Lyric Opera 2022-2023 Issue 9 - Proximity

Lyric Opera of Chicago | 8 Dear Lyric Community, It is a special pleasure to welcome you to the Lyric Opera House for Proximity , the second world premiere commissioned by Lyric in our 2022/23 Season. This project brings together some of the most exciting talents working anywhere today. Our three outstanding creative teams have worked closely with director Yuval Sharon and conductor Kazem Abdullah to explore three issues that are of fundamental importance to all of us—the challenge of human connection in a digital world, the profound effects of gun violence on our communities, and the urgency of protecting our planet. “These are not topics outside of us,” Sharon noted in a recent interview for Opera News . “That’s the notion of proximity. It’s the unifying thread for the whole evening. These are problems that all of us need to grapple with and tackle, and we’re trying to create an artistic experience that really inspires the audience to lean in.” At Lyric, we are passionately committed to deepening the relevance of opera as an art form— diversifying the range of both the stories we tell and the storytellers of all artistic disciplines whom we invite to tell them. We want our work to encompass subjects that are of profound importance to our society, our city, and ourselves. We are particularly proud that the subjects of both this season’s world premieres, Proximity and the recently premiered The Factotum , are centered on Chicago—placing our city and our company at the heart of our rapidly evolving art form. Proximity would not have been possible without the support of you, our audience. Thank you for joining us. From the Chair and the General Director SYLVIA NEIL Chair ANTHONY FREUD OBE President, General Director & CEO The Women’s Board Endowed Chair Todd Rosenberg Todd Rosenberg