February 2017 Lyric Notes

After a 20-year hiatus, Bellini’s bel canto masterpiece Norma is back at Lyric in a new production that’s getting rave reviews. Here’s a sampling to whet your appetite.

Mariusz Kwiecień and Ana María Martínez return Lyric as the sophisticated title character and the lovesick Tatiana in Tchaikovsky’s glorious Eugene Onegin.

Lerner and Loewe’s My Fair Lady needs a remarkable quintet of singing actors in the major roles, and Lyric’s got them! Each has scored terrific successes — whether onstage or onscreen — that make them the ideal leading players of our production.

Last month you met the Carmens. Now it’s time to meet the two world-renowned tenors who will be vying for Carmen’s heart as Don José during Lyric’s new-to-Chicago production of the classic tale of seduction, love, and betrayal.

In 2015, Charlie Parker’s Yardbird premiered at Opera Philadelphia and soon went on to become the first opera ever performed at Harlem’s famed Apollo Theater. Now, it’s headed to the Windy City, and Chicago audiences will experience firsthand the opera that has critics and fans alike raving.

Explore the complexity of opera production behind the curtain of Lyric Opera of Chicago. Your two-and-a-half-hour, 10-stop walking tour will be guided by professional staff and trained volunteers, and will be full of interesting discussions and demonstrations by experts in various staging areas.

Everyone knows that Lyric presents a glorious main stage season, with eight grand operas that never cease to inspire and amaze. Did you know that Lyric also presents a variety of programming that explores opera in its different forms and gives audiences access to some of the biggest stars in classical music?