Lyric Opera 2021-2022 Issue 3 The Magic Flute

Lyric Opera of Chicago | 38 Almost 10,000 students around Chicagoland registered to view Earth to Kenzie’s streamed performance during 2020/21. The power of opera streams into schools Since its creation in 2012, Lyric Unlimited, Lyric’s department dedicated to education and community initiatives, has shared the life force of opera with people from 157 towns, cities, and villages across Chicago and the Midwest. During the 2020/21 season, however, its staff was presented with a new challenge: how could Lyric Unlimited spark curiosity in the next generation of opera lovers and make a difference through this beloved art form without the tools of in-person instruction and live performance? Teachers faced a severe shortage of curricular resources useful in remote and hybrid teaching environments, especially in the arts. The answer was simple, but not easy; with insight from teachers and community stakeholders, Lyric Unlimited re- envisioned its programming to address the needs of students and the community during an unprecedented time. One of Lyric Unlimited’s myriad 2020/21 virtual offerings included providing Chicago-area schools with opportunities to stream archival recordings of select Lyric Unlimited productions free of charge. Each archival Lyric Unlimited production was closed-captioned in English and Spanish and accompanied by online classroom resources. In total, almost 30,000 students and 350 teachers registered to see three streaming programs: Earth to Kenzie , El Pasado Nunca Se Termina , and Jason and the Argonauts . Half of these students and teachers were part of Chicago Public Schools, while the other half included viewers from suburban, private, and home schools. Earth to Kenzie was the first streamed production Lyric Unlimited offered to Chicagoland schools; recommended for children ages seven through twelve, it featured footage from the show’s 2019 Opera in the Neighborhoods (OIN) touring production, recorded at Senn High School in Chicago’s Magnolia Glen neighborhood. The piece was written by Frances Pollock and Jessica Murphy Moo and directed by Jess McLeod, and includes a cast of four singers accompanied by piano. In Earth to Kenzie , Kenzie, Lyric Opera of Chicago Kyle Flubacker