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L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O
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N O V E M B E R 1 7 - D E C E M B E R 2 0 , 2 0 1 4
Welcome to Lyric Opera and our 60th anniversary season! I know you’ll have a memorable experience in the Ardis Krainik Theatre, and I
hope it will inspire you to return throughout the season.
Excellence. Relevance. Fiscal responsibility. These are the core values of Lyric Opera, and we can anticipate that the 2014-15 season
will in every way exemplify them, showing clear evidence of the company’s continuing aspiration to be
the
great North American opera
company for the 21st century.
Excitement and momentum are palpable under the leadership trio of general director Anthony Freud, music director Sir Andrew
Davis, and creative consultant Renée Fleming. The entire company demonstrates extraordinary dedication to producing artistic excellence
onstage. At the same time, Lyric is expanding its reach and relevance to the vast Chicago community through events presented under
the Lyric Unlimited umbrella. Our audience is continuing to grow and so is our donor
base, as we continue to seek to earn your loyalty through all our activities, both on and
off the stage.
Ongoing financial sustainability is, of course, critical to Lyric’s future. Our “Breaking
New Ground” campaign – unanimously affirmed by the Board of Directors in early
2013 – is designed to support our new strategic initiatives that are now in place.
We already enjoy the support of a large and enthusiastic number of subscribers
and single-ticket buyers. But we need to broaden and deepen the cultural service we
provide to a larger number of people, and to do this, we must diversify and grow our
activities. We want to increase the number of new productions in our opera season,
annually produce a major musical, and significantly increase the range of activities both
inside the opera house and around the city through our Lyric Unlimited initiative. We
want to reach more children by increasing our presence in schools around the city.
We need to invest substantially in new technology. We are redesigning our
website, intensifying our digital communications activities and updating our information
technology systems. We urgently need to modernize and upgrade our stage facilities
and equipment, where we have fallen behind over the last 20 years. The investment
is now needed to safeguard Lyric’s position as one of the world’s foremost opera
companies.
As we move forward to secure a successful, vibrant future for the company, our
reliance on funded long-term contributed revenue support is greater than ever.
We want to increase the endowment by $100 million over the next three to five
years, to be achieved principally through legacy gifts. Please consider including Lyric
Opera in your estate planning and join our illustrious Overture Society of planned
givers.
Breaking New Ground is receiving broad and generous support from the Board of Directors, but to be successful we must secure
financial support from a broader range of patrons and donors. We welcome and encourage your support as we work to ensure Lyric’s
long-term viability at the standards of excellence we all expect and demand.
Please know how grateful we are to each and every one of you. As audience members and donors, you are vital to Lyric’s health and
success. I thank you on behalf of Lyric’s artists, staff, and volunteer boards. With your support we’ll maintain this company’s stature as not
only one of the crown jewels of Chicago cultural life, but also one of the most respected and distinguished opera companies in the world.
Kenneth G. Pigott
From the President
DANREST