Lyric Scores Big in Awards & Competitions Locally & Internationally

Lyric is internationally renowned for mounting world-class productions with outstanding artists, training up-and-coming singers, and engaging with the community in innovative ways. Recognition for such achievements takes many forms, and Lyric is justifiably proud of the following recent and upcoming honors.

• April 9: The 2017 Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival goes to Jesus Christ Superstar for the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre London production, which Lyric will present in April-May 2018.
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• April 9: The Opera News Awards honor director Robert Carsen (Lyric’s My Fair Lady, Eugene Onegin), Christine Goerke(Cassandre/Les Troyens, Brünnhilde/Die Walküre), and Matthew Polenzani (Tamino/The Magic Flute, Duke/Rigoletto, Nadir/The Pearl Fishers; Ryan Opera Center alumnus).
  
  
• April 17: The Richard Tucker Career Grant goes to Ryan Opera Center alumnus Anthony Clark Evans; one of three winners (Riccardo/I Puritani).
  
  
• April 22: The Lotte Lenya Competition of the Kurt Weill Foundation: Ryan Opera Center alumnus Bradley Smoak wins first prize.
  
  
• May 7: The International Opera Awards’ finalists include the Lyric Opera Chorus/best chorus and Lyric Unlimited/best education and outreach initiative. Also nominated are the following Lyric artists:  Robert Carsen/best director, Christiane Karg (Pamina/The Magic Flute) , Anita Rachvelishvili (title role/Carmen)/best female singer; Lawrence Brownlee (title role/Charlie Parker’s YARDBIRD, Arturo/I Puritani) , Eric Owens (Wotan/Ring cycle), Matthew Polenzani/best male singer; Piotr Beczała (Edgardo/Lucia di Lammermoor), Renée Fleming, Lyric’s creative consultant,  Sondra Radvanovsky (title role/Norma)/Readers’ Award; Lawrence Brownlee, Marianne Crebassa (Dorabella/Così fan tutte)/best solo recital recording; J’nai Bridges (Ryan Opera Center alumna)/best young singer.
  
  
• May 11: The British Consul General Awards’ 2017 Honoree is Lyric Opera of Chicago, represented by Anthony Freud, general director, president & CEO.
  
  
• June 8: The Illinois Arts Alliance will present its inaugural Creative Voice Award to Renée Fleming, Lyric’s creative consultant. 
  
  
• June 11-18: The BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition includes finalist Anthony Clark Evans, a Ryan Opera Center alumnus.
  
  
• July 24- 25: Plácido Domingo’s OPERALIA Competition in Astana, Kazakhstan, includes finalist Emmett O’Hanlon, a second-year Ryan Opera Center ensemble member.
  
  

Check future editions of LYRIC NOTES for updates on these and other Lyric winners!