Lyric Opera 2021-2022 Issue 4 Florencia en el Amazonas

Lyric Opera of Chicago | 14 Ana María Martínez performs in“Pasión Latina.” On March 13, 2020, Lyric Opera of Chicago faced the unthinkable when the company was forced to cancel its highly anticipated Ring cycle. With a full cast and company rehearsing onstage—and hundreds of international cultural tourists planning trips to Chicago for the nearly sold-out run—it was a heartbreaking moment. Soon after, the extended reality of COVID-19 hit, forcing the cancellation of further performances, and ultimately the entire 2020/21 season. Lyric’s leadership was faced with a difficult decision: to shutter the company indefinitely and go dark for the entire season, or to reimagine the ways in which Lyric could continue to ensure that music and opera reached its loyal and passionate audiences. “The decision for us was an obvious one,” says Lyric general director, president & CEO Anthony Freud. “We knew that more than ever—with traumatic news unfolding on a daily basis and the very personal ways in which people were experiencing the pandemic—people needed a lifeline to bring them solace, peace, and joy. We felt that we needed to find new ways to reach our audiences and keep producing great art.” By July 2020, with flexible and responsive programming moves and the cooperation of its union partners, the company was ready to broadcast its first virtual concert: “Lawrence Brownlee and Friends, the Next Chapter: Celebrating the Depth and Breadth of Black Artistry.” The presentation was a sequel to a successful in-person event that had been held at Lyric Opera House the previous season. Working closely with celebrated tenor Lawrence Brownlee, a Lyric favorite, the company curated a program of music performed by Black artists; since its premiere, it has received more than 20,000 views. Assembling the first digital offering provided a blueprint for future endeavors. Lyric staff and artists learned to navigate a world of programming choices and digital music rights; find sets, lighting, and costumes that looked good on screen; and understand all of the other choices that come with filming and broadcasting a digital performance, such as release timing and platform selection, closed captioning, and digital program books, among other challenges. “It was important to us that we make our digital content free,” Freud explains. “The entire idea was to allow as many people as possible to access our programs, free of any barriers. We garnered more than 300,000 views of our content during the reimagined digital season, which exceeds a season’s worth of tickets at the Lyric Opera House. Our hope is that people who encountered opera or Lyric for the first time will continue to explore with us—whether digitally or in person—now that our live performances have resumed.” Last fall, Lyric’s annual gala moved entirely online with “For the Love of Lyric,” a concert filmed on the stage of the opera house and in locations around the world, featuring opera stars Renée Fleming, J’Nai Bridges, Ailyn Pérez, and Soloman Howard, and Broadway star Heather Headley. Loyal Lyric supporters enjoyed the concert virtually, while Zoom provided an opportunity for donors to connect with the singers and each other before the performance. Beyond its fundraising component, the concert was made available to the public, garnering nearly 20,000 views. One of the benefits of Lyric’s digital programming has been an opportunity to highlight the company’s formidable artistic forces. Many of the performances featured members of Lyric’s Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center, providing these emerging artists with invaluable opportunities to showcase their talents and hone their skills for the digital demands of opera’s evolving art form. Programs like December 2020’s “Pasión Latina” offered the opportunity for current and past Ryan Opera Center members to work alongside star and host Ana María Martínez in an intimate setting that showcased music of the Spanish-speaking world. Lyric music director Enrique Mazzola—then in his second season as music director designate—also conceived a number of exciting programs that showcased the The evolution of an art form: A look back at Lyric’s virtual 2020/21 season Kyle Flubacker