“Why is the Lyric Opera packed to the rafters? Simple! People are having a marvelous time!”
-- Chicago Tribune

“Daniel Barenboim’s appointment as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s ninth Music Director marked the beginning of a new chapter in the longtime musical relationship with the Orchestra that he first conducted in 1970.”
-- cso.org

“Natalie Dessay’s Mad Scene was staggering. . . this isn’t simply a spirit who returns to nothingness, but a heart that turns to dust.”
-- Le Monde, Paris

“Sylvie Valayre soars as Butterfly. . . deploying a gleaming instrument and urgent manner than mines the opera for the last nugget of tragedy.”
-- San Francisco Examiner

“As Pinkerton, Roberto Aronica really caresses the line in passages of tenderness. . . but when called for, can muster a ringing forte and the notorious high C’s.”
-- Los Angeles Times

“Elizabeth Futral is a singer who has it all – a bright, superbly beautiful tone, flawless technical control and dramatic intelligence.”
-- San Francisco Chronicle

Marcelo Alvarez: “His glorious voice places him in line as Pavarotti’s natural successor.”
-- Music Week, London

CHICAGO MUSICAL WEEKEND:

Price Per Person

(Based on double occupancy):
$1,990

Single room supplement:
$390

Many of our repeat travelers have expressed their enthusiasm whenever we are able to secure top-price orchestra tickets for the revered Lyric Opera of Chicago, where the best locations are notoriously difficult to obtain. We are pleased to announce a mid-February holiday which will include three consecutive performances at the Lyric, with confirmed optimum seating for this trio of first-rate performances. Two of the masterful works are mainstays of the operatic repertory – Puccini’s Madama Butterfly and Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor – and will showcase today’s leading artists in the demanding principal roles. First, the French spinto soprano Sylvie Valayre will repeat her poignant portrayal of Cio-Cio-San from the MET and the Paris Opera. Second, the extraordinary lyric coloratura Nathalie Dessay, who also hails from France, will surely bring down the house with her ‘belcanto’ fireworks as Lucia. Our third Lyric performance will be an imaginative new production Premiere of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, The Pirates of Penzance, star ring the American soprano Elizabeth Futral as the ingénue Mabel.

No visit to Chicago is complete without a concert by the renowned Chicago Symphony Orchestra, where tickets in the hallowed atmosphere of Orchestra Hall are as scarce as those for the Lyric. We are fortunate to include a sold-out subscription concert under the esteemed Music Director Daniel Barenboim, who has announced a program of works by Schoenberg and Beethoven (the ‘Eroica’ Symphony).

Our busy schedule will also allow us to include a fifth performance of unusual interest. The Chicago Opera Theater has excelled in the presentation of a number of 17th and 18th century operas during the past few seasons – Monteverdi’s ‘Orfeo’ and ‘The Return of Ulysses’, and Mozart’s ‘Così fan Tutte’ – and now we look for ward to their new production of Claudio Monteverdi’s final work for the stage, L’Incoronazione di Poppea. This early masterpiece (1643) will be mounted in the stunning new Music and Dance Theatre Chicago, scheduled to open its doors in Millennium Park in November.

A Saturday night stay-over is included to allow for optimum air fares.

Accommodations for four nights at the deluxe Westin Michigan Avenue Hotel, ideally located adjacent to the Water Tower complex on Michigan Avenue’s ‘Golden Mile’ of luxury stores. The Westin is a fully-serviced contemporary hotel, with the Chelsea Room for dining and a convenient Starbuck’s Café for continental breakfast and afternoon cappuccino. There is an excellent health club on the second floor. The Westin’s optimum situation is directly across the street from Bloomingdale’s and Henry Bendel, and a short walk from Neiman-Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. We are also partial to the Westin because of its proximity to Mrs. Park’s Tavern and the Park Avenue Café, where we will enjoy dinners before the opera on both Friday and Saturday.