Culture | Aug. 2023
LIFE IMITATING ART
By Contributor
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KYLE FLUBACKER
Everyone at Lyric Opera of Chicago is delighted to usher in the 2023/24 cultural season on a high note with Sunday in the Park with Lyric, an evening of beautiful music led by Enrique Mazzola along with members of The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center and the Lyric Opera Orchestra.
Hosted by Lyric’s General Director, President & CEO Anthony Freud and NBC5- Chicago’s LeeAnn Trotter, this event takes place at 7 p.m. on Sunday, August 20, at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, 201 E. Randolph Street, Chicago.
Sunday in the Park with Lyric will feature selections from a variety of works in the upcoming 2023/24 opera season, offering a preview of the extraordinary productions to come.
Audiences can look forward to compelling moments from Lyric’s new-to-Chicago productions of Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman, Donizetti’s The Daughter of the Regiment, Janáček’s Jenůfa, Rossini’s Cinderella, Verdi’s Aida, and the Lyric premiere of Terence Blanchard and Michael Cristofer’s Champion. All selections will feature projected English titles. Additionally, attendees will receive exclusive ticket offers for Lyric’s highly anticipated upcoming season.
Leading the concert will be Lyric’s esteemed music director, Enrique Mazzola, entering his third full season with the company. Mazzola’s upcoming season at Lyric is full of firsts, including his first Wagner opera in Chicago with The Flying Dutchman, his first contemporary work at Lyric with Champion, and his first-ever production of Verdi’s Aida, which will also be his 100th operatic title as a conductor.
Lyric Opera of Chicago’s 2023/24 Season opens on Saturday, September 23, and promises a powerful lineup of productions. The season opens with The Flying Dutchman (September 23 to October 7) and is followed by the Season Opening Gala: An Evening with Audra McDonald (October 6). The season continues with The Daughter of the Regiment (November 4 to 25), Jenůfa (November 12 to 26), Cinderella (January 21 to February 10), Champion (January 27 to February 11), Aida (March 9 to April 7), and Mozart’s Requiem (March 22 and 24).
To ensure the safety and security of all attendees, please note that enhanced security protocols will be in effect at Millennium Park. Visitors arriving after 5:30 p.m. may be required to undergo bag checks and pass through metal detectors, and visitors under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult, with a maximum of four minors per adult.
Lyric’s performances for the 2023/24 Season will take place at the Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive, in Chicago and will feature easy-to-follow English translations projected above the stage. For detailed information about subscriptions, single ticket sales, or specific performance dates and ticket availability, please visit lyricopera.org or call 312-827-5600.
