Lyric Opera 2019-2020 Issue 2 The Barber of Seville

Lyric Opera of Chicago | 8 Welcome to Lyric! We’re delighted that you’re joining us for the opening of what is sure to be a season of tremendously exciting productions and glorious music-making. There couldn’t be a better opera to start the season than The Barber of Seville , one of the most exhilarating works in the repertoire. Barber captivates audiences all over the world thanks to its effervescent music, matched by its irresistible wit. That’s no surprise, since Gioachino Rossini is opera’s greatest musical comedian. It’s impossible to leave a performance of this opera without a smile. In every brilliant aria and ensemble Barber ’s energy, virtuosity, and sparkle combine to make it the most popular and best-loved of all operatic comedies. Our renowned music director, Sir Andrew Davis, has a wonderful affinity for Rossini. He brings to this music not just his amazing gifts as a musician, but also his own irrepressible sense of humor. He’ll be conducting a marvelous cast of international stars, including four favorites of the Lyric audience: Adam Plachetka, Lawrence Brownlee, Marianne Crebassa, and Alessandro Corbelli. Director Rob Ashford and his brilliant design team approach Barber with terrific imagination, and we know the production will be a joy for everyone. It’s a very exciting time to be part of Lyric. We’re producing more new types of work than ever before. Our musical-theater productions and other Lyric-produced special events are attracting tens of thousands of new patrons, and we’re on the cusp of producing an extraordinary new Ring cycle. And, in 2020/21, we’ll be welcoming The Joffrey Ballet as they take up residency in the Lyric Opera House. We’re thrilled to have just announced the appointment of our new music director, Enrique Mazzola, who will take up the position in two years. He’ll be an outstanding successor to Sir Andrew Davis, and a real spark in Chicago’s performing-arts community. The dynamic Italian conductor is already looking forward to engaging with our entire city. Put all of these major developments together and you’ll see a company striving to become a true visionary arts leader in Chicago and throughout America. The real measure of success is how often and in how many different ways people choose to interact with Lyric. The opera house is our home, but our mission is to engage people where they are, reflecting the city and communities we serve. This means making the entire experience welcoming and engaging by looking at the performance through a variety of lenses. Our goal is to provide new ways to ensure that our audiences’ initial encounter with Lyric is so impactful and entertaining that new patrons will make Lyric a part of their lives. By focusing on building our audience of the future, while we continue to serve our current audiences, we’ll ensure that both Lyric and opera itself remain culturally relevant and artistically important for the next generation. We hope you feel the drumbeat of progress at Lyric as much as we do. Together we are all part of the Lyric story. From the General Director and the Chairman DAVID T. ORMESHER Chairman ANTHONY FREUD General Director, President & CEO The Women’s Board Endowed Chair