Lyric Opera of Chicago has announced a $20 million gift from The Negaunee Foundation, the philanthropic organization of Richard W. Colburn and his wife, Robin Colburn. The gift will be divided equally between two funds. The first, The Negaunee Education Endowment, will provide permanent support for Lyric’s education initiatives, which will be newly named Negaunee Education Programs at Lyric Opera {…}
Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Music Institute of Chicago have announced a new multifaceted partnership launching in the 2026-27 season. The collaboration introduces four distinct programs. As part of Lyric’s longstanding Opera in the Neighborhoods initiative, short operatic performances will be presented annually at Nichols Concert Hall. Select Music Institute string students will also have the opportunity to observe {…}
The Lyric Opera of Chicago has appointed Sondra Radvanovsky as Artistic Advisor. She will take on the role for the next five seasons and will work closely with The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center through masterclasses, mentorship, and career guidance. In a statement the soprano said, “Lyric is my artistic home, and I am honored to deepen {…}
The Lyric Opera of Chicago has announced its 2026-27 season. Christian Van Horn and Kyle Ketelsen lead Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” with Mané Galoyan, Nina Solodovnikova, Lawrence Brownlee, Tommaso Barea, Anna El-Khashem, Christopher Humbert, Jr., and David Leigh. Enrique Mazzola conducts the production by Robert Falls. Performance Dates: Oct. 10-Nov. 1, 2026 Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels’s “Omar” will star Issachah {…}
The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago will present “Rising Stars in Concert” on Saturday, April 25, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. at the Lyric Opera House. The 2025-26 Ryan Opera Center Ensemble, which includes performs with the Lyric Opera Orchestra under Music Director Enrique Mazzola in a program directed by Kyle Lang. The {…}
Lyric Opera of Chicago has elected five new members to its Board of Directors. Billy Corgan, Edmund Lester, Suzanne Mulshine, John Sabl, and Michael Strautmanis were unanimously elected by the Board. The new members begin their terms immediately. Corgan is best known as the founder and frontman of the Grammy Award-winning rock band The Smashing Pumpkins, and recently collaborated with {…}
The Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship (TACF) has chosen Chi-Yuan Lin as the 2026–28 TACF Fellow. Lin was selected from a competitive cycle with nearly 150 applicants representing 41 nationalities. Currently, Lin is serving in the Conductor position with the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Ryan Opera Center Ensemble. This season she will work on “Cavalleria rusticana,” “Pagliacci,” “Salome,” and “Madama Butterfly,” {…}
Lyric Opera of Chicago has announced a cast change for its production of “Salome.” The company said that soprano Jennifer Holloway will portray the title role, replacing Elena Stikhina, who is withdrawing from the production due to her pregnancy. Holloway will make her Lyric debut in the title role that she has also performed at the Wiener Staatsoper, Berlin State {…}
Anne M. Edwards has been elected to the Lyric Opera of Chicago Board of Directors. Edwards, a Certified Public Accountant and former Controller of Lyric Opera of Chicago, was confirmed during the Board’s meeting on Oct. 15, 2025., Edwards commenced her career with KPMG in Chicago and New York before joining Bank of Boston. “Anne Edwards brings a rare combination {…}
Lyric Opera of Chicago has announced that Craig C. Martin, Chair-Elect and a longtime business and philanthropic leader in Chicago, will be its new Board Chair. He was elected during a meeting of Lyric’s Board of Directors on Oct. 15, 2025, and will assume the position of Board Chair at Lyric’s Annual Meeting on May 20, 2026. Martin, Chairman, Americas {…}
Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Opera in the Neighborhoods program will tour “Katie: The Strongest of the Strong,” a bold new opera for young audiences celebrating the life of circus strongwoman Katie Sandwina. The production will visit schools and community groups across Chicago and the suburbs throughout October and November, with nine student performances and one public performance, reaching thousands of {…}