Lyric Opera of Chicago's Verdi Voices concert now available for free digital streaming

CHICAGO (6/29/22) — Lyric Opera of Chicago’s recent Verdi Voices concert starring three of the world’s most accomplished Verdians — soprano Tamara Wilson, tenor Russell Thomas, and conductor and Lyric Opera of Chicago Music Director Enrique Mazzola — is now available digitally and can be streamed for free here starting today.

This concert features a comprehensive survey of Verdi’s musical genius, from his shimmering overture to La forza del destino, to favorite arias from Don Carlos and Simon Boccanegra, to mesmerizing duets from Aida and Otello, and more. These Verdi specialtists will join forces again to open Lyric's 2022/23 season with the composer's Ernani in September. The Verdi concert film offers a preview of Ernani with the arias "Mercè, diletti amici" and "Ernani, involami."

Chicago-area native Tamara Wilson, winner of the 2016 Richard Tucker Award, made her Lyric debut as Leonora in Verdi’s Il trovatore during the 2018/19 Season. She recently graced Lyric’s stage to perform the towering role of Odabella in Verdi’s "Attila: Highlights in Concert." She returns to the Lyric stage to open the season as Elvira in Ernani.

Russell Thomas made his Lyric debut as Pollione in Bellini’s Norma in the 2016/17 Season and has quickly become an audience favorite, returning for Manrico in Verdi’s Il trovatore in the 2018/2019 Season with Wilson. Thomas was Canio in Lyric's recently released filmed version of Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci. He starred in Lyric’s 2021/22 season as Cavaradossi in Puccini’s Tosca and will once again join Tamara Wilson in Lyric’s season-opening Ernani in the title role.

Enrique Mazzola began his tenure as Lyric’s third Music Director by conducting the 2021/22 Season-opening performances of Verdi’s Macbeth and Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love to great critical and audience acclaim. During Lyric’s 2019/20 Season, as music director designate, he led Verdi’s Luisa Miller to launch the company’s Early Verdi Series. His work at Lyric during the 2020/21 Virtual Season included several explorations of Verdi’s work, from "Attila: Breaking Down the Score" to "Attila: Highlights in Concert," to "The Great Verdi Chorus Showdown," all still available for streaming.

Verdi Voices is generously presented by

Lyric’s Guild Board of Directors

Enrique Mazzola is generously sponsored by the following members of the Enrique Circle

Alice & John Butler

H. Gael Neeson

Sylvia Neil & Daniel Fischel

Robert & Penelope Steiner Family Foundation

The Enrique Circle is comprised of Lyric’s most dedicated supporters who are committed to championing Maestro Enrique Mazzola's exciting artistic vision and legacy.

Lyric Opera's Season is presented by

Lyric Opera of Chicago thanks its Official Airline, American Airlines, and acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council Agency

About Lyric

About Lyric

Lyric Opera of Chicago is committed to redefining what it means to experience great opera. The company is driven to deliver consistently excellent artistry through innovative, relevant, celebratory programming that engages and energizes new and traditional audiences.

Under the leadership of General Director, President & CEO John Mangum and Music Director Enrique Mazzola, Lyric is dedicated to reflecting, and drawing strength from, the diversity of Chicago. Lyric offers, through innovation, collaboration, and evolving learning opportunities, ever-more exciting, accessible, and thought-provoking audience and community experiences. We also stand committed to training the artists of the future, through The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center; and to becoming increasingly diverse across our audiences, staff, programming, and artists—magnifying the welcoming pull of our art form, our company, and our city.

Through the timeless power of voice, the splendor of a great orchestra and chorus, theater, dance, design, and truly magnificent stagecraft, Lyric is devoted to immersing audiences in worlds both familiar and unexpected, creating shared experiences that resonate long after the curtain comes down.

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For more information on Lyric's upcoming 2024/25 Season, visit lyricopera.org/newseason.

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