (“The abandonment”), with Maestro Enrique Mazzola on piano. This melancholy song takes a surprising turn as it builds towards a lively ending.

“Casa mia” with Anthony Reed

Home is where the heart (and coffee) is! Composed in 1908, Puccini used a folk-song text for "Casa mia" ("My home"), performed here by Ryan Opera Center bass Anthony Reed with Maestro Enrique Mazzola on piano in Sole e Amore.

“Serenata” with Martin Luther Clark

In this clip from Sole e Amore, first-year tenor Martin Luther Clark performs “Serenata” (“Serenade”) by Mascagni with Maestro Enrique Mazzola on piano. Arguably the most popular of Mascagni’s 35+ songs, it was published four years after the triumph of Cavalleria rusticana.

The Sonata Sessions: Rossini’s String Sonata No. 6 in D Major

Bringing The Sonata Sessions to a close is Rossini's String Sonata No. 6 in D Major performed by members of the Lyric Opera Orchestra, with Maestro Enrique Mazzola on the podium. The piece concludes with a dramatic finale titled "Allegro Tempesta," which is almost like looking 25 years into the future with the famous storm from the composer's final opera, William Tell.

The Sonata Sessions: Rossini’s String Sonata No. 5 in E-flat Major

We continue The Sonata Sessions with Rossini’s String Sonata No. 5 in E-flat Major, performed by members of the Lyric Opera Orchestra and conducted by Maestro Enrique Mazzola. Mozart’s influence on the young Rossini is possibly most evident in this sonata. While this energetic piece hints at many of the composer’s future operatic overtures, one of the most interesting aspects is hearing the violins playing “sul ponticello,” (meaning playing with the bow very near to the bridge) giving the effect of a swarm of bees!

The Sonata Sessions: Rossini’s String Sonata No. 4 in B-flat Major

In this episode of The Sonata Sessions, members of the Lyric Opera Orchestra perform Rossini's String Sonata No. 4 in B-flat Major under the baton of Maestro Enrique Mazzola. This piece is a study in contrasts. It features rapid descending chromatic scales—one of the most technically challenging passages in any of Rossini's instrumental music—as well as a bouncy, almost dance-like third movement. Quite impressive for a 12 year old composer!

The Sonata Sessions: Rossini’s String Sonata No. 3 in C Major

In this episode of The Sonata Sessions, we hear Rossini's String Sonata No. 3 in C Major, played by members of the Lyric Opera Orchestra with Music Director Designate Enrique Mazzola. Written in C Major, there's a perfect combination of grace and dignity, but also aggressive virtuosity. This piece is also the only sonata to break the conventional "fast-slow-fast" tempo pattern by ending with a movement marked Moderato.

“Sole e amore” with Katherine DeYoung

The title of our virtual concert, Sole e amore (Sun and love), comes from this Puccini song of the same name. Here, first-year mezzo-soprano Katherine DeYoung and Maestro Enrique Mazzola perform the beautiful song which first appeared in the musical supplement of Paganini magazine in 1888 and was later incorporated into the hit opera La bohème.

Attila Highlights in Concert: Explore More with Enrique Mazzola

In this virtual concert, Music Director Designate Enrique Mazzola leads world-renowned principal artists Christian Van Horn (Attila), Tamara Wilson (Odabella), Matthew Polenzani (Foresto), and Quinn Kelsey (Ezio) in a series of excerpts from Verdi's ATTILA, accompanied by pianists William C. Billingham and Jerad Mosbey.

The Sonata Sessions: Rossini’s String Sonata No. 2 in A Major

In this episode of The Sonata Sessions, members of the Lyric Opera Orchestra perform Rossini's String Sonata No. 2 in A Major led by Maestro Enrique Mazzola. The rhythmical variety and Rossini's ability to take his audience on a journey from soulful to dramatic to impish all in one piece, foreshadows the breadth of his future operatic output. From laugh-out-loud comedy to heart wrenching drama, Rossini could—and would—do it all.

The Sonata Sessions: Rossini’s String Sonata No. 1 in G Major

In our first episode of The Sonata Sessions, we hear Gioachino Rossini's String Sonata No. 1 in G Major, performed by members of the Lyric Opera Orchestra with Maestro Enrique Mazzola on the podium. In this piece, you'll notice that Rossini seamlessly passes the melody back and forth between the different instruments, almost like a game of basketball!

“Per pietà, bell’idol mio” with Maria Novella Malfatti

First-year soprano Maria Novella Malfatti performs Vincenzo Bellini's "Per pietà, bell'idol mio" ("For pity's sake, my beautiful idol") with Lyric's Music Director Designate Enrique Mazzola on piano in Sole e Amore.

“La ricordanza” with Lunga Eric Hallam

In this excerpt from Sole e Amore, first-year tenor Lunga Eric Hallam performs Bellini's "La ricordanza" ("The recollection") with Maestro Mazzola on piano. The composer would later give this memorable melody to Elvira, heroine of his final opera, I PURITANI, which was written the year after this song was published.

Sole e Amore (Sun and Love)

Revel in the sounds of Italy with Sole e Amore (Sun and Love), the latest concert from Lyric Opera of Chicago and The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center.

Introducing: Enrique Mazzola

Meet Lyric Opera's Music Director Designate, Enrique Mazzola!

Music provided by Warner Classics.

Photos: Joe Mazza/Brave Lux, Jean-Baptiste Millot