Two Master Singers, Together at Lyric

Lawrence Brownlee and Eric Owens possess truly remarkable voices and the artistry to make their every performance a great event for the audience. To hear Larry and Eric together in recital is a spectacular opportunity for all who enjoy terrific singing. You can have that opportunity at Lyric on Sunday afternoon, April 9, when the duo presents a program of opera favorites, spirituals, and popular songs. Collaborating with them will be pianist Craig Terry, music director of Lyric’s Ryan Opera Center and a regular concert partner for many internationally prominent singers. Craig created the arrangements of the popular songs just for this program.

The bel canto repertoire – Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti – has brought Larry extraordinary successes worldwide. He’s a star of the Met, Covent Garden, La Scala, and all the other major houses, singing some of the most stratospheric roles ever written for a tenor! Last season he made a hugely acclaimed Lyric debut as the Prince in Rossini’s Cinderella, and he recently earned acclaim in two sold-out performances of Charlie Parker’s YARDBIRD, presented by Lyric Unlimited at the Harris Theater. He’ll be back next season to star as Arturo in Bellini’s I Puritani. When not performing in opera houses he’s a die-hard Pittsburgh Steelers and Ohio State football fan, and has sung the National Anthem at numerous NFL games.

Eric has made a huge impact at Lyric singing roles by composers as varied as Handel, Wagner, Dvořák, George Gershwin, and John Adams. He’s one of the major stars of our new Ring cycle, with his role debut as Wotan in Das Rheingold last season and his return next season to portray the same character in Die Walküre. His immensely imposing voice and presence have graced major houses from the Met (where he recently starred in new productions of Rusalka and Kaija Saariaho’s L’amour de loin) to San Francisco, Glyndebourne, Covent Garden, and the major orchestras of Munich and Berlin. 

When you hear Larry, Eric, and Craig, you’re hearing three masterful artists who are also brilliant communicators. Their Chicago recital is going to be glorious – don’t miss it!