April 24, 2019
Opera is...
Enjoying opera can provoke various emotions in us, and everyone experiences art differently. But if you could only pick one word to describe what opera means to you, personally, what would that be? Perhaps you find it “inspiring” or “cathartic?” Or, maybe the first thing that comes to your mind is a shared experience like “family” or “community?” As one of our cherished donors, we want to know more about what draws you to opera and what inspires you to support Lyric beyond the cost of your tickets.
Tell us what opera means to you, and your response may be featured in our upcoming communications!
Share what 'opera is' to you...
Looking for inspiration?
We surveyed members of our Development office to learn more about what opera means to each of us and to find out what we’re excited for in Lyric’s 2018/19 Season. Read our responses below. We love getting to know our patrons, so we hope we can chat further when we see you at the Opera House this season!
Pavitra Ramachandran
Institutional Giving Associate
Lyric employee since September 2016
What are you looking forward to this season?
Elektra! I cannot wait to hear Nina Stemme perform this crazy soprano role.
What does opera mean to you?
Opera is UNAPOLOGETIC. It has the power to make you feel such incredible joy and then tear that away from you one act later. Opera is a constant stream of in-your-face, over-the-top drama. But that's what makes it so great.
Daniel Moss
Senior Director of Institutional Giving
Lyric employee since August 2006
What are you looking forward to this season?
Anna Netrebko! Siegfried! Nina Stemme and our incredible Elektra production!
What does opera mean to you?
Opera is AMAZING. I attended IU for my undergraduate degree in violin performance. I was assigned to the orchestra for Offenbach’s Les contes d'Hoffmann (with Kyle Ketelsen singing the Villains) and fell madly in love with this amazing art form. The power of the music and the impact of the storytelling are simply incredible. I am proud to help make this possible onstage and in our community.
Erin Johnson
Donor Records Coordinator
Lyric employee since September 2016
What are you looking forward to this season?
I'm very excited to hear the "Anvil Chorus" in Verdi's Il trovatore!
What does opera mean to you?
Opera is SPELLBINDING. through its use of all mediums of art—music, dance, and acting (Wagner's Gesamtkunstwerk concept)—it has the ability to mesmerize the audience as if by casting a delightful magic spell over their attention for hours at a time and by taking them to lands where anything but the usual can happen. Additionally, "spellbinding" connects the audience with some of the magic of this season's shows. There's the obvious magical fairy godmother casting spells in Cendrillon; the fantasy of Siegfried with its gods, dragons, and frequent comparisons to The Lord of the Rings, and even the gods and mythology present in Idomeneo.
Stephanie Lillie
Donor Records and Reporting Associate
Lyric employee since March 2014
What are you looking forward to this season?
"Libiamo, ne’ lieti calici" in Act I of La traviata
What does opera mean to you?
Opera is EMOTIONAL. Most operas hit every emotional string you have and you leave the opera house empowered on every level.
Scott Podraza
Associate Director of Annual Giving
Lyric employee since March 2016
What are you looking forward to this season?
Probably strange to say, but I'm excited to see this gushing river of blood that I've heard so much about in Elektra. I'm a big horror movie fan, so I guess it speaks to my interests. On a far less gruesome note, I'm excited for the sort-of Freudian, Expressionistic designs of Siegfried, too.
What does opera mean to you?
Opera is EVOLVING. I think it's really important for our audiences, especially those who are newer to opera (like me), to see that opera isn't stuck in some frozen moment in time. It's a living breathing art form. Yes, preservation is important, but it's crucial to explore new approaches to an opera in order to keep it relevant, accessible, and appealing.
Zachary Vanderburg
Executive Assistant to the Chief Development Officer
Lyric employee since January 2014
What are you looking forward to this season?
Elektra - I saw this production first as a student in college, and it was thrilling. You could feel everyone on the edge of their seat, breathless, and the fall of the curtain triggered an overwhelming rise to applaud. I can't wait to see it again!
What does opera mean to you?
Opera is EVERYTHING. It is Olympic, it is dance, it is symphony, it is humanity, it is drama, it is voice, it is all art forms coming together to create a complete experience, and it takes everything from the artists on stage and the audience in their seats to make it happen.
Angela DeStefano
Associate Director of Guild Board
Lyric employee since July 2017
What are you looking forward to this season?
The forging scene in Siegfried!
What does opera mean to you?
Opera is POWERFUL. I'm sitting in my seat, anticipating a big operatic moment coming. I know what it should sound like, but the beauty of live performance is you never know what will actually happen. The orchestra is buzzing, the stage is set with heightened emotions, and just when you think the pinnacle has been reached, voices erupt—gloriously expanding what you thought was possible.
Meaghan Stainback
Associate Director of Individual Giving
Lyric employee since September 2010
What are you looking forward to this season?
There are so many exciting artists coming to Lyric this season! I'm looking forward to debuts from Michael Fabiano, Burkhard Fritz, and Nina Stemme, but I think I'm most excited to see Tamara Wilson and Jamie Barton sing together in Il trovatore. They are both such powerhouses, it will be thrilling to have all that strong female energy onstage!
What does opera mean to you?
Opera is IMMERSIVE. I love that you can find something about every production that interests you. If you aren't thrilled about the soprano, you can watch for the theatrical set changes, and if the lighting isn't quite your thing, you can hone in on the orchestra's beautiful playing. Of course, when it all comes together perfectly, there's nothing like it! That's the beauty of live theater!
Leah Bobbey
Women’s Board Associate
Lyric employee since March 2016
What are you looking forward to this season?
I can't wait for the Renée Fleming 25th Anniversary Concert and Gala!
What does opera mean to you?
Opera is a COMBINATION of life’s greatest art forms. Music, acting, dancing, art, literature—it's all there!
Deb Hare
Director of Special Events
Lyric employee since May 1996
What are you looking forward to this season?
Really looking forward to hearing Maria Agresta and Michael Fabiano sing "O Soave Fanciulla" from the end of Act I of La bohème!
What does opera mean to you?
Opera is TRANSFORMATIVE. You will be moved by opera if you just give it a chance.
Libby Rosenfeld
Major Gifts Officer
Lyric employee since June 2017
What are you looking forward to this season?
I look forward to seeing Nina Stemme sing the title role in Elektra. This will be Ms. Stemme's Lyric debut. Anthony Freud has wanted to see her on the Lyric stage for years. His excitement about having her here is contagious! Our production of Elektra also uses so much blood that we have to lay a tarp down to make sure the blood doesn't get into the basement. Who doesn't love a little (or a lot of) blood and gore?!
What does opera mean to you?
Opera is PROVOKING. Opera provokes me to feel emotions, from deep sorrow to overwhelming joy; to think about my own life, my relationships, and the world around us; to learn about other languages, cultures, and history.
Amy Tinucci
Director of Development Operations
Lyric employee since January 2010
What are you looking forward to this season?
Cendrillon, because I adore Massenet
What does opera mean to you?
Opera is TRANSFORMATIVE. Opera takes you on an emotional journey and you return forever changed.
Andrea Rubens
Individual Giving and Lyric Young Professionals Coordinator
Lyric employee since September 2016
What are you looking forward to this season?
I'm really looking forward to Halloween Masquerade on October 27th, hosted by the Lyric Young Professionals! This event, now in its fourth year, keeps growing in popularity year after year. Plus it's really fun to celebrate Halloween at the opera house; there's nothing like it!
What does opera mean to you?
Opera is ENCHANTING. Only for opera does a full symphony orchestra, world-renown singers, masterful costume and set designers, and the occasional dancers come together on one stage to tell a story in which the music always plays the leading role. It's like attending the symphony, concert, and ballet all in one night! Whether you've traveled all over the world attending opera or just so happened to stumble upon Lyric on your way to work in the morning, the theatrical experience of attending opera at Lyric Opera of Chicago is unmatched; there's something for everyone!
Sarah Geocaris
Chapters Coordinator
Lyric employee since September 2016
What are you looking forward to this season?
I'm really looking forward to Cendrillon. Massenet is one of my favorite composers. I can't wait to hear its lush music in our theater!
What does opera mean to you?
Opera is FANTASY. Every time I see an opera I'm just transported to the fantasy world on stage, and it is amazing. It is so fun to "play along," so to speak, with the story happening before my very eyes, especially since it is so different than our everyday lives. I just love the feeling of being engulfed in fantastical music and performance.
Anna VanDeKerchove
Donor Engagement and Stewardship Coordinator
Lyric employee since October 2015
What are you looking forward to this season?
I am over-the-moon about Ariodante! I'm a big fan of early music and am thrilled to see another Baroque opera make it's way to our stage!
What does opera mean to you?
Opera is TIMELESS. Opera continues to be performed, composed, and interpreted - and both the old and the new are riveting and wonderful artistic expressions of musical excellence!
Amanda Ramsey
Development Prospect and Research Coordinator
Lyric employee since December 2017
What are you looking forward to this season?
An American Dream
What does opera mean to you?
Opera is COLLABORATION. Our opera seasons would not happen without the collaborative efforts of every department here at Lyric and the strong partnerships we have with our donors.
Teresa Fleming
Women’s Board Assistant
Lyric employee since March 2018
What are you looking forward to this season?
I'm looking forward to Rhoda and the Fossil Hunt! The sneak peeks I've gotten at costumes have been magical, and I'm so excited to see new audiences connect with Lyric through this production.
What does opera mean to you?
Opera is THERAPEUTIC. I leave every performance with a deeper, more nuanced understanding of my own inner emotional life, and a heightened sense of empathy for the people around me.
Marisa Lerman
Development Assistant
Lyric employee since December 2016
What are you looking forward to this season?
I am very excited for the production of Elektra! I am an avid reader of Greek mythology and I am eager to hear the Lyric debut of the amazing dramatic soprano, Nina Stemme.
What does opera mean to you?
Opera is MAGICAL. It can transport you to an entirely different world and inspire you with beautiful melodies
Mike Biver
Director of Gift Planning
Lyric employee since February 2018
What are you looking forward to this season?
Siegfried’s dragon!
What does opera mean to you?
Opera is PALPABLE. To me, opera is the combination many things (vocal artists, each musician/instrument in the orchestra, the lighting, the scenery, etc) having to come together in almost complete and perfect harmony to create a finished product that is so seamless that it is nearly impossible to even acknowledge the individual pieces that make it up ('The whole is greater than the sum of its parts' type thinking). Yet all these pieces are coming together in a way to produce a feeling or an experience that, in and of itself, is not actually tangible. YET, the experience can be so intense that it seems nearly tangible. Hence, to me, opera is palpable.
Adriane Fink
Director of Institutional Giving
Lyric employee since June 2018
What are you looking forward to this season?
The wild, revenge-driven fury of Elektra! Girl's got blood on her hands...
What does opera mean to you?
Opera is RIVETING. From Butterfly to Salome and all the Turandots in between, opera captures the complete human experience making it impossible to look away.
Paul Sprecher
Special Events Associate
Lyric employee since April 2017
What are you looking forward to this season?
I’m really looking forward to our 2018/19 opera season, but I’m most looking forward to seeing La bohéme because this is one of the operas I’ve been told is a must-see for anyone who is newer to the opera world.
What does opera mean to you?
Opera is FABULOUS. Fabulous artists. Fabulous music. Fabulous costumes. Fabulous set designs. You will always have a fabulous experience at the opera!
Hanna Pristave
Manager of Operations and Data Analytics
Lyric employee since February 2014
What are you looking forward to this season?
I am excited to see Anna Netrebko perform again - she is one of my classical singer idols!
What does opera mean to you?
Opera is MAGIC. That beautiful, resonate music that soars from the human body creates such a soul - melting connection to listeners; one cannot describe it - they must experience it.
Lawrence DelPilar
Senior Director, Development
Lyric employee since August 1990
What are you looking forward to this season? Our new production of La bohème—there is so much snow, that scenes will look like a living snow globe. With the gorgeous music of Puccini and company debut of Michael Fabiano, bohème promises to take your breath away.
What does opera mean to you? Opera is SOUL-STIRRING. I was privileged to witness Renée Fleming's company debut in Susannah in the early 1990s. I will never forget Renée's gorgeous singing of "Ain't it a pretty night" sitting on the roof of her house surrounded by a field of stars. A magic moment.
Jonathan P. Siner
Senior Director of Gift Planning
Lyric employee since June 1994
What are you looking forward to this season?
The entire season is incredible. Highlights for me are Il trovatore (greatest opera ever); Siegfried (3rd of Wagner's immense 4-opera Ring cycle to be performed at Lyric three times in April 2020, can't wait); Cendrillon (the French Cinderella); and Handel's Aridodante (no one knows it, but you’ll delight in Handel for three hours). West Side Story is the crème de la crème.
What does opera mean to you?
Opera is PERFECTION. Absolute perfection.
Kate Later
Senior Director of Special Events and Women’s Board
Lyric employee since August 2016
What are you looking forward to this season?
Renée Fleming 25th Anniversary Concert and Gala
What does opera mean to you?
Opera is an ESCAPE— a perfect way to tune out the stresses in life to enjoy and be in the moment.
Rachel Peterson
Special Events Associate
Lyric employee since March 2016
What are you looking forward to this season?
I’m really excited for Ariodante! I love puppets; they make for fascinating storytelling tools.
What does opera mean to you?
Opera is ATHLETIC. The mechanics of singing are truly fascinating. It takes unbelievable physical and mental stamina to fill an auditorium like ours with song. And then you add puppets to it—such control!
Elizabeth Hurley
Chief Development Officer
Lyric employee since March 2018
What are you looking forward to this season?
As a self-professed “Ringhead,” I’m incredibly excited about our new Siegfried.
What does opera mean to you?
Opera is INTEGRAL. Much like opera, our city was built upon the collaboration of people from many backgrounds, making it as diverse as it is necessary to its success. Lyric Opera of Chicago is a critical component of Chicago’s incredible artistic oeuvre.