October 18, 2024
Engage with Lyric this November
If enjoying a deeper level of cultural engagement has been on your bucket list for 2024, there's still plenty of time left! Lyric Opera of Chicago has a host of November events planned to complement the return of Mozart's beloved The Marriage of Figaro and the much-anticipated Chicago premiere of Blue, named Best Opera of the Year for 2020 by the Music Critics Association of North America. Join us and experience music — and so much more.
Dr. Lady J gives a talk at the Center on Halsted during Lyric's 2024 production of Champion.
November 7, 2024 at 7:00 p.m.
Melodramas of the Midwest: A History of Drag Performance in Midwestern America
Center on Halsted
Music academia meets drag performance at the Center on Halsted! Drag queen musicologist Dr. Lady J returns after her triumphant Lyric appearances last season, this time joined by fellow music scholar and drag performer Dr. Sadie Hochman-Ruiz. Together, they'll explore the intersections of drag and opera, while highlighting Chicago's often overlooked influence in the drag scene. Tickets $10 with a light reception to follow. Space is limited!
November 8, 2024 at 12:00 p.m.
Dr. Lady J Fireside Chat at Roosevelt University
This lively discussion with Dr. Lady J and Roosevelt College of Performing Arts professors Dr. Ashley Pribyl and Tommy Novak tackles the challenges faced by LGBTQIA+ and nonbinary artists working within the performing arts industry as well as the extensive history of gender nonconformity on stage. Tickets are free for students, university staff, and alumni. The general public is welcome to attend, but students will be prioritized.
November 9-30, 2024
The Marriage of Figaro Pre-Opera talks – and a special experience!
Lyric welcomes Dr. Elinor Olin, professor of music and founder of the Opera Immersion Seminars at Northern Illinois University, as the pre-opera speaker for six performances of The Marriage of Figaro, where she will delve into the music and themes around the work, and why some have called it "the perfect opera." Talks are 30 minutes and begin one hour before curtain.
On opening night of Figaro, November 9, 2024, Dr. Lady J presents a special, one-night-only pre-opera talk, drawing on her vast background as the world's first (and only) Drag Queen with a Ph.D. in Musicology.
Prior to the November 24, 2:00 p.m. matinee, in place of the traditional pre-opera talk, ticket holders will enjoy Peek in the Pit, a special opportunity to interact with and learn more about the Lyric Opera Orchestra! Get a birds-eye view of the orchestra pit, enjoy first-hand discussion with orchestra members, and see their instruments up close.
Karen Slack performs at Sunday in the Park with Lyric in Millennium Park
November 12, 2024 at 7:00 p.m.
Of Thee I Sing! Songs of Love and Justice
Lyric Opera House Rice Grand Foyer
This critically acclaimed recital was created by Lyric Unlimited Artist-in-Residence Karen Slack in the late summer of 2020 during the height of the pandemic and just after the murder of George Floyd. The program features the raw and powerful yet hopeful Langston Hughes poem, The Kids Who Die (1938) as set by American composer Scott Gendel, and additional works that explore themes of love and justice. After the recital, join us for a Q&A with Lyric Unlimited Scholar-in-Residence Dr. Antonio C. Cuyler and a light reception.
A photo of Lauren, 18, from Tonika Johnson's BELONGING project.
November 16, 2024
Opening night of Blue
Opening of Tonika Johnson Exhibition: Thoughts on Parenthood, Belonging, and Alternative Spaces
Lyric Opera House
Join us for the intersection of art and music during the Chicago premiere of Jeanine Tesori and Tazewell Thompson's Blue. As a companion to Blue, Lyric presents an art exhibit featuring work from three unique collections by Chicago artist and activist Tonika Johnson at the Lyric Opera House: Thoughts on Parenthood, Belonging, and Alternative Spaces. Johnson's work explores issues of parenthood, race, and resiliency, and is open to ticket holders during Lyric performances November 16 - December 1 with select additional weekday hours to be announced.
Consider joining us for the Opening Night celebration, with a $125 inclusive ticket using promo code BLUEVIP, which includes:
● 4:00 p.m. Welcome drinks on the American Airlines Mezzanine
● 4:30 p.m. A walking tour of artist and activist Tonika Johnson's exhibit at the Lyric Opera House hosted by Lyric Unlimited Artist-in-Residence Karen Slack.
● 5:00 p.m. Reception presented by Luella's Southern Kitchen and featuring signature desserts by Brown Sugar Bakery.
● 6:00 p.m. Shades of Blue pre-opera talk featuring Lyric Unlimited Scholar-in-Residence Dr. Antonio C. Cuyler and Dr. Naomi André, David G. Frey Distinguished Professor in Music at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
● 7:30 p.m. The Chicago premiere of Blue with a Main Floor ticket
(Offer valid for Main Floor Prime and 1-3 and First Balcony 1-2 seating. If you already have a ticket for Blue on 11/16 and would like to add the pre-show activities, please call 312.827.5600 where we can assist you.)
November 16 - December 1
Shades of Blue Pre-Opera Talks
Lyric Opera House
Pre-opera talks for Blue will be presented as Shades of Blue, a series of conversations between Lyric Unlimited Scholar-in-Residence, Dr. Antonio C. Cuyler, and special guests who will explore the themes and complex community issues that this contemporary opera brings to the surface.
The following is the schedule for Blue pre-opera talks:
Nov. 16, 6:00 p.m. Extended 1-hour conversation with Dr. Cuyler and Dr. Naomi André, David G. Frey Distinguished Professor in Music at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Nov. 20, 6:00 p.m. 30-minute pre-opera talk between Dr. Cuyler and local artist and activist Tonika Johnson, whose work is on display during Lyric's production of Blue.
Nov. 22, 6:00 p.m. 30-minute pre-opera talk between Dr. Cuyler and Dr. Franklin Cosey-Gay, director of University of Chicago Medicine's Violence Recovery Program.
Nov. 26, 6:00 p.m. 30-minute pre-opera talk between Dr. Cuyler and representatives from the Illinois Prison Project, continuing the conversation started during Fidelio.
Dec. 1, 1:00 p.m. 30-minute pre-opera talk between LaRob K. Rafael, 98.7WFMT program host and founder of Hearing in Color, with Lieutenant Jermaine Harris, a current Chicago Police Department officer as well as a grassroots community leader around violence prevention.
Davin Youngs brings The RESET to Lyric's Rice Grand Foyer.
November 15, 2024 at 7:00 p.m.
The RESET with Davin Youngs
Lyric Opera House Rice Grand Foyer
This season, Lyric launches Music That Heals, a series designed to stimulate, calm, and evoke a sense of ease for participants using the power of music to heal our physical and physiological selves.
Our inaugural Music That Heals program, The RESET, is a transformative sound healing experience by renowned artist Davin Youngs. This innovative event at the crossroads of wellness and music uses a blend of improvisational singing, live looping, sound healing instruments, and electronic beats to create a unique electro-acoustic sonic immersive state.
Tickets for this special event are $20. Participants are asked to bring their own yoga mat, blocks, or a comfortable meditation seat, as this experience will take place on the floor of the magnificent Rice Grand Foyer. Limited bench seats are available.
November 18, 2024 at 7:00 p.m.
Opera Insights with Invisible Institute and Artists from Blue
DuSable Black History Museum Gallery
This evening of captivating conversation around Blue centers around its complex themes of police misconduct, accountability, and justice. The first portion of the evening's discussion brings together Lyric Unlimited Scholar-in-Residence Dr. Antonio C. Cuyler in conversation with seasoned journalists from the Pulitzer Prize-winning organization Invisible Institute. Following a brief intermission, we'll dive into the experience of Blue from the perspective of the principal singers in the Lyric production who bring this powerful story to life on the stage. This event is free but requires a reservation.
November 23, 2024 at 2:00 p.m.
Gen Z in Action: Art, Activism, Advocacy and Advancement Discussion
Kennedy King College Black Box
Lyric Opera of Chicago's Audience Programs Associate Anthony Jones moderates a lively discussion with fellow Gen Z arts and nonprofit leaders Kylie Davis, Empirical Research Fellow at Kellogg School of Management; Ronnie Taylor Jr., Center on Halsted Youth Culture Coordinator; and Zakiya Collier, Chicago Urban League's STEM Coordinator, as they explore Gen Z's unique approach to art-making in the 21st Century. The event concludes with a panel curated by Kennedy King College (KKC) students and KKC security officers who formerly served in law enforcement.
Chicago-based Black chamber music collective string quartet D-Composed.
December 1, 2024 at 11:00 a.m.
D-Composed Presents D-Compressed
Lyric Opera House
Black chamber music collective string quartet D-Composed will present its music and meditation series, D-Compressed, as part of Lyric Opera's Music That Heals series. The music of D-Composed will create a sonic space for healing for attendees while Cherish Hicks of Beyond Wellness will provide meditative affirmations and sound bowls to create healing sound waves throughout the experience. Immediately following, Lyric will provide light refreshments to those who will be attending the 12/1 matinee of Blue. Blue ticket holders have priority to attend this special event. Tickets are $20.
