Photos: Jeanine Tesori and Tazewell Thompson’s BLUE Opens At Chicago Lyric Opera

An intimate look at family, faith, and community in times of grief and healing, Blue makes its Chicago premiere at Lyric Opera of Chicago from November 16 to December 1, 2024. See photos of the production.

Blue examines the growth and development of a modern Black family, with faith as the grounding force that ties their surrounding community together even as it is torn apart by police violence. Tony Award-winning theater and opera composer Jeanine Tesori’s magnificently moving music is matched by librettist and director Tazewell Thompson’s probing, deeply sensitive text.

Kenneth Kellogg makes his much-anticipated Lyric debut as the Father, a role that was written expressly for him, with Lyric favorite Zoie Reams as the Mother, Ryan Opera Center Ensemble member Travon D. Walker as the Son, and Norman Garrett as the Reverend. Conductor Joseph Young makes his Lyric debut leading the Lyric Opera Orchestra.

Since its world premiere in 2019, Blue has quickly been hailed as a modern American classic, and it is the latest work that is part of Lyric’s ongoing commitment to creating and fostering the next generation of opera. 

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