Lyric Opera

IRA CHARITABLE ROLLOVER PERMANENTLY ENACTED INTO LAW, AND RETROACTIVELY FOR ALL OF 2015

Federal Legislation now permanently allows TAX-FREE IRA Rollover gifts to charity.

Enhanced ability to make increased gifts to Lyric Opera in 2015 and thereafter.

The IRA Rollover law is retroactive for any gifts to charity of IRA funds made in 2015 and will not expire as it has in past years. This law provides that anyone 70 1/2 years and older can make a tax-free IRA rollover gift to Lyric Opera of up to $100,000 per year. There is no IRA withdrawal tax and no charitable deduction for these kinds of gifts. You may use your 2015 “required minimum IRA distribution” or any other IRA funds to make an IRA Rollover gift to Lyric by December 31, 2015.

We urge you to call Lyric’s Senior Director of Planned Giving, Jonathan Siner, with questions.

He can be reached at (312) 827-5677 or jsiner@lyricopera.org.

As a patron of Lyric Opera, you are already passionate about opera in general and about Lyric in particular. Eagerly anticipating each season, you treasure your time in the Ardis Krainik Theatre, fully immersed in spectacle and lost in song and story.

All of Lyric Opera's elements – our artists, chorus, orchestra, technicians, and administrators - are interdependent, contributing to Lyric’s worldwide reputation of excellence. The most crucial part of Lyric, however, is you! A vital component of Lyric's future is its group of donors who have included Lyric in their estate plans, known as The Overture Society.

The Planned Giving Department is ready to help you fulfill your wish to leave a planned gift to Lyric, and to become a treasured member of The Overture Society. Senior Director of Planned Giving, Jonathan Siner, may be reached at 312-827-5677, or email him at jsiner@lyricopera.org. Associate Director of Planned and Major Giving, Lynn Bennett, may be reached at 312-827-5688, or lbennett@lyricopera.org. Rachel Peterson,Planned Giving Coordinator, may be reached 312-827-5696 or rpeterson@lyricopera.org.

See below for more information on The Overture Society and all of the wonderful benefits you will receive for your generosity! Leaving a gift to Lyric is truly leaving a beautiful legacy that will be enjoyed by thousands for years to come.
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The Overture Society

Overture Society Benefits

Ways to Make a Planned Gift

Bel Canto Benefactor Benefits

Testimonials

The Overture Society

The Overture Society consists of those esteemed supporters who have designated a special gift to benefit Lyric Opera in the future through bequests, life insurance, IRAs, trusts, or other planned-giving arrangements. These generous gifts ensure our artistic progress well into the 21st century for the benefit of generations to come.

In addition, through a variety of "income for life" plans such as Charitable Remainder Trusts and Gift Annuities, donors can receive a steady stream of income for themselves or loved ones, along with substantial tax savings. Planned Giving at Lyric Opera offers a unique way to make charitable gifts, and ensures financial security allowing Lyric to engage in long-range planning for future opera productions.

Overture Society Benefits

All planned givers are members of the Overture Society at Lyric Opera, entitling them to these special benefits:

-Invitation to an Overture Society Appreciation Luncheon with opera stars and dress rehearsal

-Individualized ticket service privileges

-Invitations to special events and performances not offered to the public, the Opera Ball, and the Board of Directors' Annual Meeting Dinner

-Special recognition in the season program

-Estate planning seminars and special notice of Tax Alerts

-Individualized estate planning assistance for charitable planned gifts

Ways to Make a Planned Gift

Careful tax advice continues to be an essential tool to an estate plan, and Lyric Opera encourages you to consult your legal or financial advisor to keep abreast of changing tax laws. A list of the more traditional planned-giving vehicles, and the tax savings and other benefits associated with each are listed below. Please click on individual ways for more information.

Use Lyric Opera's Planned Giving calculator to customize any of the following planned gifts for your own personal set of circumstances. This will show you your own exact tax savings and other financial benefits applicable to any planned gift you select.

Please visit our WAYS TO GIVE page to learn more.

Questions? Please contact Jon Siner, Director of Planned Giving, at 312-827-5677 or jsiner@lyricopera.org to learn more about Planned Giving at Lyric!

Bel Canto Benefactor Benefits

Lyric Opera also honors Bel Canto Benefactors, who have designated planned gifts of $100,000 or more and also contribute $1,000 or more annually to Lyric's Annual Campaign. Bel Canto Benefactors receive all the benefits of the Overture Society, plus these additional exciting benefits:

-Special recognition at the Overture Society Appreciation Luncheons

-Separate listing as a Bel Canto Benefactor on the Overture Society page of the Season Program and Lyric Opera's Annual Report

-YOUR NAME HERE! Eligibility to honor yourself or a loved one by naming a seas in the Ardis Krainik Theatre with a modest cast deposit

Testimonials

Here are what some of our Planned Givers are saying about being in the Overture Society:

"My wife and I cherish our evenings at Lyric Opera as they are a vital part of our cultural life. Lyric also plays an instrumental role in making Chicago a world-class city. We are pleased to continue supporting Lyric during our lifetime and have also included Lyric in our estate plan."
-Allan B. Muchin

"Our passion for Lyric Opera motivated us to structure our estate plan to help ensure that Chicagoans will always be able to hear and see the world's best opera on the Ardis Krainik Theatre stage. To accomplish this, we named Lyric as a beneficiary of our Living Trust."
-Bill & Mary Pay Hay
William E. and Mary Gannon Hay Puccini Endowed Chair

"We can't think of any organization we love better. We decided to fund the Bel Canto Opera Endowed Chair with our planned gift to help ensure that Lyric productions will continue. After all, Lyric is number one!"
-Lyn & Bill Redfield
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Redfield Bel Canto Endowed Chair

"I love Lyric! Lyric Opera makes me feel good, and this is my way of saying thank you."
-Marlys Beider
Marlys Beider Wigmaster and Makeup Designer Endowed Chair in memory of Harold Beider

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