On Friday, Sep. 11, at 7:30PM, passionate opera fans and casual passers-by will gather at the annual Stars of the Lyric Opera at Millennium Park concert. This free event highlights selections from Lyric’s upcoming season and showcases both superstar singers and emerging talent from the Lyric’s Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center, an acclaimed program for the development of young artists.
The audience at this concert is in for the treat of high caliber performance, but the audience for a different concert in opera’s history had a more voyeuristic goal in mind. The disastrous performance of Florence Foster Jenkins at Carnegie Hall is currently being immortalized in a biographical comedy starring Meryl Streep as the overly-confident performer herself and Hugh Grant as her husband and “talent” manager.
Jenkins was a socialite, heiress, and self-acclaimed musician in the early 20th century. She gave private annual recitals in the Grand Ballroom of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel through which she became well-known for her elaborate costumes, lack of musicality, and poor pronunciation. In 1944 at the age of 76, Jenkins made her public debut at Carnegie Hall. This disastrous event, which serves as the pinnacle of the new movie’s plot, drew a curious audience including composers Cole Porter and Gian Carlo Menotti.
While the upcoming Florence Foster Jenkins movie may offer a humorous evening, one can only hope it will not further enforce some of opera’s stereotypes. For a high quality musical offering, learn more about Lyric’s upcoming concert at www.lyricopera.org/millenniumpark .
