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Exterior of the Civic Opera House

Lyric Opera of Chicago is one of the leading opera companies in the United States. It was founded in Chicago in 1954.

In addition to the standard operatic repertoire, Lyric also presents contemporary works. Recent productions have included Harbison's The Great Gatsby (2000-2001), Weill's Street Scene (2001-2002), and Floyd's Susannah and Sondheim's Sweeney Todd (2002-2003).

Composer William Bolcom wrote his most recent opera for Lyric, A Wedding, based on the 1978 film of the same name directed by Robert Altman. It premiered during Lyric's 50th-anniversary season.

The Lyric Opera productions were broadcast and nationally syndicated by WFMT, from 1971 until 2001. The broadcasts ceased then because of a labor dispute with the Chicago Federation of Musicians, American Guild Musical Artists and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, over broadcast fees for musicians^[1]. The dispute was resolved at the 11th hour for the October 21, 2006 premiere of Richard Strauss's opera Salome starring Deborah Voigt.

Syndicated broadcast of the Lyric Opera resumed in May 2007 on the WFMT network, which includes XM Satellite Radio.

William Mason is the current General Director of Lyric Opera, a position he has held since November 1997. Mason has been with the company for over 40 years. Sir Andrew Davis is Lyric's music director and principal conductor, a post he has occupied since in September 2000. He led three complete cycles of Der Ring des Nibelungen in the 2004-2005 season to mark the company's 50th anniversary. Danny Newman was the company's long-time press agent from 1954 until his retirement in the 2001/02 season; Newman is largely credited as the founder of subscription-based arts marketing, the standard economic model for not-for-profit arts organizations in the United States.^[2] Philip David Morehead is head of music staff.

For details, see Civic Opera House

The Ardis Krainik Theatre

The company's permanent home is the Civic Opera House, a building which it rented from 1954 until after the 1993 renovations. It is a 1929 structure with an Art Deco interior. Its 3,563-seat capacity makes it the second-largest opera auditorium in North America. The interior was named The Ardis Krainik Theatre in 1996 in honor of Ardis Krainik, the General Director from 1982 to 1997, who was responsible for its renovation from 1993 onwards.

1. ^ "New Contract Could Mean Return of Lyric Opera to Radio," Chesterton Tribune, 21 September 2006 (AP source)
2. ^ Bruce Weber, "Arts in America; The Unsung Hero of Nonprofit Theater Is Still Selling", New York Times, 23 December 1997.

• Lyric Opera of Chicago website
• Profile at Centerstage Chicago
• Chicago Landmarks: Civic Opera Building

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