Lyric Opera of Chicago’s season opens this weekend in truly unprecedented fashion: with a virtual gala.

Ahead of a free livestream this weekend, the star tenor reflected on his colleagues and career in opera and what he thinks classical music organizations should be doing to better represent their communities.

We’re not sure the next time we’ll be able to catch an in-person performance, but luckily, many of Chicago’s hallowed artistic venues are just a click away.

Amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, in-person performances will be among the last to return, making “operating on anything close to a normal basis until that phase” impossible.

In March, the ascendant American baritone Edward Nelson took first prize at the 2020 Glyndebourne Opera Cup, an operatic singing competition hosted in England.

Keeping busy and enjoying great music are some of the best ways to get through COVID-19 quarantining. Ryan Opera Center artists have been doing both in a series of homemade performance videos.

The celebrated American bass-baritone was slated to appear as Wotan but has withdrawn because of health issues.

A North American premiere, a Midwest premiere, and a special opening night concert with Renée Fleming are among the highlights. The 2020-2021 season will also be Sir Andrew’s last as music director.

Bryn Terfel broke an ankle in three places and will have surgery this week, causing him to cancel what would have been his first performances at the Metropolitan Opera since 2012.

Soprano Sondra Radvanovsky’s renowned vocal prowess is on impressive display at Lyric Opera of Chicago in The Three Queens. Also on display are three stunning gowns by designer Rubin Singer, who’s designed for stars like Beyoncé and Renée Fleming.

Terence Andrus has been on death row since 2012. Through a penpal program, celebrated bass-baritone Ryan McKinny has become a friend and artistic collaborator.

“You have to know that I am a very curious musician…” said Enrique Mazzola, wearing his trademark red glasses. In September, the Italian conductor was appointed Lyric Opera of Chicago’s music director designate.

There are baritones, and then there are Verdi baritones. They are the elite performers, athletes among baritones, thrilling their fans with blazing top notes and plumbing the depths of some of the most dramatically complex roles in opera.

“There are very few places… where people go to reflect as a community… The opera house, or the concert hall, is one of those sacred spaces…” observes composer Jake Heggie.

Whether you’re looking for a hardcore horror flick or a family-friendly outing, this list has you covered for some of the Chicago area’s Halloween highlights!

With the red carpet adorning Wacker Drive and the Art Deco opera house buzzing with excitement, Lyric Opera of Chicago celebrated its opening night on Saturday, September 28. Rossini’s Barber of Seville, the bubbly opera buffa, was an appropriate toast to the beginning of Lyric’s 65th season.

Mazzola will be just the third music director in the company’s history.

Wine and music pair together in perfect harmony. Check out these 6 pairings from maestro and wine ambassador Enrique Mazzola.

The “People’s Diva” first delighted Chicago audiences as she performed the title role in Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah in 1993.

How does an opera written in 1735 hold up today? Lyric Opera of Chicago’s production of George Frideric Handel’s Ariodante presents a contemporary perspective on the nearly 300-year-old Baroque opera, with updated gender and sexual politics to boot.

Richard Strauss’s Elektra is challenging, dramatic, and very, very bloody. This thrilling, one-act opera is based on an ancient Greek myth: Elektra seeks her sweet revenge on her mother for murdering her father. Lyric Opera of Chicago’s intense production features WFMT host Maggie Clennon Reberg. Go behind the scenes at Lyric, and be astonished as Maggie transforms in hair and makeup!

It will mark Muti’s tenth-anniversary season as music director as well as the 250th birthday of Beethoven. Muti conducts all of Beethoven’s symphonies over the course of the season, culminating in the triumphant Symphony No. 9 in June 2020.

Lyric’s 2019-2020 season will include seven mainstage operas (three of which are company premieres), three full performances of Lyric’s new Ring cycle, and the Broadway at Lyric premiere of 42nd Street.

What is it about Cinderella fairy tale that grabs readers, viewers, audiences, and listeners alike? In between riveting vocal performances, two opera stars shared what makes the story so very resonant.

In 1970, Montserrat Caballé was in only the fifth year of her international career and was, without doubt, one of the greatest voices to be heard in opera.