Displaying items by tag: Opera

Lyric Opera of Chicago continues its commitment to bold, new work with the world premiere of safronia, a landmark musical composition commissioned from Chicago’s first Poet Laureate, the interdisciplinary artist avery r. young. Presented for two performances, April 17 & 18, 2026, at the Lyric Opera House, safronia is an American story told through blues, gospel, and funk that places the Great Migration centerstage.

Part family saga, part American reckoning, safronia follows the booker family as they journey from the North back to their Mississippi hometown to lay their father’s ashes on land they were forced from. What begins as a burial ignites a volatile confrontation with memory, inheritance, and the unfinished business of history. Blending folklore, poetry, and gospel-rooted sound with Lyric's orchestral sweep, young crafts a work at once intimate and seismic. It is a Chicago-born story that speaks to the nation.

A Chicago story. An American reckoning.

Between 1910 and 1970, millions of Black families left the South in the Great Migration, reshaping cities like Chicago and redefining the nation’s cultural and political landscape. In safronia, that history is not the backdrop — it is the heartbeat.

The booker family once built something of their own. When that foundation is stripped away from under their feet, they join the tide of those heading North. Years later, they return to Mississippi not only to bury patriarch baar jacob booker, but to face the forces that drove them away.

At the center stands safronia booker, baar’s youngest daughter — fiercely loyal, sharp-witted, and unwilling to surrender what her father fought to claim. Around her gather magnolia, the family’s steady matriarch; king willie tate, determined to secure dignity in the North; and the town that has never forgotten the bookers’ claim to the land.

Through pride, humor, anger, faith, and music, safronia asks: What does it mean to return home? What is owed? And who decides what belongs?

A new opera with Sunday service energy

From the beginning, young set out to expand the definition of classical music.  

"This would not be ‘chocolate-covered Mozart,’" says young.

"The music Black people made in this country is American classical music," says young. "In safronia, those traditions — gospel hymns, blues progressions, funk rhythms, and the layered call-and-response of the Black church — are not softened or translated. They are the foundation."

With safronia, young reshapes the operatic experience and expands the operatic vocabulary, positioning Black musical traditions not at the margins of the art form, but at its core.

Clapping, snapping, percussive movement, and rhythmic vocal textures are embedded into the score and built into the performance. The energy of a Sunday service informs the structure of the work. The opera house becomes a participatory space. Audiences do not simply observe and witness; they move with the story.

avery r. young: An artist expanding what American opera can be

Selected in 2023 as Chicago’s first Poet Laureate from more than 1,300 applicants, avery r. young is a 3Arts Awardee — a distinction recognizing significant contributions to Chicago’s cultural life — and a Cave Canem Fellow, part of the nationally respected organization supporting Black poets. A composer, producer, educator, and co-director of the interdisciplinary arts collective Floating Museum, young works across poetry, music, performance, visual art, and sound design. His writing appears in The BreakBeat Poets, Poetry magazine, and alongside Cecil McDonald Jr.’s photography in In the Company of Black. He tours nationally with his band, de deacon board.

young first collaborated with Lyric in 2021 on Twilight: Gods (2020/21), a drive-through reimagining of Wagner’s Ring cycle conceived and directed by Yuval Sharon. For this ambitious, pandemic-era production staged in a Chicago parking garage, young wrote and performed poetic transitions that reframed Wagner’s epic through a distinctly Chicago lens. Following that project’s success, Lyric invited young to imagine a work of his own for the stage.

With safronia, young returns as composer, librettist, and performer in his first full-length operatic creation. Drawing on his own family’s Great Migration story and the musical traditions of Chicago’s West Side, young delivers a work that speaks locally and nationally at once.

The voices that bring safronia to life: a cast of national distinction

Composer and librettist avery r. young performs the role of baar jacob booker, the family patriarch whose presence anchors the work both in life and in memory.

Chicago-born singer-songwriter Meagan McNeal makes her Lyric debut in the title role of safronia booker. Known for collaborations with Makaya McCraven, Common, The O’Jays, Eminem, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, McNeal reached national audiences on NBC’s The Voice, where she worked alongside Jennifer Hudson.

Award-winning vocalist and actor Maiesha McQueen makes her Lyric debut as magnolia booker, the family’s regal matriarch. Her career spans Broadway and major regional theaters, including Waitress on Broadway and the national tour of Come From Away. Regionally, she portrayed Celie in The Color Purple at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts and Mahalia Jackson in Mahalia!.

Joseph Jefferson Award-winning performer Lorenzo Rush, Jr. appears as king willie tate, safronia’s husband and a man determined to build stability and dignity for his family in the North. A familiar presence on Chicago stages, Rush has performed at Marriott Theatre, Paramount Theatre, Porchlight Music Theatre, Drury Lane Theatre, Goodman Theatre, and Court Theatre. He is a Jeff Award recipient for Ain’t Misbehavin’, Five Guys Named Moe, and Sophisticated Ladies. His television credits include Chicago Fire and Fargo.

Jeff Parker returns to Lyric as bossman. Parker previously appeared at Lyric as Arne Duncan in The Walkers from Proximity (2022/23) and has performed at nearly every major Chicago theater, including Goodman, Steppenwolf, and Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

Grammy Award–winning bass-baritone Zachary James makes his Lyric debut as cholly, following performances with the Metropolitan Opera, English National Opera, and major houses across Europe and the United States. He was also recently seen in Jesus Christ Superstar at the Hollywood Bowl. James brings formidable presence to this layered role.

The ensemble includes Jessica Seals, Sydney Charles, Miciah Lathan, Kendal Marie Wilson, Maxel McCloud Schingen, and Bailey Haynes, all making their Lyric debuts, alongside Eric Andrew Lewis, who returns to Lyric after appearing in Jesus Christ Superstar (2017/18).

Musically, safronia brings together the Lyric Opera Orchestra with members of avery r. young’s blues and funk ensemble, de deacon board. In addition to strings, winds, and brass, the score incorporates electric bass, organ, and harmonica — performed by three-time Grammy nominee and Blues Hall of Fame inductee Billy Branch — as well as keyboards by Chicago jazz pianist Theodis Rodgers Jr., who served as music director for Curtis Mayfield. The result is a sound that moves fluidly between operatic writing and the pulse of the Black church and juke joint.

A creative team built for new work

For a world premiere of this magnitude, safronia brings together a creative team fluent in new work, fearless storytelling, and music that lives at the crossroads of tradition and innovation.

safronia is directed by Timothy Douglas in his Lyric debut following more than 150 productions nationwide, including the world premiere of Jasmine Barnes and Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton’s She Who Dared at Chicago Opera Theater. Douglas has created new productions for companies including Boston Lyric Opera and New Orleans Opera. Widely respected for staging works that fuse intimacy with scale, he is known for excavating the emotional core of new pieces and shaping them into theatrically urgent events.

Conductor Paul Byssainthe, Jr., in his Lyric debut, bridges sacred, classical, and theatrical traditions with uncommon authority. He currently serves as Associate Music Director for the Broadway revival of Ragtime at Lincoln Center Theater and previously led Goddess, the Kenya-set Afro-jazz musical at The Public Theater, as well as the Broadway revival of The Wiz.

The creative team includes costume designer Jessica Jahn, returning to Lyric following Blue (2024/25) and West Side Story (productions in 2019 and 2023); lighting designer Jason Lynch; video designer VAM Studio, an award-winning Chicago-based collective known for community-centered visual storytelling; and choreographer Kia Smith, founder of South Chicago Dance Theatre — all making their Lyric debuts.

Together, this team does more than mount a premiere — they build a world.

Continuing Lyric’s investment in the future of opera

With safronia, Lyric makes a bold statement about the future of the art form. These two performances represent a five-year investment in the development of a new American work — commissioned by Lyric, conceived in conversation, cultivated through collaboration, and brought to the mainstage with the full force of the company behind it.

In recent seasons, Lyric has accelerated its commitment to expanding the canon through ambitious contemporary projects including Proximity (2022/23) — featuring The Walkers by Daniel Bernard Roumain and Anna Deavere Smith, Four Portraits by Caroline Shaw and Jocelyn Clarke, and Night by John Luther Adams and John Haines — as well as Will Liverman and DJ King Rico’s The Factotum (2022/23), a reinvention of Rossini set on Chicago’s South Side, and the site-specific Twilight: Gods (2020/21). Each signaled a company willing to challenge assumptions about what opera is, who it serves, and whose stories command its grandest stages.

safronia builds on that momentum at an even greater scale. Developed over half a decade, the work reflects Lyric’s long-term strategy to commission, nurture, and premiere operas that speak directly to the American experience. By investing deeply — artistically, financially, and institutionally — in new voices and new forms, Lyric positions itself not simply as a presenter of the repertoire, but as an architect of its future.

In bringing safronia to life, Lyric asserts that American opera is not a distant tradition to be inherited. It is a living form to be shaped — here, now, and on its mainstage.

Two performances only:

• Friday, April 17, 2026 at 7:00 p.m.
• Saturday, April 18, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.

Language: Sung in English, with projected English titles above the stage.

Running time: Approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes, including one intermission.

Exhibition: The Art of Culture: Presented March 2 – April 18, 2026 in Lyric’s Grand Foyer and Mezzanine, in celebration of Lyric's performances of Madama Butterfly, El último sueño de Frida y Diego, and safronia, this six-week exhibition highlights the traditions and artistic legacies of Japanese, Mexican, and African American cultures. The Art of Culture features an exploration of Japan’s historic Geisha culture, visual artwork by Mexican American artists, and selections from Vanessa Charlot’s Down in the Delta, a photographic journey through the Deep South inspired by the Great Migration. Community partners include the Japanese Cultural Center, the National Museum of Mexican Art, and photographer, filmmaker, and scholar Vanessa Charlot. The exhibition is free to all ticketholders.

Pre-performance talks: Ticketholders are invited to a free pre-opera talk presented by Vanessa Charlot, 2025 Crossroads Arts Fellow and faculty member at the University of Mississippi, whose work is also featured in The Art of Culture. Talks begin one hour before each performance in the theater’s Steiner Parquet (main floor).

Accessibility: Braille and large-print programs, high-powered opera glasses, assistive listening devices, and booster seats are available from the theater’s Steiner Parquet coat checks at all performances. For more information on accessibility services, visit lyricopera.org/accessibility.

Location: Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois.

For more information and tickets, visit lyricopera.org/safronia or call 312.827.5600.

Lyric Opera of Chicago presents Gabriela Lena Frank and Nilo Cruz’s El último sueño de Frida y Diego (The Last Dream of Frida and Diego), on stage March 21 – April 4, 2026. This new opera poses an impossible question: How would you spend a single day reunited with lost love? On the Day of the Dead, three years after her death, Mexican artist Frida Kahlo crosses over from the underworld for 24 fleeting hours with husband and artist Diego Rivera. What unfolds is a dreamlike journey through memory, passion, and everything they created together — both on canvas and in life.

Following its critically praised 2022 world premiere in San Diego, this opera, steeped in magical realism, arrives as the second full-length Spanish-language opera presented by Lyric, following Daniel Catán and Marcela Fuentes-Berain’s Florencia en el Amazonas in the 2021/22 Season. With vivid colors, music inspired by Mexican folk traditions, and staging that transforms the Lyric Opera House into a portal between worlds, this production brings Frida Kahlo’s artistic vision to theatrical life. Mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack stars as Frida in her return to Lyric, joined by baritone Alfredo Daza in his Lyric debut as Diego, soprano Ana María Martínez as Catrina, and countertenor Key’mon W. Murrah in his Lyric debut as Leonardo. Director Lorena Maza and conductor Roberto Kalb, both in their Lyric debuts, lead a creative team that honors the Mexican culture and artistry at the opera’s heart.

A love story that transcends death. El último sueño de Frida y Diego unfolds in 1957, three years after Frida Kahlo’s death. Diego Rivera, aging and consumed by grief, longs for one final moment with Frida. In Mictlán, the Aztec underworld, Frida has found peace, free from the physical pain and heartbreak that defined her earthly life. But Catrina, Keeper of the Dead, insists she must accompany Diego as he nears the end of his life, while Leonardo, the spirit of a young actor, urges her to return — not just for Diego, but for herself and her art.

Frida agrees to return for 24 hours with one unbreakable rule: she cannot touch the living. Her reunion with Diego unfolds in magical realism as the two artists wander through Alameda Park and Casa Azul, rediscovering joy and trying to heal old wounds, both physical and emotional. When Frida breaks the rule and touches Diego, the memories of pain and trauma come flooding back. Yet even in suffering, she finds clarity: Art is the only way to outlive death.

Authors who capture the soul of the story. The creative partnership between composer Gabriela Lena Frank and librettist Nilo Cruz brings extraordinary credentials and deep cultural understanding to El último sueño de Frida y Diego. Their opera functions as both an intimate character study and a vibrant celebration of Mexican artistic heritage while speaking to universal themes of love, loss, and artistic legacy.

Grammy Award-winning composer Gabriela Lena Frank, recently named Musical America’s 2026 Composer of the Year, is one of America’s most celebrated living composers, known for music that explores her multicultural heritage — Peruvian, Chinese, Lithuanian, and Jewish — with particular focus on Latin American musical traditions. Born with high-moderate/near-profound hearing loss, Frank has become a powerful voice for disability representation in classical music, demonstrating that composers can create extraordinary work through different ways of experiencing sound. Frank has received numerous honors including the Latin Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition; the 2020 Heinz Award recognizing her for breaking gender, disability, and cultural barriers in classical music; a Guggenheim Fellowship; and commissions from major orchestras and opera companies worldwide. Her music weaves together orchestral colors with rhythms and melodies inspired by Mexican folk music, capturing the surrealist beauty of Frida’s visual art while honoring the emotional depth of her lived experience.

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Nilo Cruz created the libretto, bringing his gift for poetic, emotionally resonant language to Frida and Diego’s story. His Spanish text moves fluidly between the real and the imagined, the painful and the joyful, giving voice to Frida’s fierce independence, her artistic vision, and her complex relationship with Diego — a love marked by both deep devotion and profound betrayal. In 2003, Cruz became the first Latino to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play Anna in the Tropics. His work is known for its lyrical beauty, its exploration of Latin American and Cuban-American experience, and its ability to find magic in everyday moments. Cruz previously collaborated with Lyric and composer Jimmy López in the 2015/16 Season for the world premiere of Bel Canto, based on the Ann Patchett novel.

A singing actress who embodies Frida’s fire and fragility. Mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack returns to Lyric to star as Frida Kahlo, bringing to the role her acclaimed artistry and commanding stage presence. Mack recently appeared at Lyric as Angela in Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek’s The Listeners in the 2024/25 Season, earning praise for her dramatic intensity and vocal beauty. Her international career includes performances at the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and major European houses. Known for her ability to inhabit complex, unconventional characters, Mack possesses both the rich, warm timbre ideal for Frank’s melodic writing and the dramatic fire needed to capture Frida’s indomitable spirit. Stephanie Sanchez sings the role of Frida on Wednesday, April 1.

A cast that brings passion and artistry to every role. Colombian baritone Alfredo Daza makes his Lyric debut as Diego Rivera, the legendary muralist whose tumultuous marriage to Frida forms the opera’s emotional core. Daza has performed at major opera houses throughout Latin America, Europe, and the United States, earning particular acclaim for his portrayals of complex, larger-than-life characters. His rich baritone and powerful stage presence make him ideal for Diego, whose outsized personality and artistic genius were matched only by his capacity for passionate and perilous living.

Puerto Rican soprano Ana María Martínez, on stage at Lyric this winter as Despina in Mozart’s Così fan tutte, sings the role of Catrina, the skeletal Keeper of the Dead who bridges the worlds of the living and the departed. Martínez last appeared at Lyric in the title role of Florencia en el Amazonas in the 2021/22 Season. Her luminous soprano and elegant stage presence have made her one of the leading interpreters of Latin American opera, with performances at the Metropolitan Opera, LA Opera, and internationally. As Catrina, Martínez brings both authority and compassion to this figure drawn from Mexican Day of the Dead traditions.

Rising-star countertenor Key’mon W. Murrah makes his Lyric debut as Leonardo, the spirit who encourages Frida to return to the living world. Winner of Washington National Opera’s Marian Anderson Award in 2024, Murrah’s burgeoning career includes performances at major American opera companies, where his distinctive countertenor voice and natural charisma have earned critical praise. His portrayal of Leonardo provides a crucial voice urging Frida toward life and art, even as she resists.

The production also features Ensemble members from Lyric’s acclaimed artist-development program, The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center, including tenor Finn Sagal as 1st Villager, tenor Daniel Luis Espinal as 2nd Villager & A Young Man, bass-baritone Benjamin R. Sokol as 3rd Villager, soprano Adia Evans as 1st Frida Image, mezzo-soprano Alexis Peart as 2nd Frida Image, and mezzo-soprano Camille Robles as 3rd Frida Image. Mezzo-soprano Corinne Wallace-Crane sings the role of Guadalupe Ponti.

A conductor who honors the music’s cultural roots. Mexican-born conductor Roberto Kalb makes his Lyric debut leading El último sueño de Frida y Diego, bringing a deep understanding of both Latin American musical traditions and contemporary opera. He conducted the opera's world premiere at San Diego Opera and subsequent performances at San Francisco Opera. Music Director of Detroit Opera since 2022, Kalb has built an international career conducting orchestras and opera companies throughout the Americas and Europe. He has particular expertise in contemporary repertoire and works that incorporate folk music traditions into classical forms. His leadership ensures that Frank’s score receives performances that honor both its Mexican folk inspirations and its sophisticated orchestral writing. Under Kalb’s baton, the Lyric Opera Orchestra becomes an essential character in the storytelling, painting Frida’s emotional journey through sound. Chorus Director Michael Black leads the 44 members of the Lyric Opera Chorus.

A director who brings Frida’s visual world to life. Director Lorena Maza makes her Lyric debut with El último sueño de Frida y Diego, bringing her distinctive theatrical vision to this production. A native of Mexico, Maza brings cultural authenticity and deep understanding of the artistic traditions that shaped both Frida and Diego’s work. Her direction emphasizes the opera’s magical realism, creating a production where the boundaries between life and death, memory and reality, past and present, all dissolve into dreamlike theatrical poetry. Maza’s staging honors the surrealist touches that made Frida’s paintings so distinctive while ensuring the emotional truth of the story remains central.

A production that dazzles the eye. The creative team includes set designer Jorge Ballina in his Lyric debut, whose designs evoke both the vivid colors of Frida’s paintings and the liminal space between worlds; costume designer Eloise Kazan in her Lyric debut, whose creations honor Mexican traditional dress and incorporate surrealist elements; lighting designer Victor Zapatero in his Lyric debut; and choreographer August Tye, a longtime Lyric collaborator who has participated in more than three dozen productions. Together, they create a visual experience as rapturous as Frida’s own canvases — a production where endlessly blooming marigolds, skeletal Catrinas, and the jewel-toned walls of Casa Azul transport audiences into Frida’s artistic vision.

When art becomes the bridge between worlds. Beyond its story of love and loss, El último sueño de Frida y Diego is a celebration of Mexican culture and the Day of the Dead traditions that honor the continuing connection between the living and those who have passed. Like the candlelit ofrendas offered on Día de Muertos, this opera doesn’t simply portray two artists’ fantastical reunion but honors the rituals of remembrance that keep memory and love alive. Frank’s sweeping music and Cruz’s poetic libretto create an operatic experience as emotionally rich as the lives that inspired it — a work that affirms art’s power to transcend death and keep our most important connections alive forever.

Performance Dates: Six chances to see El último sueño de Frida y Diego:

• Saturday, March 21, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, March 24, 2026 at 7 p.m.
• Thursday, March 26, 2026 at 7 p.m.
• Sunday, March 29, 2026 at 2 p.m.
• Wednesday, April 1, 2026 at 2 p.m.
• Saturday, April 4, 2026 at 2 p.m.

Language: Sung in Spanish, with easy-to-follow projected English titles above the stage.

Running time: Approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes, including one intermission.

Pre-performance talks: Ticketholders are invited to a free pre-opera talk on El último sueño de Frida y Diego's composition history and cultural context; the talks begin one hour before each performance in the theater’s Steiner Parquet (the main floor).

Accessibility: Audio description, a guided touch tour of the set, and SoundShirts are available at the Sunday, March 29 matinee performance. Braille and large-print programs, high-powered opera glasses, assistive listening devices, and booster seats are available from the theater’s Steiner Parquet coat checks at all performances. For more information on these and other accessibility assets, visit lyricopera.org/accessibility.

Production history: A co-production of San Diego Opera (world premiere, 2022) and San Francisco Opera.

Location: Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois.

For more information and tickets, visit lyricopera.org/frida or call 312.827.5600.

COSI FAN TUTTE translates loosely as ‘Thus Do They All’, referring to the inconstancy – fickleness, even infidelity – of women. ALL women. The opera, composed by Mozart with libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte, begins with two infatuated men, Ferrando (Anthony Leon) and Guglielmo (Ian Rucker) extolling the virtues of their fiancées Fiordiligi and Dorabella.  Don Alfonso (Rod Gilfry), a self-appointed sage / philosopher, jeers that there is no such thing as a faithful woman and wagers he can prove their perfidy within 24 hours. Ferrando and Guglielmo take the flutter and agree that each will try, in disguise, to seduce the other’s gal. Tough duty, yeah?

Jacquelyn Stucker and Cecelia Molinari are brilliant as sisters Fiordiligi and Dorabella (respectively), with peerless voices and superb acting, including spirited physical comedy. Their performances are matched by Ana Maria Martinez as Despina, the sisters’ puckish maid. Don Alfonso recognizes Despina as a ready collaborator and together they seek to lead Fiordiligi and Dorabella into temptation.

The sisters remain aggravatingly faithful, even when Ferrando and Guglielmo are (seemingly) called into military service and reappear (in disguise) as tempting lady-killers. At the close of Act One the women still stand firm against the wiles of the plotters. I’ll leave to your imagination the further convolutions of the six participants in this 1930’s rom-com battle of the sexes. Hilarity and dazzling arias, frothy costumes and splashy sets, all overlying a hotbed of distrust and deception combine to generate something rather like a skanky reality show.

 The production is marvelous – it can hardly be otherwise with Enrique Mazzola conducting, Michael Cavanagh and Roy Rallo directing (with Katrina Bachus’ Assistance) and Constance Hoffman designing costumes. Erhard Rom designed the set and projections, enhanced by Lighting Designers Jane Cos and Chris Maravich, all drawing us inescapably into Fiordiligi and Dorabella’s world. The libretto was sung in Italian; Christopher Bergen projected English translations. My difficulty reading these resided wholly in my eyes (I simply must see an optometrist!). Wig and Makeup Designer John Metzner was responsible for the various mustaches that ultimately adorned the entire cast. Michael Black directed the chorus, and Francesco Millioto conducted the stage band, all drawn together by Stage Manager Alaina Bartkowiak.

Jacquelyn Stucker (Fiordiligi) purports that the frank silliness of COSI FAN TUTTE creates a lens to study the silliness of the strict gender norms of the 1930’s.

Anthony León Ian Rucker and the Company of Cosi fan tutte.

I found Act 1 of COSI FAN TUCCE a delight; in it Mozart and Da Ponte use the theme of "fiancée swapping", which dates back to the 13th century (as in Shakespeare's Cymbeline). At the intermission I was still mystified as to what 19^th and early 20^th century audiences considered offensive and immoral, but in Act 2 I found myself moving closer to their perspective. From the beginning I, of course, denounced the central tenet: ‘cosi fan tutte’ or ‘all women are like that’, but I found Da Ponte’s cynical libretto effectually counterbalanced by the beauty and emotional resonance of Mozart’s music. In Dorabella’s aria “Smanie implacabili"—"Torments implacable" she bemoans her lover’s absence. This sets the stage for Ana Maria Martinez to establish the maid Despina as pivotal to the comedic theme. The aria "In uomini, in soldati, sperare fedeltà?"—"In men, in soldiers, you expect faithfulness?", was an exhibition of Martinez’ magnificent soprano voice. Act 1 continues with Fiordiligi’s aria "Come scoglio"—"Like a rock"; Guglielmo bragging of his manly attributes with "Non siate ritrosi"—"Don't be shy"; and Ferrando praising his love: "Un'aura amorosa"—"A loving breath".

I have to interject here that I’ve not previously been a devotee of opera – soaring sopranos and booming baritones were wasted on me. However, in reviewing for Buzz Center Stage I’ve come to appreciate the operatic artform and am becoming a true dilettante. So, if you, like me, despise opera, your evaluation may be revised by a suitable overture like COSI FAN TUTTE; though I indeed found it problematic, that very characteristic served to fructify the discussion my companion and I enjoyed during the ride home. Check it out! You never know.

Act 2 helped me understand the antipathy earlier audiences felt for COSI FAN TUTTE. I didn’t find it risqué, vulgar, or immoral [admittedly I personally set these bars pretty high]. I don’t believe I’m introducing spoilers when I say that I found the ending simply wrong. A more believable conclusion [to me] would have Ferrando and Guglielmo running off with each other. I wonder what the reaction would have been to that at its 1790 Viennese premiere.

Additional considerations: this is a long opera – with the 30-minDon’t skip lunch! Or you’ll be stuck with the various flavors of sugar and salt offered at the concession stands at ridiculous prices.ute intermission it runs a full 3½ hours. Think of Return of the King, but with a much-appreciated break to pee. Don’t skip lunch! Make time for lunch/dinner - you’ll feel so much better than if you end up relying on the concession stand’s pricey sugar‑and‑salt options.

COSI FAN TUTTE runs at the Lyric Opera House ONLY until February 15!!

Chicago Opera Theater (COT) presents the Chicago premiere of Der Silbersee: Ein Wintermärchen (The Silver Lake – A Winter’s Fairy Tale), a genre-defying theatrical work with music by Kurt Weill and text by Georg Kaiser that was banned by the Nazi regime just weeks after its 1933 premiere. Directed by COT General Director Lawrence Edelson and conducted by James Lowe in his COT debut, this revelatory new production will be performed March 4 at 7:30 PM, and March 7 & 8 at 3:00 PM at the Studebaker Theater, 410 S Michigan Ave. Tickets are $50-$150 and are available now at cot.org. The work is presented in German with English supertitles.

Der Silbersee marked Kurt Weill’s final theatrical work before he was forced to flee Germany as a Jewish composer, escaping the rising tide of fascism and eventually making his home in the United States. A groundbreaking, long-suppressed work by the composer of The Threepenny  Opera and Street Scene, Der Silbersee blurs the boundaries between opera, operetta, and musical theater. An act of artistic defiance at the moment of its creation, the work helped pave the way for modern music drama and remains a strikingly relevant reflection on humanity’s struggles and hopes. Der Silbersee tells the poignant story of Severin, a destitute man shot while stealing a pineapple, and Olim, the policeman who wounds him but later nurses him back to health as he seeks redemption. At its heart, this deeply human work asks a question that resonates with unsettling clarity today: How can we find reconciliation and hope in a fractured world? Weill’s extraordinary score—blending late-Romantic lyricism, sharp modernist edges, and the propulsive energy of popular song—moves seamlessly between satire, poignancy, and surrealism, underscoring the work’s emotional depth and political urgency.

COT General Director Lawrence Edelson on Der Silbersee: “When I first encountered Der Silbersee, I was struck not only by the circumstances in which it was written, but by how enduringly it speaks to our time. By cloaking a searing social critique in the language of a fairy tale, Kurt Weill and Georg Kaiser transformed political protest into poetic myth, using allegory to confront society in a moral winter. Written at a moment of profound political and ethical collapse, the work grapples with wealth inequality, the rise of fascism, and the violence of the state—forces that continue to forces that refuse to remain confined to history, resurfacing whenever societies lose their moral compass.. What makes the piece extraordinary, however, is that it refuses to surrender to despair. This theatrical masterpiece uncovers a profound hope—a belief that empathy and moral choice remain possible even when the world feels irreparably broken. Producing Der Silbersee today feels both like an act of remembrance and an act of resistance. I hope our new production allows contemporary audiences to encounter the work not as a historical artifact, but as a living moral inquiry—one that asks us, what kind of society we are choosing or allowing ourselves to become.”

The cast is led by tenor  Chaz’men Williams-Ali as Severin and bass-baritone Justin Hopkins as Olim. They are joined by soprano Ariana Strahl as Fennimore; tenor Dylan Morrongiello as Lottery Agent/Baron Laur; mezzo-soprano Leah Dexter as Frau von Luber; soprano Boya Wei and mezzo-soprano Sophia Maekawa as the Shopgirls; actor Korey Simeone as the Policeman/Doctor; and tenor Sam Grosby, baritones Evan Bravos and Leroy Davis, and bass-baritone Steele Fitzwater as the Four Youths. Jeffrey D. Kmiec is the Scenic Designer, Erik Reagan Teague is the costume designer, and Marcella Barbeau is the Lighting Designer.

In the weeks leading up to the opening, COT invites the public to deepen their engagement with Der Silbersee through two free, thought-provoking events that illuminate the opera’s historical context, artistic legacy, and striking contemporary relevance.

Free Public Event #1

1933: The Turning Point — Art, Oppression, and Resistance

Monday, February 9, 2026 | 6:30 PM
Harold Washington Library Center – Cindy Pritzker Auditorium

Chicago Opera Theater and the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center partner for an illuminating evening that explores how 1933 marked a profound rupture in the history of both Europe and the arts. That year, Adolf Hitler’s appointment as Chancellor of Germany ushered in the Nazi dictatorship, unleashing a systematic campaign of antisemitism, censorship, and cultural control. Within months, civil liberties were suspended, Jewish artists were expelled from their professions, and a new ideology of “racially pure” art replaced the creative pluralism of the Weimar Republic. Amid this upheaval, composer Kurt Weill and playwright Georg Kaiser premiered Der Silbersee. The work was banned within weeks of its debut and its creators forced into exile. Yet its music and message endure as a testament to the power of art to bear witness and to resist tyranny. 1933: The Turning Point — Art, Oppression, and Resistance combines live musical excerpts from Der Silbersee with historical context and dialogue, shedding light on how this masterpiece reflects the political and moral crises of its time. Together, COT and the Illinois Holocaust Museum invite audiences to reflect on how the lessons of 1933—when democracy collapsed, truth was suppressed, and art was silenced—remain urgently relevant today.

Free Public Event #2

Close-Up with Der Silbersee

Thursday, February 19, 2026 | 7:00 PM
Newberry Library

The subtitle of Der Silbersee translates into English as “A Winter’s Fairy Tale.” This deliberate reference to Heinrich Heine’s Deutschland: Ein Wintermärchen signals that the opera was never intended as a children’s fantasy, but as a poetic reflection on a society in moral winter—an idea that feels strikingly resonant today. Fairy tales are not solely escapist diversions; they are powerful vessels for moral clarity. Through the language of wonder, they confront fear, cruelty, loss, and redemption, shaping archetypes we recognize instinctively. Although Der Silbersee was not conceived as a child’s tale, director Lawrence Edelson became increasingly fascinated by how fairy tales are first encountered—not as literature, but as formative stories absorbed in childhood, when our sense of right and wrong is still taking shape. This insight inspired Edelson and his design collaborators to imagine the opera as unfolding within a child’s bedroom—not to make the work childish, but to reveal how innocence can perceive moral truth with piercing clarity. Join us at The Newberry Library for an engaging behind-the-scenes conversation to explore how the evocative visual world of this new production is being brought to life. The evening will also feature live excerpts from this unjustly neglected masterpiece, performed by members of the cast—an inspiring preview of Chicago Opera Theater’s upcoming production.

Both events are free, but advance registration is highly recommended due to limited seating capacity.

Leadership support for Der Silbersee has been provided by the Kurt Weill Foundation for Music, Inc., New York, NY, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Production Co-Sponsors Ethel Gofen Penelope Steiner and Virigina Tobiason.

COT thanks Nancy Dehmlow and the Morse & Genius Operating Reserve Fund for their generous support of the 2025/26 Season.

About Chicago Opera Theater

Chicago Opera Theater’s mission is to enrich the lives of those who live, work and play in Chicago by bringing rarely produced and contemporary operas to life, supporting gifted emerging artists, and providing hands-on experiences with opera that entertain, empower creativity, and cultivate a lasting and meaningful connection to the arts. Guided by our core values, COT serves Chicago through unique, relevant, and innovative opera experiences that reflect the aspirations of our city — dynamic, inclusive, and forward-thinking — fostering inspiration, dialogue and belonging. Since its founding in 1973, COT has grown from a grassroots community-based company to a national leader in an increasingly vibrant, diverse, and forward-looking art form. COT has staged over 160 operas, including over 90 Chicago premieres and 50 operas by American composers. COT is led by General Director Lawrence Edelson who was appointed in 2023.

Chicago Opera Theater’s 2025/26 season continues with the concert world premiere of Trusted May 30, 2026 – the seventh opera commissioned and developed under the auspices of the Vanguard Initiative.

For more information on Chicago Opera Theater productions, visit chicagooperatheater.org/

In a world where our attention span seems to be shrinking, it’s comforting to know there are still one-shots available for our entertainment like a limited mini-series, a short story, a collection of poetry, or in the case of operatic masterpieces, double-feature shows. One of the drawbacks to newcomers with the opera is the time and focus the productions require of the audience. Hours long symphonies and classical music scores coupled with lengthy and drawn-out emotive performances can be difficult to follow for new patrons, particularly with the false sense of urgency our modern world requires. Rather than let an art form die out simply to accommodate the times, it’s wonderful to see the Lyric Opera present one-shot masterpieces like Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci now playing at the Lyric Opera House this month.

Quinn Kelsey as Tonio and Yulia Matochkina as Santuzza in Cavalleria rusticana at Lyric Opera House.

Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci are two 19^th-century Italian operas that strip love of its overwrought grandeur and show it for what it can become: messy, corrosive, and even fatal. Short in length but packed with unforgettable fervor, Cav/Pag, as it’s colloquially known in the operaverse, delivers quick emotional blows to the heart. Cavalleria rusticana transports the audience to a Sicilian village on Easter morning, where sacred rituals can’t drown out explosive scandal. Santuzza, a woman shunned by her community and cast aside by her lover Turiddu, clings to her crumbling faith. As she pleads for forgiveness and recognition, she discovers that Turiddu has resumed his affair with Lola, who just so happens to be married to Alfio, a local businessman. As the church bells ring, so does the call for blood to spill. In the church square, as villagers gather to celebrate, personal betrayals erupt into public vengeance. Pagliacci centers on a traveling troupe of performers who arrive in a Sicilian village where envy and deception brew behind the scenes. Canio, the troupe’s leader, learns from Tonio that his wife and leading lady, Nedda, has taken Silvio as her lover. Tonio also rages with an unrequited love for Nedda. Canio must go on with the show, playing a clown whose wife betrays him, a role which hews all too close to his reality. Beneath its painted smiles and vaudeville spectacle, Pagliacci reveals a stage where illusion shatters and truth bleeds through the cracks.

Quinn Kelsey and the Company of Cavalleria rusticana. 

Both operas run times are roughly one hour and thirty minutes (give or take) with an intermission to break up the two stories. The storylines are easy to follow with an emotional depth that is relatable whether in commiseration or contempt, making this run a perfect performance for operatic neophytes. It’s easy to see why these two productions are frequently coupled together. Both written in and first performed in the 1890s, the operas broke from the traditional focus on mythology and royalty to ground themselves in the realistic and often gritty depictions of everyday life. Both storylines feature jilted and scorned lovers, duplicitous deeds, and depict what can happen when someone cannot regulate their emotions. Despite hundreds of years between the first performances and the show today, the stories still resonate with audiences proving humans are going to human, adultery is a catalyst towards conflict, and love and vengeance can be a lethal combination. The relatable themes are accompanied by a beautiful musical score that’s regularly featured and parodied in modern media. Led by the incomparable Enrique Mazzola, Lyric’s music director, the score adds a gravitas to the incredible talents of lyric newcomers mezzo-soprano Yulia Matochkina as Santuzza alongside tenor SeokJong Baek as Turiddu and tenor Russell Thomas as Canio and soprano Gabriella Reyes as Nedda. Alongside an incredible ensemble cast, set against an incredibly detailed and charming set designed by Michael Yeargan, the music and voices tug at heartstrings and tickle the brain in the most remarkable ways bridging time and cultures to bring these stories to life.

I’m not going to lie and say the opera is for everyone. The productions are long and require a dedicated time block and focus that not everyone can afford. It’s also often cost prohibitive for many audiences. The Lyric Opera has made incredible strides to lower the cost of admission while staging productions that require no prior knowledge or experience with the medium. As a culture, opera is not always the most welcoming of communities particularly when beloved productions are running. If you haven’t seen the opera a dozen times and can speak about sopranos and tenors as one would old friends, you’re likely to see a shoulder as cold as the theatre mid-performance. But Cavalleria rusticana & Pagliacci is completely different. Two one-shot stories divided by a welcomed intermission featuring storylines that are as scandalous and captivating as any Netflix mini-series. You won’t receive judgmental looks for not knowing the unspoken operatic code of conduct nor for not playing theatre conductor and knowing every rise and fall within the scores. With this performance, you simply get to be immersed into the world of opera with a relatable and down-to-earth production that highlights the best of what it has to offer; incredible scores, powerhouse talent, and one-shot drama that will have you both laughing and gasping. If you’ve ever been curious about the opera or wanted to check off a theatrical or Chicago bucket list, Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci is the perfect opportunity for you. And who doesn’t love a good one-shot story set to a classical and dramatic score?

Cavalleria rusticana & Pagliacci is now showing at the Lyric Opera House (20 N Wacker Dr, Chicago) through November 23^rd. Sung in Italian with projected English titles, it has a run time of 2 hours and 55 minutes, including 1 intermission. Get your tickets today at lyricopera.org to experience this limited run of these Italian masterpieces today.

A famous Chicagoan once said “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Life does move fast, and opportunities and experiences are the simplest way to pause time. For me there’s no better place in all of Chicago where time stops, even for a short while, than the Lyric Opera. There’s something magical about the venue, from the moment you enter the theatre to marvel at the grandness of the entrance hall until the time the lights blink to usher you to your plush red chairs in the audience to view an operatic masterpiece. It’s when you leave the theatre, wandering into the chilly Chicago night air, that you realize that the opera allowed you to stop time, and not just for the lengthy three plus hour run times the operas tend to be, but truly stop time. Because the magic of the opera allows us to stop, look, and reflect that we watched an opera that has been performed for thousands of years. Plays and operas based on plays and works that reach to the earliest stages of life on earth and that we as a modern audience are still moved by today, can still connect to on an emotional level. Time stops at the opera and for a brief run time, you can view the same operatic magic as the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s 2025/26 Season kicks off with a searing tale of vengeance and betrayal: Cherubini’s Medea, on stage October 11–26, 2025.

Hell hath no fury like a sorceress scorned. Euripides's ancient tragedy comes to blazing life in this riveting opera, a late 18th-century masterpiece with music and themes that continue to resonate across the millennia. This centuries-old tale burns with unrelenting emotional fire, and in Cherubini’s hands, it demands to be retold. Audiences witness the tragedy of Medea, a powerful sorceress betrayed by her lover, Giasone, who abandons her and their two children to marry another woman, Glauce, the daughter of the king Creonte. Given just 24 hours to accept her fate, Medea instead bends it to her will, with her accomplice, Neris, at her side, delivering vengeance that shakes the very foundations of the kingdom. A favorite of Beethoven himself, who considered Cherubini to be the greatest living composer of his time, Medea channels the raw power of Greek tragedy and sets it to unforgettable music, leaving audiences breathless as love curdles into rage, and a mother’s heartbreak becomes her most devastating weapon.

With a cast of operatic Olympians, visionary direction, and music that blazes with wrath and beauty, Medea sets the tone for a season defined by bold storytelling and emotional intensity. Medea marks the return of three Chicago-born international stars to the Lyric stage, superstar soprano Sondra Radvanovsky in an Olympic-level performance of the title role, acclaimed tenor Matthew Polenzani, and the rising star mezzo-soprano Zoie Reams. Coupled with the Lyric Opera Orchestra conducted by “Chicago’s Maestro-Around-Town” Lyric Music Director Enrique Mazzola, Cherubini’s score delivers operatic fire and fury as never before. Lyric presents Medea for the first time in its seven-decade history in a production directed by Sir David McVicar, who returns with a sweeping vision of beauty and decay that commands attention from first note to final breath. This spellbinding production transforms myth into music and passion into fire and creates an unforgettable night at the opera that proves hell hath no fury like a sorceress scorned.

Is there anything more profound or timeless as a woman’s rage? Particularly a woman scorned? It’s quite easy to dive into debates about the merits of female rage, how we can examine ancient texts with an often more critical or kinder lens as we reflect on the story that unfolds on the stage. But more striking is the lasting power of the emotions captured in Medea, rage, vengeance, and spite. The emotions depicted and beautifully portrayed in 2025 are the same emotions that were originally captured when the play was first written in 431 BC, the same emotions depicted as an opera for the first time in 1797 France. It’s the power of the humanities, the way that prose and storytelling capture the human experience of a woman scorned and the lengths she would go to seek her revenge. The same shock and outrage audiences felt on October 11^th, 2025, are the same feelings audience members experienced in 1797, and in 431 BC. That’s the magic of opera. Other theatric mediums offer testaments and homage to classic tales but operas have an altogether unique quality about that. The blend of storytelling and musicality captivates you, enchants you, and transcends you through time and space with drama tales that still resonate today.

There are only five remaining opportunities to see Medea at the Lyrics Opera in Chicago (20 N Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60606): October 14, 17, and 20, at 7 p.m., and matinee performances on October 23 and 26 at 2 p.m. The performance is sung in Italian with easy-to-follow English titles projected above the stage and runs for 2 hours and 45 minutes, including one intermission. Life does move pretty fast, I’d wager those n 431 BC and 1797 thought the same thing. So be sure to stop and look around every once in a while and see this incredible opera before it passes you by. For more information and tickets, visit lyricopera.org/medea or call 312.827.5600.

When Francesca Zambello, director of The Glimmerglass Festival, commissioned an opera about race in America, the country was reeling from a spate of police shootings of young African-American men in Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, and South Carolina. By the time the commissioned work Blue premiered at The Glimmerglass Festival in 2019, police killings of unarmed African-American men and women had soared to nearly 135.

While Blue holds up an often times uncomfortable mirror to racism in America, it is much more than a “protest opera” or an opera about police violence. In the words of director and librettist Tazewell Thompson, an internationally acclaimed director for opera and theatre, “I wrote [Blue] from an obsessive need and responsibility to tell an intimate story behind the numbing numbers of boys and men who are killed.”

And that is exactly the powerful appeal of Blue, which recently premiered at the Lyric Opera. Through Thompson’s intense and profound libretto and the soaring score composed by Tony-Award winner Jeanine Tesori, Blue draws us in beyond the names and the headlines to the unimaginable suffering of the families who have been torn apart by these tragic and senseless deaths.

Blue is a powerful, passionate, and yes, painful depiction of a family and community coming together in crisis and faith. Hailed by critics as a “new American classic,” it was named the Best New Opera of 2019 by the Music Critics Association of North America. Tesori, who won recent Tony Awards for the music to Kimberly Akimbo and Fun House, brought her considerable talent and success as a Broadway composer to create a score that is both contemporaneous and timeless. Thompson drew on a canon of African-American literary greats, including James Baldwin, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Claude Brown, to write a libretto that is passionate and unapologetic.

The story centers on a Black middle-class couple living in Harlem, whose lives are shattered when their teenage son is shot and killed by a white police officer. Compounding the tragedy is the fact that the Father himself is a so-called “Black in Blue” – a member of the very same police force.

The two-act opera opens with the Mother performed by Lyric favorite Zoie Reams, who has gathered her girlfriends to share her wonderful news of her pregnancy. As her girlfriends, a charismatic trio led by Ariana Wehr in her Lyric debut and Lyric veterans Adia Evans and Krysty Swann, titter and exclaim over the Mother’s husband (“Damn girl,” they sing), the mood shifts suddenly as they learn her child is a boy. Oh no, no, no, they lament, reminding Mother that she is breaking the cardinal rule – “You shall not bring a black baby boy into the world.” Through a poignantly performed plea, Mother prevails upon her girlfriends to bless her child, whom she vows to bring into this world with love and hope.

The scene segues to Father, expertly performed by bassist Kenneth Kellogg in a role written specifically for him, as he reveals the news of his pending fatherhood with his three fellow police buddies (Terrence Chin-Loy, Jonathan Pierce Rhodes, and Christopher Humbert, Jr.) at the local watering hole, who can barely tear their eyes from watching the football game. Yet, they share in Father’s joy, peppering him with lighthearted advice and warnings about being a dad.

The first act concludes sixteen years later, when the Son, performed magnificently by tenor Travon D. Walker, and the Father engage in a bitter argument. The father confronts his son, who has been frequently at odds with the law for his involvement with non-violent political protests. “Look at yourself,” the Father intones. “Pull up your pants. Take off that hoodie.” The son pushes back, derisively accusing the Father of being “a cop,” “A clown in a blue suit,” upholding an oppressive system. Act 1 concludes with the Father, despite his son’s bitter words, offering an emotion-filled pledge to love and hold his son always.

As the second act opens, we discover that the Son has been shot and killed by a white police officer at a protest. The heartbroken Father meets with the Reverend, powerfully performed by Lyric veteran baritone Norman Garrett, who attempts to console him and encourages him to forgive. But the Father, in an ironic twist, adopts much of his son’s attitude and words, angrily lashing out at the Reverend. “I’m not here for redemption,” the Father says, “I’m here to confess” the revenge he plans to exact against the white officer. Yet, the Reverend continues to console the Father, and in a groundswell of pain, the two perform the beautiful heartrending duet “Lay my burden down.”

Meanwhile, the grief-stricken mother is attended once again by her girlfriends, to support her as she buries her son. In a particularly heartbreaking moment, Mother falls to her knees and begs God to return her son to her. “I don’t care if he’s blind; if he has no hands or feet. Just that he is alive,” she laments. But then, she bitterly remembers that “We are not God’s favorites.”

At the funeral, Father and Mother together wrestle with their grief. But with the prayers and support of the congregation, as the theme of “lay my burden down” is reprised, the two find consolation in their faith and community. The opera concludes with a flashback to the Son’s last night at the dinner table with his father and mother, pledging that this will be his last protest and promising that “nothing will happen. Nothing.”

Blue is an important, relevant opera, touching on themes and issues in a way that is not confrontational but heartfelt and profound. You may feel uncomfortable, but you will not walk away from this performance untouched and hoping for a better world.

Blue is in a limited engagement at the Lyric, with performances on Nov. 20, 22, 26 and December 1. For ticket information, visit Lyricopera.org.

Sometimes history has a way of repeating itself and it’s not always for the better. Try as we might to learn from history, some of us are simply doomed to repeat it. But not everything that is repeated is necessarily bad. Historical music, art, and opera transcend history, where repetition is not only encouraged, but exalted. There is something magical about watching a live performance of an artform that was performed for audiences over two hundred years ago and think about the audience’s reaction then and now; did they laugh the same way? Did they like it as much then as we do today? Did they really use the word ‘b*$%h?’ There is truly a magical and historical connection happening at The Lyric Opera as they put on one of the most beloved operas of all time, The Marriage of Figaro.

The Marriage of Figaro continues the plot of The Barber of Seville several years later, and recounts a single "day of madness" (la folle journée) in the palace of Count Almaviva near Seville, Spain. Rosina is now the Countess. Dr. Bartolo is seeking revenge against Figaro for thwarting his plans to marry Rosina himself, and Count Almaviva has degenerated from the romantic youth of Barber, (a tenor in Paisiello's 1782 opera), into a scheming, bullying, skirt-chasing baritone. Having gratefully given Figaro a job as head of his servant-staff, he is now persistently trying to exercise his droit du seigneur – his right to bed a servant girl on her wedding night – with Figaro's bride-to-be, Susanna, who is the Countess's maid. He keeps finding excuses to delay the civil part of the wedding of his two servants, which is arranged for this very day. Figaro, Susanna, and the Countess conspire to embarrass the Count and expose his scheming. He retaliates by trying to compel Figaro legally to marry a woman old enough to be his mother, but it turns out at the last minute that she really is his mother. Through the clever manipulations of Susanna and the Countess, Figaro and Susanna are finally able to marry.

The company of The Marriage of Figaro at Lyric Opera of Chicago.

For those who have never seen an opera before, I could not recommend The Marriage of Figaro enough. The storyline is easy to follow despite the number of colorful characters. The opera is a musical comedy in four acts that first premiered in Vienna in 1786 and follows a comedy of errors as the players scheme and plot to catch each other in lies, all centered around a lascivious man who wants to have his way with a brushing bride, and the many men and women who don’t want that to happen. Mix in some humorous cross-plots and you’ve got yourself a comedy of errors that could have been written today. Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, audiences old and young will instantly recognize the harmonies and familiar songs that have been featured in everything from Charlie and The Chocolate Factory and Mrs. Doubtfire, to countless Looney Tunes cartoons, and even viral TikToks. Considered one of the greatest operas ever written, The Marriage of Figaro is consistently ranked as one of the top ten most frequently performed operas. While the opera is sung in Italian, don’t worry, there are English translations displayed above the stage for the audience to understand what is being sung. With a minimalist but grand stage, vibrantly colored costumes, and voices of actors that are remarkably otherworldly, The Lyric Opera pays homage to history of this opera with their production. Helmed by incredible talent from Peter Kellner as Figaro, Ying Fang as Susanna, Federica Lombardi as Countess Almaviva, and Gortdon Bintner as Count Almaviva, this opera is an incredible introduction to the artform for both seasoned and novice operagoers.

When we look back in history, we sometimes wonder if those from the past thought about how they’d be perceived by future generations. Did Mozart know his masterpiece would still be played hundreds of years later? Do the opera singers feel history captured in the libretto they are singing? Not everything in history that repeats itself is bad. The things that bring life, laughter, love, and light into our lives should be repeated, and frequently. When history does inevitably repeat itself, be sure it is pulling you into the light and not into a pit of despair. After all, we could all use a little bit of light and laughter in our lives right about now. So make a night of it in Chicago and see The Marriage of Figaro at The Lyric Opera (20 N Wacker Dr, Chicago) during its limited run through Nov 30^th. Tickets are available at www.lyricopera.org.

Terence Blanchard's "Champion" delivers a powerful blow to the stage, not through physical force but with its emotional resonance. Based on the life of  boxer, Emile Griffith, the opera is told through the memories of an older Griffith, (played by Reginald Smith, Jr.)  Suffering from dementia and a lifetime of pain and regret the older Griffith  prepares for a meeting with Benny Paret Jr. the son of his one-time opponent, Benny “The Kid” Paret. (both Parets are played by Leroy Davis)

We travel to St. Thomas, where, abandoned by his mother, little Emile, (played by Naya Rosalie James, exhibits signs of sensitivity which his fanatically religious cousin view as demonic. Cousin Blanche verbally and physically abuses him. Having him stand in the island sun holding a cinder block above his head only served to make him physically and emotionally strong.

Confident in his abilities as a singer, baseball player and hat maker, Young  Emile Griffith (played by Justin Austin) arrives in New York City.  He reconnects with his elusive mother (Whitney Morrison) and is introduced to Howie Albert (played by Paul Groves ) the owner of a hat manufacturing company. Albert notices Griffith’s muscular frame and guides him to the boxing ring becoming his manager.

Emile Griffith’s life is a stark reminder of the era he lived in. In the hyper-masculine realm of boxing during the 1960s, homosexuality was an unspoken taboo, a secret that could destroy careers and lives. Griffith's inner conflict is palpable - he is a champion in the ring, yet forced to live a double life, constantly repressing his identity from a world that would not tolerate it.

The opera's most poignant moment comes in the aria “What Makes a Man a Man?” Griffith grapples with society’s toxic definition of masculinity. Blanchard's haunting jazz-infused score underscores the question, making the audience acutely aware of the psychological toll that repression and denial were taking on a man trying to conform to an impossible standard.

The pivotal moment of the opera is the fateful fight with Benny “Kid” Paret. Paret's homophobic taunts, cruel words wielded as weapons, pierce Griffith's carefully constructed facade. While audiences may have suspected Griffith's private life, like the unspoken reality of JFK's affairs, public discussion remained taboo. Benny “The Kid” Paret crossed an unforgiveable line in the mind of the very proud Griffith.  In a burst of blind rage, Griffith's pent-up pain and frustration violently boil over, and he delivers the tragic blows that end Paret's life ten days later.

The libretto missed an opportunity for deeper exploration. Instead of delving into Emile Griffith's inner world at his career peak and aftermath, it presented extraneous scenes. A fabricated marriage, a warning aria from his mother, and a sexually charged encounter in a gay bar, though interesting individually, felt tangential to the core narrative. These detours could have been replaced with moments that illuminate Griffith's psyche, motivations, and struggles, offering the audience a clearer understanding of the complex man behind the champion. Additionally, the inclusion of Griffith’s adopted son and caretaker, Luis Rodrigo Griffith's (played by Martin Luther Clark)  story and the development of their relationship could have offered a powerful layer of complexity and provided a window into the challenges and triumphs of navigating identity and love in a complex world.

Through Griffith's journey, "Champion" shines a spotlight on the lingering prejudices within the world of sports. Even today there are athletes who feel they must hide their sexuality for fear of rejection, discrimination, or even violence. Their struggles are real. Their stories deserve to be heard.

Blanchard’s score is a masterful blend of jazz and classical styles. It mirrors the turbulent emotional world of Griffith, sometimes mournful, sometimes furious, always stirring. The opera leaves a lasting impression, resonating long after the curtain falls.

In collaboration with “Champion” is an exhibition of Patric McCoy’s seminal collection of Black male photography, curated by Viktor L. Ewing-Givens of Southern Android productions. “Concrete, rose” is an exploration of Black men wanting to be seen. “Champion," becomes a mirror in which the striking portraits of "concrete, rose" are reflected. Both the opera and the photographic collection delve into the often-concealed lives of Black men, their struggles, their sexuality, and the delicate dance they perform at the intersection of personal truth and societal expectations.

"Concrete, rose" exhibit (left) and photographer Patric McCoy

The characters in “Concrete, Rose” and Emile Griffith could easily be contemporaries, existing in worlds that have evolved but are still shaped by the same biases and expectations. Sports, much like other arenas of public life for Black men, are often hyper-masculine spaces, leaving little room for the fluidity of gender and sexuality.

“Champion” is a testament to the psychological toll exacted on those forced to compartmentalize their true selves. And, like “concrete, rose,” the opera stands as a reminder of the ongoing struggle Black men, particularly Black LGBTQ+ men, face in a world that often rejects those who dare to exist outside of narrow societal definitions.

More than a story about a boxer, "Champion" is a story about the battle for acceptance — for oneself and, more broadly, from a world still grappling with the nuances of sexual identity. In its collaboration with "Concrete, Rose," the opera expands a necessary conversation, bringing to light voices that are often unheard, revealing truths that have long been veiled.

When: 2 p.m. Jan. 31, with four additional performances through Feb. 11

Where: Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker

Tickets: $49-$339

Info: (312) 827-5600; lyricopera.org/champion

Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete? Proving nature's laws wrong, it learned to walk without having feet. Funny, it seems to by keeping it’s dreams; it learned to breathe fresh air. Long live the rose that grew from concrete when no one else even cared.

― TUPAC SHAKUr

www.lyricopera.org/shows/upcoming/2023-24/champion/concrete-rose/