Lyric Opera 2025-2026 Issue 11 - safronia

avery r.young confers with conductor and orchestrator Paul Byssainthe,Jr. Lyric presents a world premiere musical work from Chicago’s first-ever poet laureate, the celebrated interdisciplinary artist avery r. young. From the first note, safronia will draw you in with its compelling storytelling. Triumph and tragedy converge in a personal yet universal story of the Great Migration. This Afro-surrealist tale is told through the eyes of the Booker family, who return from the northern U.S. to their Southern hometown after five years of banishment to bury their patriarch. Andrew Cioffi / Lyric Opera of Chicago