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L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O
6
|
October 6 - 20, 2018
On behalf of everyone at Lyric, welcome to the opening production of our
2018/19 season! I’m tremendously excited about all the productions and special
events we have planned. Our music director, Sir Andrew Davis, and I have
worked intensively over the past several years to put together repertoire, casts,
and production teams that will illuminate these great works for our audiences
and bring them to life in thrilling new ways.
After 46 years, a new vision of Giacomo Puccini’s universally beloved
La bohème
was long overdue on our stage. Lyric’s new coproduction packs a
tremendous emotional punch. I’m delighted to welcome back to Lyric for two
productions this season Richard Jones, an extraordinary director. I’ve always
appreciated Richard’s ability to reach the emotional heart of whatever piece he
directs. He does this in
Bohème
, exploring the music and text in remarkable
detail.
Lyric’s marvelously youthful cast is made up of international stars. I'm so
pleased that Maria Agresta, the irresistible Italian soprano who made her Lyric
debut last season as Liù in
Turandot
, is returning to sing Mimì, her favorite
role. Opposite her as Rodolfo, and making his Lyric debut, is Michael Fabiano, the American tenor who has very rapidly
ascended to the front rank internationally. Our Musetta, Danielle de Niese, will no doubt captivate Lyric audiences, as she has
done previously in
Giulio Cesare, The Marriage of Figaro
, and the world premiere of
Bel Canto
. Zachary Nelson (Marcello),
heard at Lyric in
Turandot
and
Das Rheingold
, is one of the most promising American baritones of his generation, and Adrian
Sâmpetrean (Colline), the Romanian bass, has proven deeply impressive in Lyric’s recent productions of
Lucia di Lammermoor
and
I puritani
.
It’s always a great event when a notable new conductor debuts at Lyric. Venezuela’s Domingo Hindoyan, who leads
La
bohème
, has rapidly developed a sensational career in both the opera house and the concert hall. Last season, which included
his Metropolitan Opera debut (
L’elisir d’amore
), he was also on the podium at the opera companies of Stuttgart, Monte Carlo,
Dresden, and Berlin.
Lyric’s
La bohème
will make you fall in love with opera all over again.
Anthony Freud
General Director, President & CEO
The Women’s Board Endowed Chair
From the General Director
STEVE LEONARD