Lyric Opera 2023-2024 Issue 7 - Aida

Lyric Opera of Chicago | 34 Center since 2013. She is also the Artistic & General Director of the Glimmerglass Festival, Emerita. She served as the Artistic Advisor to the San Francisco Opera from 2005 to 2011 and as the Artistic Director of the Skylight Theatre from 1987 to 1992. Zambello’s U.S. directing debut took place at Houston Grand Opera with a production of Fidelio . She debuted in Europe at Teatro la Fenice in Venice with Beatrice di Tenda and has since staged new productions at major theaters and opera houses in Europe, Asia, Australia, Russia, and the U.S. She has worked at more than 50 international opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, Paris Opera, Bolshoi, Munich State Opera, Covent Garden, and Opera Australia. She has been named a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French government, a Knight with the Order of the Star of Italy and received the Russian Federation’s Arts Medal, all for her service to culture. Other honors include three Olivier Awards from the London Society of Theatres and two Evening Standard Awards, and she has twice received the French Grand Prix des Critiques for her work at the Paris Opera. She also received the Medallion Society Award from San Francisco Opera, recognizing 30 years’ work for the company. RETNA ARTISTIC DESIGNER Lyric debut The Los Angeles-based artist made his operatic debut with this production of Aida at San Francisco Opera. His work has been exhibited at institutions and galleries in Los Angeles (including the façade of the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art’s Grand Avenue location for their 2013 gala celebrating the exhibition Art in the Streets), Miami, London, New York (including the public exhibition space of the Houston-Bowery Wall), and Hong Kong. RETNA has created exclusive collaborations with brands such as VistaJet, Nike, Louis Vuitton, and Chanel. MICHAEL YEARGAN SET DESIGNER Previously at Lyric: 11 productions since 1991/92, most recently Le comte Ory (2022/23) and Luisa Miller (2019/20). Yeargan has created sets (and sometimes costumes) for many major American companies, among them the Metropolitan Opera (12 productions to date) and the San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas, Seattle, andWashington opera companies, as well as The Glimmerglass Festival, Welsh National Opera, Scottish Opera, Frankfurt Opera, and Opera Australia. At Lyric, he designed Rigoletto (2017/18) as well as Romeo and Juliet and Nabucco (both 2015/16). Since 1990/91 he has designed for London’s Royal Opera. Yeargan recently designed the Metropolitan Opera’s new Porgy and Bess , and his work appeared also at the Berlin State Opera ( Rigoletto ) and Tulsa Opera ( Madama Butterfly ). He has designed many Broadway productions, winning Tony Awards for The Light in the Piazza (2005) and South Pacific (2008). Yeargan has also designed numerous productions off- Broadway and for regional U.S. theaters. He is resident set designer at the Yale Repertory Theatre and Professor of Stage Design at the Yale School of Drama. ANITA YAVICH COSTUME DESIGNER Lyric debut Yavich was costume designer for Opera Australia’s 2020 Ring cycle. Other opera credits include Aida at San Francisco Opera; Cyrano de Bergerac at La Scala, Metropolitan Opera, and Royal Opera House Covent Garden; Les Troyens at Metropolitan Opera; Facing Goya at Spoleto Festival and Singapore Festival; La Hija de Rappaccini with Gotham Chamber Opera; The Rape of Lucretia at Houston Grand Opera; Ainadamar at Tanglewood; The Gambler at Opera Zuid (Holland); Steve Reich’s Three Tales international tour; Salome , Fidelio , Die Walkure , and Das Rheingold at Washington National Opera; Arshak II at San Francisco Opera; Madame Butterfly at Houston Grand Opera and Grand Théâtre de Genève; and The Silver River at Spoleto and Lincoln Center Festival. Her Broadway credits include Fool for Love , Venus in Fur , Chinglish, and Anna in the Tropics . She has also received Obie, Lucille Lortel, Drama Desk, Ovation, and Irene Sharaff Young Master Awards. Costume Designers are supported by the Richard P.and Susan Kiphart Costume Designer endowment. MARK M c CULLOUGH LIGHTING DESIGNER Previously at Lyric: Seven productions since 2008, most recently West Side Story (2022/23) and Florencia en el Amazonas (2021/22). Among the designer’s most notable achievements are productions at the Metropolitan Opera ( The Marriage of Figaro ), Vienna Staatsoper ( Macbeth ), Bolshoi Theatre ( La traviata ), Beijing’s National Centre for the Performing Arts ( Les contes d’Hoffmann ), La Scala ( Cyrano de Bergerac ), Madrid’s Teatro Real ( Luisa Miller ), and London’s Royal Opera ( The Queen of Spades ); the major companies of Washington, Boston, Miami, Seattle, Dallas, San Diego, and St. Louis; and Bard College’s Fisher Center and the Glimmerglass Festival. At Lyric he provided lighting design for West Side Story (2022/23, 2018/19), Porgy and Bess (2014/15, 2008/09), and Show Boat (2011/12). Among McCullough’s extensive theater credits internationally are the revival of Jesus Christ Superstar (Broadway and U.K. tour); Whistle Down the Wind (Aldwych Theatre, London); The White Devil and Don Carlos (Royal Shakespeare Company); Der Besuch der alten Dame (Ronacher Theatre, Vienna); Artus (St. Gallen, Switzerland) and Rebecca (St. Gallen, Stuttgart’s Palladium Theater); and numerous off-Broadway productions. Lighting designers are supported by the Mary-Louise and James S.Aagaard endowment in honor of Duane Schuler. PETER W. MITCHELL ASSOCIATE LIGHTING DESIGNER Lyric debut Mitchell is a lighting designer for opera, theatre, dance, live events, and architecture. He designed Scalia/Ginsburg , Trouble in Tahiti , and the world premiere productions of Odyssey , Robin Hood , and Wilde Tales (all directed by Francesca Zambello) at the Glimmerglass Festival. As an Associate Lighting Designer, he has worked with Zambello and Lighting Designer Mark McCullough on Aida at Washington National Opera,