The Lyric Opera of Chicago debut of Bel Canto last month was the company’s first major commission and world premiere since A Wedding in 2004. Although such major new initiatives are rare, music and arts fans will have many opportunities to see new works in Chicago.
The Lyric is not the only Chicago opera company bringing innovations to the stage. On 18 Jan., Chicago Opera Theatre will workshop its new piece, The Invention of Morel, at OPERA America’s New Works Forum. This opera, which was co-commissioned by Chicago Opera Theatre and Long Beach Opera, will officially debut in Chicago in 2016.
Although in opera’s history, works written in close geographic chronological proximity are often similar in style, these new commissions may be quite different. Bel Canto’s composer Jimmy Lopez is classically trained, but Morel’s Stewart Copeland hails from the rock band The Police.
To appeal to quite a different set of musical preferences, Broadway in Chicago brings musical phenomenon Hamilton to the city on Sept. 27. This hip-hop inspired work recounts the life of founding father Alexander Hamilton by including rap, break-dancing, and modern social commentary. It has gained unprecedented attention and a massive fan following.
Don’t miss the opportunity to see these works live in Chicago or to obtain recordings, as available. Lyric’s Bel Canto will air on PBS’ Great Performances series in late spring or summer. (The Metropolitan Opera is well-accustomed to working with cameras for its movie theatre transmissions, which are then rebroadcast on PBS, but for Lyric this marks a new chapter of accessibility.) The full soundtrack to Hamilton can be found on Spotify.
