Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra

Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra Robinson
David Volfe
Albert Wang
​
VIOLA
Carol Cook, Principal
Terri Van Valkinburgh, Assistant Principal
Frank W. W.

Nominated “Best Opera Orchestra” by the International Opera Awards 2018, the Lyric Opera Orchestra has been a vital and integral part of Lyric Opera of Chicago since the company’s founding and first performances of Mozart’s Don Giovanni in February of 1954. 2021-2022 marks the Lyric Opera Orchestra's 67th season, performing works by Verdi, Mozart, Donizetti, Puccini, Catan, Mazzoli, Vavrek, Blanch

ard, and Lemmons with an impressive array of international opera stars and conductors. During the past 67 years, the Lyric Opera Orchestra has performed under many of the world’s leading conductors including Artur Rodziński, Dimitri Mitropoulos, Georg Solti, Christoph von Dohnányi, Ferdinand Leitner, and Zubin Mehta. Under its former music director Sir Andrew Davis, the Lyric Opera Orchestra has performed Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen as well as operas of Strauss, Mozart, Tippett, Janacek, Puccini, Tchaikovsky, Berlioz, Massenet, and many others. The Lyric Opera Orchestra looks forward with great anticipation to many fantastic productions with Lyric's new music director Enrique Mazzola. Featured and televised nationally on PBS Great Performances series, the Lyric Opera Orchestra takes its place among an international roster of renowned artists and performing arts companies with broadcasts of “Concerts for Peace” (2012), Jimmy Lopez’s Bel Canto (2016), and Gluck’s Orphée et Eurydice (2017). Lyric Orchestra roster
2021-2022 season

VIOLIN
Robert Hanford, Concertmaster
Alexander Belavsky
Kathleen Brauer
Laura Miller
Liba Shacht
Heather Wittels
Bing Jing Yu

Yin Shen, Principal Second
John Macfarlane, Assistant Principal Second
Diane Duraffourg-Robinson
Ann P***n
Irene Radetzky
John D. Babbitt
Patrick Brennan
Amy Hess
Melissa Trier Kirk​

CELLO
Calum Cook, Principal
+Paul Dwyer, Assistant Principal
Mark Brandfonbrener
William H. Cernota
Walter Preucil

BASS
Ian Hallas, Principal
Samuel Shuhan, Assistant Principal
Andrew L. Anderson
Gregory Sarchet
Collins R. Trier

FLUTE
Marie Tachouet, Principal
Dionne Jackson, Assistant Principal
Alyce Johnson, Piccolo

OBOE
Judith Kulb, Principal
Judith Zunamon Lewis, Assistant Principal/English Horn

CLARINET
Linda A. Baker, Acting Co-Principal/Bass Clarinet
Susan Warner, Acting Co-Principal
​
BASSOON
Preman Tilson, Principal
Lewis Kirk, Assistant Principal/Contrabassoon

HORN
Jonathan Boen, Principal
Fritz Foss, Assistant Principal/Utility Horn
Neil Kimel
Robert E. Johnson
Samuel Hamzem
​
TRUMPET
William Denton, Principal
​Rebecca Oliverio
​
TROMBONE
Jeremy Moeller, Principal
Mark Fisher, Assistant Principal

TUBA
Andrew Smith, Principal
​
HARP
+Marguerite Lynn Williams, Principal
​​
TIMPANI
Edward J. Harrison, Principal
​
PERCUSSION
Douglas Waddell, Assistant Principal
Eric Millstein
​
LIBRARIAN
John Rosenkrans, Principal

+sabbatical

🎭 Act I: Arrive at the Greater Chicago Food Depository. 🎭 Act II: Repack 21,840 pounds of food for seniors across Chicag...
03/28/2026

🎭 Act I: Arrive at the Greater Chicago Food Depository. 🎭 Act II: Repack 21,840 pounds of food for seniors across Chicagoland. 🎭 Act III: Sing a little song, cry happy tears, & feel incredible.
Fin. 👏🥫❤️

Yesterday the Lyric Opera Orchestra family joined forces with LOSA and Lyric administration for our annual volunteer session, and, honestly?

Best. Performance. Yet.

Turns out, orchestra musicians are very good at packing things. Years of fitting instruments, stands, mutes, and snacks into tiny spaces finally paid off.

Alongside our colleagues from across Lyric, we helped repack 21,840 pounds of food and 848 cases for seniors across Chicagoland. Not a bad day’s work.

Different kind of rhythm. Same teamwork. Same attention to detail. Slightly fewer high notes.
Huge thanks to everyone who showed up, pitched in, and made it such a genuinely great day to be together.

From the pit to the community, we are proud to be part of this city.

Lyric Musicians: Never Just One Stage – Part 3And just when you thought we had covered every corner of the city…Last Sun...
03/05/2026

Lyric Musicians: Never Just One Stage – Part 3

And just when you thought we had covered every corner of the city…

Last Sunday, our musicians took to the airwaves.
On the March 1 Ryan Opera Center Recital Series on WFMT, Ensemble conductor Chi-Yuan Lin led Lyric Opera Orchestra members Bing Jing Yu, John D. Robinson, William H. Cernota, Greg Sarchet, and Susan Warner alongside Ryan Opera Center artists Adia Evans, Sihao Hu, and Michael Banwarth in a beautifully curated program.

From Puccini’s lyric sweep to the vibrant colors of Ching-Shan Chang and Tyzen Hsiao, it was an afternoon of intimate music making, broadcast straight into living rooms across Chicago and beyond.

Opera stage one week. Ballet pit the next. Radio recital the next.

Different settings. Different audiences. Same musicians, same artistry.

You can still stream the recital online and hear what happens when Lyric musicians bring chamber precision and operatic heart to the microphone.

And now we’re back in the pit, on to Madame Butterfly and El último sueño de Frida y Diego!

ChamberMusic ChicagoMusic LiveMusic

Lyric Musicians: Never Just One Stage – Part 2We’re back in the pit preparing for two major productions, each with its o...
03/05/2026

Lyric Musicians: Never Just One Stage – Part 2

We’re back in the pit preparing for two major productions, each with its own world, its own sound, and its own emotional voltage: Madama Butterfly and El último sueño de Frida y Diego… but during the two week opera break, our musicians were anything but quiet.

If you’ve been following along, you already know the pattern: Lyric musicians do not exactly “take a break.”

They simply change centuries and/or venues.

Last week, several members of the Lyric Opera Orchestra took the stage with Music of the Baroque for Baroque Blockbusters! And yes, the title delivered.

Under the direction of Richard Egarr, the program dove headfirst into 17th and 18th century brilliance. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 brought sparkling virtuosity, with Egarr himself stepping to the harpsichord for those electrifying solos. Handel’s Silete venti gave soprano Rowan Pierce the chance to unleash pure vocal fireworks, and Purcell’s Suite from The Fairy Queen added joy, color, and just the right amount of royal flair.

From grand opera to ballet to Baroque fireworks. Different centuries. Different wigs. Same musicians bringing style, precision, and heart to every note.

And if you caught it at the Harris Theater or the North Shore Center, you know exactly what we mean.

📷 Performance photo credit:

Lyric Musicians: Never Just One Stage - Part 1After our Soloists series, you can probably guess the bigger theme: the Ly...
03/01/2026

Lyric Musicians: Never Just One Stage - Part 1

After our Soloists series, you can probably guess the bigger theme: the Lyric Opera Orchestra stays busy, even when the calendar looks “in between.”

Yes, our soloists are out there shining, and at the same time the rest of the orchestra is very much in motion too.

Right now, many of our musicians are in the pit for our ongoing partnership with The Joffrey Ballet , bringing serious musical power to American Icons.

You already heard about Susan, Rebecca, and Jeremy taking on Robert Starer’s virtuosic Concerto A Tre as featured soloists.

But they are not alone down there. The pit is full of familiar Lyric faces, trading opera intensity for ballet precision, sparkle, and lift.

This program is a full tour of styles: Arpino’s Kettentanz brings that Viennese elegance and youthful charm, Graham’s Secular Games is bold and playful with Starer’s edge underneath, Joffrey’s Postcards gives us a witty little slice of early 1900s Paris set to Satie, and Tetley’s Voluntaries soars with emotional depth on Poulenc’s Concerto in G Minor for Organ, Strings, and Timpani.

Opera one week. Ballet the next.

Different stories. Different styles. Same musicians bringing it all to life.

From Strauss sparkle to Poulenc gravity, from Graham intensity to Arpino charm, the Lyric Opera Orchestra musicians are right there, making every leap, turn, and landing feel inevitable.

Catch us in the pit. We promise we’re having just as much fun as it looks.

The Soloists of the Lyric Opera Orchestra – Part 3After Parts 1 and 2, you already know how this series goes: Lyric is p...
02/28/2026

The Soloists of the Lyric Opera Orchestra – Part 3

After Parts 1 and 2, you already know how this series goes: Lyric is packed with ballet, and our soloists are still out there stacking concerts like it’s the main plot.

This weekend, First Violinist Eleanor Bartsch returns to the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra as featured soloist in Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto for their program Symphonic Landscapes.

And this one comes with a story.

When Eleanor was concertmaster of the Dubuque Symphony, she and Music Director William Intriligator had talked about performing this very concerto together. At the time, they chose a different piece. Now, years later, they finally get to bring that shared vision to life. Full circle. Promise kept.

Intriligator calls the Barber “dessert” and honestly, who are we to argue with that?

From Lyric’s first violin section to Kontras Quartet tours across the U.S. and Europe, to serving as Professor of Violin and Head of Strings at Elmhurst University, Eleanor’s career is a true mix of performing, leading, teaching, and building. She has appeared with numerous symphonies and is widely sought after as a chamber musician, orchestral musician, concertmaster, soloist, educator, and entrepreneur. With two studio albums and major touring and residency work through Kontras Quartet, plus her return ties to Dubuque, she brings both deep experience and fresh momentum to every stage she steps onto.

If you read this from Dubuque, make sure to catch this! Saturday, February 28 and Sunday, March 1, at 7:30 PM at the Five Flags Theater.

Opera may be between cycles… but our soloists are absolutely not resting.



The Soloists of the Lyric Opera Orchestra – Part 2As you saw in our last post, even when the opera is not officially in ...
02/24/2026

The Soloists of the Lyric Opera Orchestra – Part 2

As you saw in our last post, even when the opera is not officially in session, the musicians are busy and the opera house is still very much alive.

Right now, three of our own are stepping into the spotlight in Joffrey Ballet’s American Icons, on the Lyric stage.

And not just stepping in.
Triple concerto stepping in.

Robert Starer’s Concerto A Tre for Clarinet, Trumpet, Trombone and Strings, composed in 1954, is virtuosic, lyrical, punchy, soaring… basically a full personality test for brass and winds!

And it pairs perfectly with Martha Graham’s powerhouse choreography.

Leading the charge:

Assistant Principal Clarinet Susan Warner
Acting Assistant Principal Trumpet Rebecca Oliverio
Principal Trombone Jeremy Moeller

Clarinets dancing through impossible lines.
Trumpet brilliance slicing through the texture.
Trombone bringing depth, warmth, and just enough swagger.

All while dancers move with that unmistakable Graham intensity above them.

It’s athletic. It’s electric. It’s Chicago artistry at its finest.

We’ve already completed five performances, and there are five more starting this Thursday, so there’s still time to grab tickets.

The opera house may be between cycles… but the music never stops.

More Soloists of the Lyric Opera Orchestra coming soon.

ConcertoATre FromThePit ChicagoMusic

The Soloists of the Lyric Opera Orchestra – Part 1We just wrapped an incredible double run of Salome and Così fan tutte....
02/21/2026

The Soloists of the Lyric Opera Orchestra – Part 1

We just wrapped an incredible double run of Salome and Così fan tutte.

From seven veils and full throttle Strauss drama to Mozart plotting, disguises, and romantic chaos… let’s just say our emotional range has been getting a workout. One minute it’s psychological intensity and shimmering orchestration, the next it’s “who is in love with whom and why are we all pretending?”

Opera keeps us on our toes.

Now the company is on a two week hiatus before we begin rehearsals for Madame Butterfly and El último sueño de Frida y Diego.

The Lyric schedule may be quiet for a moment…

…but our musicians are not. The artistry never stops!

Follow our adventures over the next two weeks as our musicians trade the pit for premieres, stages, podiums, and probably a few heroic practice sessions in between.

First, let’s travel south of the loop.

First violinist Heather Wittels is bringing a brand new violin concerto by Chicago composer Shawn E. Okpebholo into the world: The Sky Between. This three movement work, Clockwork, Continuum, and Cronos, was commissioned especially for her and premieres February 28 at 8:00 PM at Mandel Hall at the University of Chicago.

She’ll perform it with the University of Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Maestra Barbara Schubert.

Yes, a world premiere.
Yes, we are incredibly proud.
Yes, you should absolutely go.

Heather Wittels has built a vibrant career both on and off the opera stage and she’s a vibrant presence in the Chicago musical scene. She joined the Lyric Orchestra in the fall of 2009 after spending a year at the New World Symphony. In addition to her work at Lyric, she serves on the Artist Faculty at Roosevelt University and is the Director of Chamber Music at the University of Chicago, her primary role outside the opera house. During the summers, she heads to Europe as Concertmaster of the AIMS Festival Orchestra in Graz, Austria.

Bravo Heather!

More Soloists of the Lyric Opera Orchestra coming soon.

We’re baaaack for the second half of the season and starting strong: SALOME🩸opens this Sunday! We’ve been hard at work i...
01/24/2026

We’re baaaack for the second half of the season and starting strong: SALOME🩸opens this Sunday!

We’ve been hard at work in rehearsals, and are ready to unleash this powerhouse with a MASSIVE orchestra.🤘🏻(we are only a _little_ squished! 😅 )

Don’t miss the chance to see this amazing (and appropriately bloody) production and to experience the power of Strauss’s epic and electrifying score in person!

…And don’t forget to peek into the pit to get a glimpse of our biggest orchestra of the year, led by Maestro

Heads will Roll!

12/03/2025

We are v wholesome 🥹… and multitalented!

It was a SMASH ( - get it?) performing “A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness” with the inimitable last week to seven PACKED houses!

THANK YOU to Billy (we know rock star when we see one! 🤯🤘🏻), our amazing maestro/arranger/friend , fearless and fantastic chorus , beautiful and powerful soloists, and our SPECTACULAR audiences who brought the house down!

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20 N Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL
60607

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