Lyric Opera 2024-2025 Issue 8 - The Listeners

Lyric Opera of Chicago’s 2025/26 Season will take audiences from ancient Corinth to a 1930s seaside resort, and from Puccini to the Smashing Pumpkins. A robust mix of live performances by the superb Lyric Opera Orchestra and Chorus, the season includes two world premieres, two Lyric premieres, and three new-to- Chicago productions, plus a solo recital by one of opera’s most legendary stars, and performances by some of the biggest names in musical theater. “Next season is filled with a tremendous range of lavish and powerful opera productions that we are excited to share with audiences,” says John Mangum, General Director, President & CEO of Lyric Opera of Chicago. “Equally as compelling are the other performances and productions that comprise the full season at Lyric and clearly illustrate how this company will push the art form forward. We’re opening the aperture, broadening the definition of what opera is and what an American opera company can be.” The season begins on October 11 with an iconic Greek tale of sorcery and revenge, Cherubini’s Medea . Lyric favorite Sondra Radvanovsky returns to Lyric in the title role, one of the most demanding in the repertoire, for which she previously won critical acclaim at the Metropolitan Opera in the 2022/23 Season. Sharing the stage is Ryan Opera Center alumnus Matthew Polenzani, making for a showcase of spectacular talent that is sure to leave audiences on the edge of their seats. Conducted by Lyric Music Director Enrique Mazzola and directed by the acclaimed Sir David McVicar, the production should demonstrate once and for all that Hell hath no fury like a sorceress scorned. The season continues with a duo of one-act operas full of passion and betrayal. Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci take listeners to the idyllic Sicilian countryside in the perfect operatic sampler for those new to the art form — and for those ready to revisit an old favorite. Russell Thomas, Quinn Kelsey, and Gabriella Reyes lead the cast in stories that are whirlwinds of twists and turns. Enrique Mazzola will be on the podium or a revival of director Elijah Moshinsky’s thrillingly original production. Cav/Pag , as it is affectionately known in the opera world, will be followed by three exciting performances of one of classical music’s greatest hits: Carmina Burana . Framed by the dramatic “O Fortuna” chorus, the work is an exhilarating smorgasbord of sound. Based on 24 medieval poems in various languages, the blazing cantata spotlights the renowned Lyric Opera Chorus. More than 175 artists, including soloists Jasmine Habersham, David Portillo, and Ian Rucker, will take the stage for this run of three performances. Having seen Mozart’s Requiem at Lyric last season, Billy Corgan, frontman for the decade-defining alt-rock group Smashing Pumpkins, had an idea: to create an From top: Cavallaria rusticana; Russell Thomas will star in Pagliacci ; Billy Corgan brings his reimagined A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness to the Lyric stage. Felix Sanchez / Houston Grand Opera Jake Freund