‘Carmen,’ ‘West Side Story’ among Lyric Opera’s 2022-23 season

The Lyric Opera of Chicago on Tuesday announced its 68th season — a robust lineup of classical and new works.

The full slate comes on the heels of pandemic shut downs and postponements, the most recent being the Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek’s chamber opera “Proving Up” at the Goodman Theatre.

Kicking off the 2022-23 season will be Verdi’s “Ernani” (Sept. 9-Oct. 1), based on the play “Hernani” by Victor Hugo, starring Tamara Wilson, Russell Thomas, Quinn Kelsey and Christian Van Horn, conducted by Lyric music director Enrique Mazzola and directed by Louisa Muller.

The Komische Oper Berlin’s “operatically scaled production” of “Fiddler on the Roof” follows (Sept. 17-Oct. 7), conceived by Barrie Kosky and conducted by Kimberly Grigsby.

Mazzola next conducts Verdi’s “Don Carlos” (Nov. 9-25) presented at Lyric for the first time in its original five-act French version, featuring Rachel Willis-Sorensen, Clementine Margaine, Joshua Guerrero, Igor Golovatenko, Dmitry Belosselskiy, and Soloman Howard; and Rossini’s “Le Comte Ory” (Nov. 13-26) starring Lawrence Brownlee, Kathryn Lewek, and Joshua Hopkins, directed by Bartlett Sher.

Former Lyric music director Andrew Davis returns to conduct Humperdinck’s “Hansel and Gretel” (Jan. 25-Feb. 5, 2023).

The season’s world premieres include the soul opera “The Factotum,” (Feb. 3-12, 2023) composed by Will Liverman and DJ/producer King Rico, a comedy set in a Black barbershop on Chicago’s South Side. Kedrick Armstrong conducts the production directed by and Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj at the Harris Theater.

Marty Sohl

“Proximity,” a trio of new American operas (March 24-April 8, 2023) directed by Yuval Sharon and featuring three intertwining tales from composer Daniel Bernard Roumain, librettist Anna Deavere Smith, co-librettists Caroline Shaw and Jocelyn Clarke, and John Luther Adams, setting a text by the late poet John Haines.

Following will be Bizet’s “Carmen” (March 11–April 7, 2023), conducted by Henrik Nánási and directed by Marie Lambert, starring J’Nai Bridges,Charles Castronovo, Golda Schultz and Andrei Kymach.

Lyric’s critically acclaimed Francesca Zambello production of the Broadway musical “West Side Story” returns (June 3-25, 2023) and will conclude the season.

In addition, the new season boasts a special concert starring soprano Renee Fleming and baritone Rod Gilfry on Oct. 8, featuring the Chicago premiere of Kevin Puts’ “The Brightness of Light.”

Season subscriptions are currently available at lyricopera.org.