Opera: LYRIC OPERA OF CHICAGO’S 2021|22 SEASON

Tickets now on sale for Lyric Opera of Chicago’s 2021|22 Season
Call 312-827-5600 or visit lyricopera.org

Here are the shows:

NEW PRODUCTION

Verdi
MACBETH
Sung in Italian with projected English texts
September 17, 23m, 30, October 3m, 6m, 9, 2021

Lyric’s riveting season-opener is the inaugural production of Music Director Enrique Mazzola’s tenure, and a brand-new production from Sir David McVicar. Adapting one of the greatest tragedies written by his hero, Shakespeare, Verdi created a stunning portrait of the most power-hungry couple who ever trod a stage. Macbeth’s bloody ascent to the throne of Scotland — led and supported by his wife’s own consuming ambition — results in disaster for them both. Verdi brings them to blazing life in a score that bristles with energy and endless excitement. Grand-scale arias, hair-raising duets, stupendous ensembles — they’re all here, in the first genuine masterpiece of Verdi’s career.

MACBETH
Luca Salsi

LADY MACBETH
Sondra Radvanovsky

MACDUFF
Joshua Guerrero

BANCO
Christian Van Horn

CONDUCTOR
Enrique Mazzola

DIRECTOR
Sir David McVicar

SET DESIGNER
John Macfarlane

COSTUME DESIGNER
Moritz Junge

LIGHTING DESIGNER
David Finn

CHOREOGRAPHER
Andrew George

NEW-TO-CHICAGO PRODUCTION

Donizetti
THE ELIXIR OF LOVE
Sung in Italian with projected English texts
September 26m, 29m, October 2, 5, 8, 2021

No operatic hero is more endearing than Nemorino, who pines for the flirtatious Adina. She’s the owner of the town’s hotel, he’s her delightfully naive waiter. His only hope to win her is the “elixir” sold by the quack, Dr. Dulcamara — little does he know that it’s just Bordeaux wine! From start to finish we root for Nemorino, as Adina toys with him until she finally lets him know how she really feels. Elixir is opera’s most heartwarming comedy, filled with Donizetti’s delectable music that brings nonstop smiles.

ADINA
Ailyn Pérez

NEMORINO
Charles Castronovo

BELCORE
Joshua Hopkins

DULCAMARA
Kyle Ketelsen

CONDUCTOR
Enrique Mazzola

DIRECTOR
Daniel Slater

DESIGNER
Robert Innes Hopkins

LIGHTING DESIGNER
Simon Mills

CHORUS MASTER
Michael Black

CHOREOGRAPHER
Tim Claydon

NEW-TO-CHICAGO PRODUCTION

Mozart
THE MAGIC FLUTE
Sung in German with projected English texts
November 3, 7m, 11m, 14m, 17m, 19, 27, 2021

Mozart’s miraculous blend of the human and the supernatural, of comedy and romance, draws us into a world where a prince, Tamino, and a princess, Pamina, triumph over every obstacle in their search for wisdom and enlightenment, and are finally united in love. This is a gloriously varied score, with the lovers’ soulful arias, the stratospheric vocal fireworks of the villainous Queen of the Night, the subterranean depths of the formidable high priest Sarastro, and the folk-like melodies of the lovable birdcatcher, Papageno. Lyric brings you a critically acclaimed production that pays homage to the silent movies of the 1920s, praised by Stage and Cinema (see our review).

PAMINA
Ying Fang

QUEEN OF THE NIGHT
Lila Dufy

TAMINO
Pavel Petrov

PAPAGENO
Huw Montague Rendall

SARASTRO
Tareq Nazmi

MONOSTATOS
Brenton Ryan

CONDUCTOR
TBA

ORIGINAL DIRECTORS
Suzanne Andrade
Barrie Kosky

REVIVAL DIRECTOR
Tobias Ribitzki

DESIGNER
Esther Bialas

ANIMATION DESIGNER
Paul Barritt
Conception “1927”

CHORUS MASTER
Michael Black

LYRIC PREMIERE & NEW-TO-CHICAGO PRODUCTION

Catán
FLORENCIA EN EL AMAZONAS
Sung in Spanish with projected English texts
November 13, 18, 21m, 26, 28m, 2021

Lyric’s first Spanish-language work to be presented as part of the mainstage opera season, this story about a glamorous diva on a life-changing adventure on the Amazon is suffused by the entrancing allure of magical realism. Florencia Grimaldi, a renowned diva, is engaged to perform at the opera house of Manaus, Brazil. Traveling there by boat, she’s consumed by her desire to be reunited with her long-lost lover, whom she hopes will be awaiting her. Florencia and her fellow passengers are all intensely memorable characters, and they’re illuminated by the magnificent, lushly romantic music created by a true musical genius — Mexico’s finest opera composer, Daniel Catán.

FLORENCIA
Ana María Martínez

ROSALBA
Gabriella Reyes

ARCADIO
Mario Rojas

PAULA
Deborah Nansteel

ALVARO
Levi Hernandez

RIOLOBO
Ethan Vincent

CAPTAIN
Raymond Aceto

CONDUCTOR
Jordan de Souza

DIRECTOR
Francesca Zambello

SET DESIGNER
Peter J. Davison

COSTUME DESIGNER
Catherine Zuber

LIGHTING DESIGNER
Mark McCullough

PROJECTION DESIGNER
S. Katy Tucker

CHORUS MASTER
Michael Black

CHOREOGRAPHER
Eric Sean Fogel

LYRIC PREMIERE & NEW-TO-CHICAGO PRODUCTION

Mazzoli/Vavrek
PROVING UP
Performed in English with projected English texts
January 22, 26, 28, 30m, 2022

The American dream: the promise of a better life for those who work to achieve it. In this gripping drama, acclaimed composer Missy Mazzoli and librettist Royce Vavrek explore whether regular, hard-working people are able to fulfill their destiny — and what happens when fate is cruel, and their dreams turn into nightmares. A haunting, supernatural story of Nebraska homesteaders in the 1870s and their dream of “proving up” and obtaining the deed to the land they’ve settled, the opera draws us vividly into a world where the requirement of a single glass window can shatter the hopes and dreams of a family. The Washington Post called Proving Up “harrowing…powerful…a true opera of our time.” Join us for the anticipated Chicago premiere of this new chamber opera.

Proving Up will be performed in the Owen Theatre at Goodman Theatre. On sale Summer 2021.

Cast to be announced at a later date.

CONDUCTOR
Enrique Mazzola

DIRECTOR
James Darrah

SET DESIGNER
Adam Rigg

COSTUME DESIGNER
Chrisi Karvonides-Dushenko

LIGHTING DESIGNER
Pablo Santiago

NEW-TO-CHICAGO PRODUCTION

Puccini
TOSCA
Sung in Italian with projected English texts
March 12, 15, 18, 23m, 26, April 3m, 7m, 10m, 2022

A diva who has all of Rome at her feet. A woman who takes charge of her life and fights for what she wants. A heroine who is brave and loving, extravagantly emotional, yet utterly irresistible. Floria Tosca is all these things. She’s loved by Mario Cavaradossi, the revolutionary, and lusted after by Baron Scarpia, Rome’s vicious police chief. Puccini’s lushly grand-scale music illuminates these characters, and the entire opera bursts with a theatricality that makes Tosca a favorite of audiences everywhere.

TOSCA
Michelle Bradley

CAVARADOSSI
Russell Thomas

SCARPIA
Fabian Veloz

SPOLETTA
Rodell Rosel

SACRISTAN
Alan Higgs

CONDUCTOR
Eun Sun Kim

DIRECTOR
Louisa Muller

SET DESIGNER
Jean-Pierre Ponnelle

COSTUME DESIGNER
Marcel Escoffier

LIGHTING DESIGNER
Duane Schuler

CHORUS MASTER
Michael Black

NEW CO-PRODUCTION

Blanchard/Lemmons
FIRE SHUT UP IN MY BONES
Performed in English with projected English texts
An opera by Terence Blanchard
Based on the book by Charles M. Blow
Libretto by Kasi Lemmons
March 24, 27m, April 2, 6m, 8, 2022

New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow’s widely acclaimed memoir is the source for this extremely moving story of his traumatic youth in Louisiana. What an amazing collection of talent — composer Terence Blanchard, one of the most influential figures in American jazz; librettist Kasi Lemmons, director of such remarkable films as Harriet and Eve’s Bayou; and a topflight cast including many of America’s most brilliant singing actors. Fire Shut Up in My Bones is an opera for today, revealing the Black experience in this country as few other operas have done.

CHARLES
Will Liverman

BILLIE
Latonia Moore

DESTINY/LONELINESS/GRETA
Jacqueline Echols

SPINNER
Chauncey Packer

CHESTER
Christopher Kenney

CONDUCTOR
Daniela Candillari

CO-DIRECTORS
James Robinson
Camille A. Brown

CHOREOGRAPHER
Camille A. Brown

SET DESIGNER
Allen Moyer

COSTUME DESIGNER
Paul Tazewell

LIGHTING DESIGNER
Christopher Akerlind

PROJECTION DESIGNER
Greg Emetaz

CHORUS MASTER
Michael Black

LYRIC PREMIERE

SIR ANDREW DAVIS CONDUCTS BEETHOVEN 9
Sung in German with projected English texts
April 1, 2022

Lyric will celebrate Sir Andrew Davis’s extraordinary two-decade tenure as music director and principal conductor with one of his favorite works, never previously performed at the Lyric Opera House: Beethoven’s enthralling, life-affirming Ninth Symphony. An outstanding vocal quartet (artists to be announced at a later date) will join forces with the Lyric Opera Orchestra and Chorus for what is sure to be an unforgettable musical experience. The concert will begin with a new choral work by Sir Andrew’s son, Ed Frazier Davis, an impressively gifted composer, commissioned specifically for this occasion.