Chicago Performing Arts Giants Prepare to Welcome Audiences Back
WDCB’s Gary Zidek checks in with the artistic leaders at Lyric Opera & the Joffrey Ballet as both organizations unveil their respective 2021/22 seasons with plans to welcome in-person audiences back.
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It’s finally starting to feel like summer and there are signs that Chicago’s cultural landscape is warming up as well. In recent weeks, there have been several announcements regarding audiences being able to return to in-person cultural events. One of the strongest reasons for long-term optimism regarding performing arts presenters welcoming people back arrived when both Lyric Opera and the Joffrey Ballet unveiled their respective 21/22 seasons last week.
Artistic leaders from both companies gathered at the Lyric Opera House to unveil their program schedules that will welcome back in-person audiences this fall. The upcoming season will be the Joffrey’s first at the Lyric Opera House, the transition was supposed to take place last year, but was halted when the pandemic ramped up forcing all of the city’s performing arts companies to halt in-person events.
Lyric Opera music director Enrique Mazzola (left) & Lyric’s president & CEO Anthony Freud
“Like the rest of the world, we have had to learn to be flexible, learn to re-think, learn to re-invent, over the past 15 months. The world is a very different place now from what it was pre-COVID.” - Lyric Opera president & CEO Anthony Freud talking about the uncertainty that has loomed over everyone the past year plus.
Joffrey Ballet artistic director Ashley Wheater
