Since Lyric Opera of Chicago's first performance in 1954, the musicians of the Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra have performed for every opening night. Despite the fall 2020 opera season being canceled due to COVID-19, the orchestra musicians honored the start of the opera season by sharing this celebratory performance with their audience. As a silver lining to the pandemic’s deep challenges, this free virtual event is available for opera lovers across the globe.

​

Opera Without Words: A Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra (Virtual) Celebration features pre-recorded performances of opera favorites ranging from “Meditation” from Thaïs by concertmaster Robert Hanford to a spectacular blockbuster featuring the full forces of the Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra—a virtual performance that has to be seen to be believed!

Special guest hosts:

• Steve Robinson, former Executive Vice President and General Manager of WFMT

• Carl Grapentine, former host of WFMT's Morning Program

• Eugenia Cheng, Scientist In Residence at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago

• Jack Zimmerman, author and storyteller

​​

*Each piece was recorded either remotely or with appropriate safety precautions. ​