Chorus Director

Opera at its grandest! While Aida delights audiences with its visual splendor, it also captivates them with a score ranging from exquisitely intimate arias to deeply dramatic duets and trios, and the most thrilling choruses Verdi ever composed. At Lyric Opera of Chicago, each of the five principal artists boasts not only a sumptuously beautiful voice, but also the charismatic presence to bring these characters and the opera's story of a riveting love triangle vividly to life. Conducting Francesca Zambello’s striking production will be Music Director Enrique Mazzola, acknowledged internationally as an exceptionally authoritative Verdian.

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Aida

Lyric Opera House

Lyric Opera of Chicago welcomes Champion, the first opera written by composer Terence Blanchard. Based on a true story and featuring a libretto by Michael Cristofer; the drama unfolds in what composer Terence Blanchard calls “an opera in jazz.” Welterweight boxer Emile Griffith is tortured by the complex realities of his life: decades-long guilt from defeating a challenger in the ring, who died from Griffith’s blows; and desperately conflicted feelings regarding his own sexuality. James Robinson’s production arrives in Chicago with a remarkable cast. Joining Lyric favorites Reginald Smith, Jr., Whitney Morrison, and Paul Groves is Justin Austin, a brilliant new star who triumphed in Fire Shut Up in My Bones, with Music Director Enrique Mazzola leading the Lyric Opera Orchestra.

Champion

Rossini’s enchanting fairytale heroine returns to the Lyric Opera of Chicago stage in classic style. Cinderella (La Cenerentola) tells the story of the downtrodden daughter of a selfish father, Don Magnifico. When Prince Ramiro (disguised as his own valet, Dandini) meets her, they fall instantly in love, leading — after a few complications — to a heartwarming happy ending. Rossini’s score provides endless sparkle, with Cenerentola’s and Ramiro’s arias abounding in fabulous vocal virtuosity. There’s also hilarity, thanks to the antics of Magnifico and Dandini. Two rising stars, Vasilisa Berzhanskaya and Jack Swanson, will be joined by the incomparable Alessandro Corbelli to lead Lyric’s cast in Jean-Pierre Ponnelle’s world-famous production led by the exciting Taiwanese conductor Yi-Chen Lin.

Michael Blackburn

Chorus Director

Events

Past events

Mar 9 - Apr 7, 2024

Aida · Lyric Opera of Chicago

Jan 27 - Feb 11, 2024

Champion · Lyric Opera of Chicago

About

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