Single tickets are on sale now for Lyric Opera of Chicago’s 2026/27 Season — seven operas spanning centuries and continents, four unique concerts, two Academy Award–winning films performed live, and the return of the Lyric summer musical with a new production of Guys & Dolls. Until now, Lyric’s much-anticipated new season was available only to subscribers; recent seasons have seen incredible demand for single tickets.
"I have never been more excited to walk into this building," says John Mangum, Lyric’s General Director. "The 2026/27 Season has something I genuinely haven’t seen assembled quite like this before — Enrique conducting five masterworks spanning four centuries, a Pulitzer Prize–winning American opera, a French rarity that deserves to be far better known, and the summer musical coming home. Add world-class voices on our stage night after night, add sold-out houses — and what you have is a season that could only happen at Lyric, in a world-class city like Chicago, right now. Come be part of it."
Single tickets are online at lyricopera.org or by calling Lyric Audience Services at 312.827.5600; the Box Office at the Lyric Opera House is also open for in-person sales, Tuesdays through Fridays from 12 to 5 p.m. Discounts are still available for subscription packages and groups of 10 or more. Act quickly to secure the best seats — many dates already have limited availability and are anticipated to sell out.
The opera season opens October 10 with Mozart’s Don Giovanni, running through November 1 and completing Lyric’s exploration of the Mozart/Da Ponte trilogy. Conducted by Music Director Enrique Mazzola and directed by Chicago theatrical legend Robert Falls, the production features Ryan Opera Center alumnus Christian Van Horn in the title role alongside Lawrence Brownlee and Mané Galoyan.
The Lyric premiere of Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels’s Pulitzer Prize–winning Omar, a breathtaking contemporary work rooted in the memoir of 19th-century Islamic scholar Omar ibn Said, plays October 23, 25, and 28, conducted by Kazem Abdullah and directed by Kaneza Schaal, who helmed the opera’s world premiere. The production features Issachah Savage in the title role alongside Lyric favorite and Hyde Park native Zoie Reams as Fatima.
Donizetti’s sparkling comic masterpiece Don Pasquale returns to Lyric for the first time in more than a decade November 12 through 27, in a vivid Glyndebourne production conducted by Maestro Mazzola and directed by Mariame Clément in her Lyric debut, starring Misha Kiria in his Lyric debut and Ying Fang.
November also brings two special events: Wagner: Myth & Music on November 20 and 22 — an electrifying concert showcasing Wagner's most stirring music, led by conductor Alexander Soddy in his Lyric debut and featuring guest soloist Christine Goerke — and Disney’s Encanto in Concert Live to Film on November 28 and 29, with Lin-Manuel Miranda’s beloved songs and Germaine Franco’s score performed live by the Lyric Opera Orchestra.
January 2027 opens with Amadeus LIVE — the eight-time Academy Award–winning film accompanied live by the Lyric Opera Orchestra and Chorus — on January 15 and 16, followed by Haydn’s awe-inspiring oratorio The Creation on January 22 and 23, conducted by Enrique Mazzola with soloists Erin Morley in her Lyric debut, Ryan Opera Center alumnus David Portillo, and Michael Sumuel.
February brings a long-awaited Lyric premiere: Massenet’s rarely performed Hérodiade: An Opera in Concert, February 23 through 28, conducted by Maestro Mazzola — a lush and haunting masterpiece of French grand opera starring Clémentine Margaine, Federica Lombardi, and Piero Pretti in his Lyric debut. Hérodiade’s sweeping drama and vocal demands require truly exceptional singers, which is precisely why it’s performed so infrequently.
Richard Strauss’s brilliantly self-referential Ariadne auf Naxos returns in John Cox’s whimsical production for six performances, March 11 through 26, conducted by Oksana Lyniv in her Lyric debut, directed by Bruno Ravella, and featuring the Lyric debut of Leah Hawkins, alongside Erin Morley and Lyric favorite Russell Thomas in an important role debut.
Verdi’s beloved romantic tragedy La traviata runs March 24 through April 25 in Lyric’s Arin Arbus production, with Yaritza Véliz, Liparit Avetisyan, and Amartuvshin Enkhbat, all in their Lyric debuts. Prepare to be moved by this masterwork of melody and melancholy conducted by Maestro Mazzola and directed by Tara Faircloth.
Carlisle Floyd’s classic American opera Susannah returns to Lyric for the first time since 2002, April 11 through 23, conducted by Daniela Candillari and directed by acclaimed soprano Patricia Racette, with Gabriella Reyes in the title role alongside the Lyric debuts of Ryan Speedo Green and Matthew Cairns.
The spring season continues with Sondra Radvanovsky & SeokJong Baek in Concert on April 30 and May 2 — a program of showstopping arias and duets conducted by Riccardo Frizza, and the first stage appearance of Ms. Radvanovsky in her new role as Lyric’s recently appointed Artistic Advisor.
Recently added to the season is Idina Menzel in Concert, a one-night only event featuring the iconic Broadway star with the Lyric Opera Orchestra, on Saturday, May 1.
After four years away, the Lyric summer musical returns with Guys & Dolls, Frank Loesser’s irresistible fable of gamblers and showgirls, June 4 through 20. The production reunites the celebrated creative trio behind Lyric’s beloved West Side Story: director Francesca Zambello, conductor James Lowe, and choreographer Joshua Bergasse. Lyric is the only venue in the Chicagoland area where audiences can experience a beloved musical with a full, live orchestra — and Lyric’s musicals are big: big chorus, big orchestra, spectacular sets, and top talent from across the country. Casting will be announced soon.
For more information about Lyric’s 2026/27 Season and to purchase single tickets beginning Wednesday, July 8, visit lyricopera.org.
Lyric Opera of Chicago’s 2026/27 Season Schedule
October 10–November 1, 2026: Don Giovanni
October 23–28, 2026: Omar
November 12–27, 2026: Don Pasquale
November 20 & 22, 2026: Wagner: Myth & Music
November 28 & 29, 2026: Disney's Encanto in Concert Live to Film
January 15 & 16, 2027: Amadeus LIVE
January 22 & 23, 2027: Haydn's The Creation
February 23–28, 2027: Hérodiade: An Opera in Concert
March 11-26, 2027: Ariadne auf Naxos
March 24–April 25, 2027: La traviata
April 11–23, 2027: Susannah
April 30 & May 2, 2027: Sondra Radvanovsky & SeokJong Baek in Concert
May 1, 2027: Idina Menzel in Concert
June 4–20, 2027: Guys & Dolls
Lyric’s 2026/27 Season is presented by the Robert and Penelope Steiner Family Foundation.
Lyric’s presentation of Mozart’s Don Giovanni is generously made possible by The Negaunee Foundation, Lisbeth Stiffel, Julie & Roger Baskes, Marlys A. Beider, Randy L. & Melvin R.* Berlin, and Bulley & Andrews.
Lyric’s presentation of Donizetti’s Don Pasquale is generously made possible by Josef & Margot Lakonishok and ITW.
Lyric’s presentation of Wagner: Myth & Music is generously made possible by Orit K. Carpenter, in loving memory of David W. Carpenter.
Lyric’s presentation of Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos is generously made possible by Patricia A. Kenney & Gregory J. O’Leary.
Lyric’s presentation of Verdi’s La traviata is generously made possible by Lisbeth Stiffel and Invenergy.
Lyric’s presentation of Guys & Dolls is generously made possible by The Morrison Family, in loving memory of Robert & Susan Morrison, and Ethel Gofen.
Maestro Enrique Mazzola is generously sponsored by Alice* & John Butler, H. Gael Neeson, Sylvia Neil & Daniel Fischel, the Robert and Penelope Steiner Family Foundation, Mary Stowell, and the Zell Family Foundation as members of the Enrique Circle.
Lyric Opera of Chicago thanks its Official Airline, United Airlines, and acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council.
*deceased
About Lyric
Lyric Opera of Chicago is where the world sings — and where Chicago comes alive.
Under the leadership of General Director, President & CEO John Mangum and Music Director Enrique Mazzola, Lyric stands at the intersection of artistic excellence and civic purpose, harnessing the full power of opera — voice, orchestra, stagecraft, and story — to illuminate the questions, emotions, and experiences that define us as human beings. Nearly 75 seasons of world-class performances have made Lyric one of the greatest opera companies in the world. What drives us now is what has always driven us: the belief that this art form, at its best, can move people in ways nothing else can.
Lyric is also Chicago’s partner — in its neighborhoods, its schools, and its communities — through education, engagement, and a relentless commitment to making opera accessible, relevant, and irresistible to everyone. At the heart of that commitment is The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center, which trains the artists who will carry this art form into its future. Every night when the curtain rises, Lyric reminds this city — and the world — why live performance still matters.
Lyric Opera of Chicago doesn’t just present opera, it redefines what opera can be. It’s where Chicago comes to be moved, inspired, and connected.
Join us @LyricOpera on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Threads, and Facebook. #WhereChicagoSings
For more information, visit lyricopera.org.