Lyric Opera 2025-2026 Special #3 - Mary Poppins

11 | Lyric Opera of Chicago Many audiences know this music by heart. How do you bring a spark to such a familiar score in performance? The Sherman Brothers injected so much color and vigor into their score for Mary Poppins , and it is merely my quest as the conductor to bring that freshness and energy to life in real time alongside the great musicians of the Lyric Opera Orchestra. The music moves between lighthearted songs and more emotional moments. How do you shape those shifts during the film? I merely have to shape them as the Sherman Brothers would have wanted, and simultaneously keep the music perfectly synched with the picture. Between the two, I’ll have my hands full for sure! You’ve conducted many film scores. What’s distinctive about working with a classic studio-era musical like Mary Poppins ? There is something truly distinct and magical about a score that is handwritten and handcrafted the old-fashioned way, as opposed to the majority of contemporary scores, which are written in some fashion on computers. These performances mark your debut with the Lyric Opera Orchestra. What excites you about collaborating with this ensemble on this score? I first saw one of my vocal heroes, the great American bass, Samuel Ramey, command the role of Méphistophélès at Lyric Opera of Chicago in the late 1990’s. Maestro György Ráth conducted. It’s a performance that is still etched into my memory all these years later. It’s quite the full circle to return to Lyric 27 years later to conduct, in any capacity. I’m sure there are still some musicians from that era who will be with me for this performance. What do you hope audiences, especially families, experience when they hear this music performed live in the opera house? I must assume that most of the audience members are already familiar with Mary Poppins and have seen it before coming to our special live-to-picture performance. My hope is for them to witness and appreciate the beauty and power of a live orchestra performing this score, up close and in person.