Lyric Opera 2023-2024 Issue 7 - Aida

13 | Lyric Opera of Chicago On the afternoon of March 21, 1938, Dr. Arthur J. Atkinson and his wife, Inez, were in their Glencoe home, confident in her obstetrician’s assessment that their baby’s arrival remained a fortnight away. That evening, it became apparent that the doctor had been mistaken. The couple jumped into their car, heading for what was then known as Passavant Hospital (today the site of the Northwestern Memorial complex), where Dr. Atkinson worked, but somewhere on Lakeshore Drive they realized they were not going to make it. Arthur flagged down a passing police car. The soon-to-be mother and father climbed into the backseat. And that’s where Arthur J. Atkinson Jr. was born— right on Oak Street, somewhere close to the Drake Hotel. No one bothered to note an address. The Chicago Daily Times reported on the event (on a page featuring a glowing review of an Andrews Sisters appearance on WBBM radio and a chat with Boris Karloff), and the Chicago Tribune weighed in as well, with a brief headlined, “Stork Can’t Get to the Hospital and Vice Versa.” The lake would continue to exert its influence. Atkinson’s mother and father were longtime members of the Chicago Yacht Club, and champion competitive sailors. He himself became a fearsome racer as well, in varied classes, and crewed in the Mackinac race 27 times—once on a winning boat. Though he’s now retired (he was for decades an assistant professor at the Northwestern University medical school), his textbook, Atkinson’s Principles of Clinical Pharmacology , is currently in its 4th edition. His parents passed down at least one other notable passion—for grand opera. They were among Lyric’s very first subscribers and donors, and when Atkinson returned to Chicago after his medical training, he joined them (for decades) in attending the opera. In seeking a way to honor his family’s deep connection, Art and his wife, Mary Jo, came up with a rather novel (and personal) way to give to the company. Recently, he made a substantial financial gift to Lyric, specifically designated to support a future production of Giuseppe Verdi’s La forza del destino . “We love La traviata and Rigoletto and Aida ,” Atkinson says. “But La forza is my favorite. I initially thought that these funds—really money that my parents passed down— would be given after I passed away. But it has been years since that opera was seen here, and we’re fortunate to have a Verdi specialist as music director. The timing feels right, and I feel sure my parents would totally approve of this use.” “Many opera lovers are also lovers of Verdi, of course,” says Anthony Freud, Lyric’s General Director, President and CEO. “But few have turned that passion into such an extraordinary gift. All of us at Lyric are enormously grateful for the generous support of the Atkinsons that will enable us to bring back to Lyric in a future season one of Verdi’s greatest masterpieces.” La forza del destino was the first work Verdi composed after several years of inactivity. A large commission from the Imperial Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia seems to have been irresistible, and with a libretto from Francesco Maria Piave (his collaborator on Ernani , Rigoletto , and La traviata , among others), Verdi set to work at the end of 1860. A year later, the composer and his wife traveled to St. Petersburg for the premiere (an event ultimately delayed until November 1862). A revised version of the Giuseppe Verdi in St.Petersburg,1861. On the afternoon of March 21, 1938, Dr. Arthur J. Atkinson and his wife, Inez, were in their Glencoe home, confident in her obstetrician’s assessment that their baby’s arrival remained a fortnight away. That evening, it became apparent that the doctor had been mistaken. The couple jumped into their car, heading for what was then known as Passavant Hospital (today the site of the Northwestern Memorial complex), where Dr. Atkinson worked, but somewhere on Lakeshore Drive they realized they were not going to make it. Arthur flagged down a passing police car to serve as escort, in hopes of speeding up the trip. Nevertheless, Arthur J. Atkinson Jr. was born in his parents’ car, near the Oak Street exit, close to the Drake Hotel. No one bothered to note an address. The Chicago Daily Times reported on the event (on a page featuring a glowing review of an Andrews Sisters appearance on BB radio and a chat with Boris Karloff), and the Chicago Tribune weighed in as well, with a brief headlined, “Stork Can’t Get to the Hospital and Vice Versa.” The lake would continue to exert its influence. Atkinson’s mother and father were longtime members of the Chicago Yacht Club, and champion competitive sailors. He himself became a highly skilled racer as well, in varied classes, and crewed in the ackinac race 27 times once on a winning boat. Though he’s now retired (he was a professor at the Northwestern University medical school for 24 years), his textbook, Atkinson’s Principles of Clinical Pharmacology , is currently in its 4th edition. His parents passed down at least one other notable passion—for grand opera. They were among Lyric’s very first subscribers and donors, and when Atkinson returned to Chicago after his medical training, he joined them (for decades) in attending the opera. In seeking a way to honor his family’s deep connection, Art and his wife, Mary Jo, came up with a rather novel (and personal) way to give to the company. Recently, he made a substantial financial gift to Lyric, specifically designated to support a future production of Giuseppe Verdi’s La forza del destino . “We love La traviata and Rigoletto and Aida ,” Atkinson says. “But La forza is my favorite. I initially thought that these funds—really money that my parents passed down— would be given after I passed away. But it has been years since that opera was seen here, and we’re fortunate to have a Verdi specialist as music director. The timing feels right, and I feel sure my parents would totally approve of this use.” “ any opera lovers are also lovers of Verdi, of course,” says Anthony Freud, Lyric’s General Director, President and CEO. “But few have turned that passion into such an extraordinary gift. All of us at Lyric are enormously grateful for the generous support of the Atkinsons that will enable us to bring back to Lyric in a future season one of Verdi’s greatest masterpieces.” La forza del destino was the first work Verdi composed after several years of inactivity. A large commission from the Imperial Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia seems to have been irresistible, and with a libretto from Francesco aria Piave (his collaborator on Ernani , Rigoletto , and La traviata , among others), Verdi set to work at the end of 1860. A year later, the composer and his wife traveled to St. Petersburg for the premiere (an event ultimately delayed until November 1862). A revised version of the