photo courtesy of Dan Rest/Lyric Opera of Chicago Most of us in the Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra remember Ardis Krainik as a force of...

Cupcake is a 15-year-old palomino paint horse, a good soul with simple needs. As long as he has tasty hay and the chance to roll in the...

Over the last few months, we have written a lot about the physical needs of musicians, with an emphasis on the special circumstances of...

One of the things we love best as musicians is to share our music in small, personal settings with our audience, where we can all see...

photo credit - Theater Musicians Association Chicago Chapter Lyric Opera's American Musical Theater Initiative has morphed into Broadway...

In our effort to understand ways to “play healthy,” we sat down with Baroque cellist and violist da gamba Craig Trompeter to discuss the...

What do you do as a string player when raising your right arm causes searing pain from the shoulder to the elbow after playing a Bellini...

It’s spring - finally! Everything’s gorgeous and in bloom, the birds are singing. Yes, finally it’s spring! At least, everywhere but...

17 musicians, mostly members of the Lyric Opera Orchestra, performed in a Lyric Unlimited production of Gregory Spears’ Fellow Travelers...

On March 5, Lyric members Samuel Hamzen (left) and Neil Kimel (right) performed horn duets at the Norwood Crossing senior living facility...

Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra members joined forces with members of the Chicago Lyric Opera Chorus and Stage Managers on March 20 to...

We’re thrilled to be among six world-class opera orchestras nominated “Best Opera Orchestra,” by the International Opera Awards. We are...

Stand back people, we may have the most terrifying pet of the month ever. Perseus is now lord of the land in bassist (soon to be...

In late February we lost a member of our orchestral family. Rami Solomonow served as Principal Violist with the Lyric Opera Orchestra...

When you already have a job in an orchestra, the absolute hardest thing to do is to audition for another position in that orchestra. As...

The hallmark of any self-respecting opera orchestra is flexibility: one must change musical styles at the drop of a hat and adapt to...

Each season, Sir Andrew throws a mid-winter party for the orchestra and music staff to celebrate our collaboration. It’s a chance to...

A wise person once said, "Use it or lose it." But what do you do to avoid 'over-using' it, or using it to the point of injury? A good...

Visiting Cuba has always held a special fascination for me, with its fusion of Afro-Cuban and Spanish music, dance, art, not to mention...

Meet Tootsie Stardust Lewis, a feisty Siberian Forest Cat. Weighing in at a fierce 5.2 pounds, she enjoys a sophisticated palate that...