Holiday Gift Ideas for the Arts Lovers in Your Life

What we all want at the holidays and every day is time with our loved ones and lasting memories. Whether you’re looking for a gift for a special opera fan, or saying thank you at the holidays to clients or colleagues, gifts from Lyric are a distinctive way to set yourself apart and delight someone twice — once when they open the gift, and then again when they attend a wonderful performance. We thank you for sharing your love for opera with the people in your life and supporting an art form that offers the joys of glorious singing plus orchestra, chorus, and dance all wrapped into one package!

Gift Certificates: Lyric offers gift certificates in any denomination by phone, and pre-set denominations online. Gift certificates can be put towards subscriptions (renewal or new), individual performance and event tickets, dining, and merchandise. PURCHASE HERE or call 312.827.5600.

Opera Performances: There are four thrilling titles yet to come in the 2015/16 Season! The world premiere run of Bel Canto continues in January, followed by the powerful drama Nabucco, the opera that made Verdi a star. February brings two lavishly romantic productions — Strauss’s comedic love triangle Der Rosenkavalier and Gounod’s enchanting operatic version of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Purchase tickets to send friends, or make it a group outing together! 

Dmitri Hvorostovsky in Recital: “He is sending aficionados the world over into a collective swoon,” Vanity Fair raved of the Russian baritone. “The sheer beauty of Hvorostovsky’s voice approaches legendary status,” said The San Francisco Examiner. Tickets start at just $49. Buy tickets here.

The King and I: “Shall We Dance?,” “Getting to Know You,” “Hello, Young Lovers,” “I Whistle a Happy Tune,” “Something Wonderful.” In the words of The Guardian, “The music is so entrancing, the lyrics so enchanting, the characterizations so rich, that it’s no puzzlement why The King and I endures.”  Share the classic with a new generation this spring! (Read more and see photos here.) Buy tickets here.

See Jane Sing: Second City alumna Jane Lynch brings her musical-comedy cabaret show to Lyric on June 17 & 18, 2016. Sit right on the Civic Opera House stage and get up close and personal with sofa or table seating while the Golden Globe-winning Glee actress performs with The Office’s Kate Flannery and Glee vocal coordinator Tim Davis in a musical journey through Broadway and American songbook standards. Buy tickets here.

Backstage Tours: New this season, Lyric offers one-hour backstage tours to the public on select weekday mornings at 10am. From the lobby to the orchestra pit, costume shop and backstage area, see the magic behind the performances for just $15. Interested in a more premium experience? The Lyric Guild Board offers exclusive tours each spring. LEARN MORE OR PURCHASE BACKSTAGE TOURS.

Opera Merchandise: With stand-alone gifts like an opera-themed silk tie or shawl, casual items like mugs, ornaments, and playing cards that are the perfect thoughtful accompaniment to a gift certificate, Lyric’s OperaShop is a great place to find unique gifts for your opera lover.  BUY HERE.

Donations:  For the gift recipient who knows that it’s better to give than to receive, consider supporting someone’s passion for opera with a tax-deductible gift to Lyric in someone’s honor this holiday season. Your gift supports the work Lyric does on stage, in classrooms, and throughout the Chicago community. DONATE NOW.