Operatic Grandeur

THE PARTY The Lyric Opera of Chicago's opening-night gala and March of Stars began with red-carpet arrivals for the performance of The Marriage of Figaro. Immediately following the brand-new production of the Mozart favorite, guests joined the Women’s Board for the Opera Ball at the Hilton Chicago. THE PEOPLE Event co-chairs Nancy Crown and Caryn Harris greeted the 500 guests who ascended a majestic staircase, including Renée Fleming and Timothy J. Jessell, Robert Falls, Liz Stiffel and Chicago Bulls’ player Nikola Mirotić. Part of the evening’s fun was watching the glamorous gowns go by and catching dapper gentlemen in their black-tie finest. THE PINNACLE Traditions were upheld in grand splendor when the Lyric’s general director, Anthony Freud, presented the evening’s opera stars to the sound of trumpets. The stars entered, and the grand march began to much applause and cheers. After drinks and dinner, the crowd was ready to dance to tunes provided by the Stu Hirsh Orchestra. The evening raised $1.1 million for this Chicago cultural icon—a showstopping evening! –Photos by Robert Kusel, Dan Rest, Todd Rosenberg and Jaclyn Simpson