Lyric Opera Offers Lotsa Opera For Free In Millennium Park

By Alexander Hough in Arts & Entertainment on Sep 7, 2012 6:20PM

This Saturday the Lyric Opera will put on its annual free concert in Millennium Park. The program is a sort of opera sampler, beginning with the entire first act of Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata, ending with the fourth act of Georges Bizet’s Carmen, with scenes, choruses, and arias from other operas in between.

Lyric’s season doesn’t officially begin until October 6, but Saturday’s concert is completely unrelated aside from featuring four singers—sopranos Christine Goerke (Elektra), Susanna Phillips (A Streetcar Named Desire), mezzo-soprano J’nai Bridges (Elektra, Simon Boccanegra, Rigoletto), and tenor René Barbera (Don Pasquale)—who’ll star in Lyric productions in the coming year. The potpourri program is perfect for picnicking in the park, though, so enjoy it while you can.

Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, FREE