February 18, 2022
Lyric Family Favorites: February 18
Are you as excited for next season as we are? With two new Lyric commissions, three Lyric premieres, plus audience favorites and a lineup of performers that will leave you starstruck, there’s so much to look forward to. If you’re wondering what goes into planning an opera season like this one, make sure to check out the subscriber-exclusive Season Preview event, featuring General Director, President, and CEO Anthony Freud with Music Director Enrique Mazzola. You can now watch the entire interview on demand.
Plus, learn about an upcoming Chicago Humanities Festival event featuring Fire Shut Up in My Bones composer Terence Blanchard and conductor Daniela Candillari, mark your calendar for a free performance by mezzo-soprano Katherine Beck and pianist Chris Reynolds, listen to new albums from Will Liverman, Grammy-nominated star of Fire Shut Up in My Bones, and from Ryan Opera Center alumni Eric Ferring and Madeline Slettedahl, and read about two new positions in the Ryan Opera Center Ensemble.
Terence Blanchard at Chicago Humanities Festival
Terence Blanchard, the Grammy winning artist and composer behind Fire Shut Up in My Bones, joins conductor Daniela Candillari at the Chicago Humanities Festival on March 25 for a conversation on the process of adapting Charles M. Blow’s acclaimed memoir into this extraordinary opera.
Katherine Beck and Chris Reynolds in concert
Shake up your routine and enjoy a virtual lunch hour concert presented by the International Music Foundation. Ryan Opera Center Ensemble members Katherine Beck, mezzo-soprano, and Chris Reynolds, piano, perform Haydn, Rossini, and more on Wednesday, February 23.
Lyric Arias
Tenor Eric Ferring and pianist Madeline Slettedahl, both Ryan Opera Center alumni, have released a mini-album of Lyric Arias featuring selections from Mozart’s Così fan tutte, Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress and more! Stream the full album today.
Dreams of a New Day
Baritone Will Liverman, a Ryan Opera Center alumnus and the star of the upcoming Lyric production of Fire Shut Up in My Bones, has been nominated for a Grammy award for his 2021 album Dreams of a New Day featuring songs that portray the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of the African American experience.
Ryan Opera Center Ensemble auditions
The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center is pleased to announce that applications are now open for two new positions in the 2022/23 Ensemble: Director and Stage Manager. Learn more about the new positions and send along to any talented artists you know!