Lyric Unlimited Presents THE MAGIC VICTROLA, 1/17

Lyric Unlimited, an initiative of Lyric Opera of Chicago, is proud to present the all-new family presentation, The Magic Victrola, on Saturday, January 17 at 3pm at the Civic Opera House in downtown Chicago. This is Lyric Unlimited's third annual performance especially designed for youngsters ages 5-10 and their families.

Fully staged with delightful sets and costumes, The Magic Victrola combines some of the opera world's most beloved arias with a clever, newly written story that introduces children to the music and stories of famous operas in a fun and engaging way. The arias will be performed in English, French, German, and Italian, with English surtitles, and there will be large screens on either side of the stage with HD video projection. Snacks will also be available for purchase and can be enjoyed in the theater during the performance!

Caroline Heffernan and Logan Neuschaefer play Gracie and Sam, two children who are staying with their grandfather (Richard Henzel) for the summer. Though they initially worry they might be bored, they discover their grandfather's collection of opera records in the attic, along with an old-fashioned Victrola player that has magical qualities. When they put on the first record, the bird catcher Papageno (Ryan Opera Center baritone Will Liverman) from Mozart's The Magic Flute appears and encourages Gracie and Sam to play more records, which causes each famous opera scene to magically come to life in colorful vignettes. The performance includes excerpts from The Magic Flute, The Doll Song from Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann, "Quanto e bella" from Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore, the Flower Duet from Delibes's Lakmé, "O mio babbino caro" from Puccini's Gianni Schicchi, and the Habanera from Bizet's Carmen.

The operatic excerpts are performed by Liverman, mezzo-soprano J'nai Bridges, tenor Jonathan Johnson, mezzo-soprano Julie Miller, and sopranos Hlengiwe Mkhwanazi and Laura Wilde-all members of The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center, Lyric's premier artist-development program now celebrating its 40th season. Conductor Philip Morehead leads the Lyric Opera Orchestra.

"This will be a first-time introduction to the world of opera for many of our youngest audience members so we want to make it as accessible and enjoyable as possible. The vibrant sets and costumes bring the opera stories to life with some fun pop-culture twists that will be instantly recognizable," said Cayenne Harris, director of Lyric Unlimited. "There will be easy-to-read English translations of all the operatic excerpts. We're also projecting the onstage action onto large video screens on either side of the opera house, which means there will be terrific viewing for everyone whether they are sitting in the balcony or on the main floor."

The Magic Victrola is directed by David Kersnar, founding ensemble member of the Lookingglass Theatre Company, who also co-wrote the script withJacqueline Russell, founder and artistic director of the Chicago Children's Theatre. Kersnar and Russell also wrote Lyric's previous family presentations, The Family Barber in the 2013-14 season and Popcorn & Pasquale in the 2012-13 season. The sets and costumes are by Scott Marr, Lyric's production design director, with lighting designed by Chris Maravich, Lyric's lighting director, and wigs and makeup by Sarah Hatten, Lyric's wigmaster and makeup designer.

The running time for The Magic Victrola is approximately 60 minutes with no intermission. Tickets for children are $10, $15, and $20. For adults (18+) the prices are $20, $30, and $40. Visit lyricopera.org/victrola or call 312-827-5600for tickets.

For families with children who are ready to experience a full-length opera performance, Lyric also offers children's pricing ($20-50) for all mainstage operas. Visit lyricopera.org or call 312-827-5600 for more information.

Major support is provided by the Nancy W. Knowles Schools and Family Performances Fund. The Magic Victrola is generously supported by Lead Sponsor the Dr. Scholl Foundation. Cosponsors: Nuveen Investments, the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Bulley & Andrews LLC, Sanfred and Nancy Koltun, the Sage Foundation, and US Bank.

Media sponsor for The Magic Victrola is the Chicago Tribune.

About Lyric and Lyric Unlimited

Founded in 1954, Lyric Opera of Chicago's mission is to express and promote the life-changing, transformational, revelatory power of great opera. Lyric exists to provide a broad, deep, and relevant cultural service to Chicago and the nation, and to advance the development of the art form.

Lyric is dedicated to producing and performing consistently thrilling, entertaining, and thought-provoking opera with a balanced repertoire of core classics, lesser-known masterpieces, and new works; to creating an innovative and wide-ranging program of community engagement and educational activities; and to developing exceptional emerging operatic talent.

Under the leadership of general director Anthony Freud, music director Sir Andrew Davis, and creative consultant Renée Fleming, Lyric strives to become the great North American Opera Company for the 21st century: a globally significant arts organization embodying the core values of excellence, relevance, and fiscal responsibility. For more information, visit lyricopera.org.

Launched in 2012, Lyric Unlimited is a long-term, evolving initiative that encompasses company activities that are not part of Lyric's mainstage season. Its mission is to provide a relevant cultural service to communities throughout the Chicago area and to advance the development of opera by exploring how opera as an art form can resonate more powerfully with people of multiple backgrounds, ethnicities, and interests. Lyric Unlimited leads the development of innovative partnerships with a wide range of cultural, community, and educational organizations to create a breadth of programming through which Chicagoans of all ages can connect with Lyric. In the 2013-14 season, more than 111,000 children, students, and adults participated in Lyric Unlimited activities. For more information, visit lyricopera.org/LyricUnlimited.

Lyric Unlimited was launched with major catalyst funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and receives major support from the Hurvis Family Foundation.

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