Lyric Opera 2019-2020 Issue 2 The Barber of Seville

Lyric Opera of Chicago | 12 A musical mission: Lyric’s exciting programs to engage young audiences Flashback to November 2018: A high-school auditorium buzzes as a thousand excited children funnel in with their teachers amidst laughter, shushes, and eager questions. Once seated, they lean forward, feet dangling, and check out the scenery onstage: a museum façade, huge paintings of dinosaurs, and a massive dino skull peeking out—a tantalizing glimpse of what’s to come over the next 40 minutes. A swirling piano melody and the appearance of a young-adult soprano costumed like a kid quiets the crowd. “Hello! I’m Rhoda, and I’m nine years old,” she sings directly to the wide-eyed audience. She needs help to find her lost fossils. With a resounding “Yes!” the students join the adventure of Rhoda and the Fossil Hunt . It’s a weekday morning at Lindblom Math and Science Academy in West Englewood, a great time and place to introduce so many CPS elementary students to Lyric’s popular Opera in the Neighborhoods program. Lyric is committed to introducing audiences to opera, including those who are brand new to the art form, guided by a belief that opera can be relevant for everyone With programs spanning a network of Chicagoland schools, partnerships with community organizations and new artistic initiatives across Chicago, Lyric is making it happen for audiences of all ages and backgrounds. “We have cultivated a multi-faceted approach that includes commissioning new operas for children on themes that are meaningful today, creating programs that use opera as a framework for learning and individual development, and breaking down as many barriers as possible for young audiences so that they can experience opera at Lyric,” says Cayenne Harris, vice president for learning and creative engagement. “And our efforts are paying off! We've seen significant growth in Chicago public school students participating in Lyric programs, and increasingly more young people attending performances at Lyric.” AGES 5-12 Rhoda and the Fossil Hunt , a new opera for children by John Musto and Eric Einhorn, was Lyric’s Opera in the Neighborhoods production last season. With a weekend of public performances for families and a month-long, 30-performance tour to 15 venues By Margaret Kellas, Grace Coberly, and Magda Krance A scene from 2018’s Rhoda and the Fossil Hunt , presented through Lyric’s Opera in the Neighborhoods program, and students eager to interact with the artists following the performance. Kyle Flubacker throughout the Chicagoland area, more than 18,000 children experienced this engagingly relatable operatic adventure. Many were only nine years old, just like the title character (played by the youthful soprano Boya Wei).