Welcome to a busy November that’s all about Mozart’s most famous opera, The Marriage of Figaro. 🎂 We opened this iconic, gold standard of opera this past Saturday. When an opera as famous as this one comes around, it inspires a lot of fabulous content. Dive in below to experience a whiskey tasting and interview with our conductor Rory Macdonald 🥃 and read an engaging interview with director Stephen Lawless from KC Arts Beat. ⭐
In this issue of Amplified, we also look back at a fabulous evening of learning at Kansas City French-cuisine icon Le Fou Frog, and at our recently completed tour of Mozart’s Mic Drop. 🎤 And ICYMI, we recently released our annual report for the 2025–2026 season, which concluded back in May. 📊
Winter is coming, Kansas City, but don’t let it get here before experiencing the myth, magic, and genius of Mozart. ✨🎹🎶
The Marriage of Figaro (2016) / Photo © Dana Sohm
Patrick Neas from KC Arts Beat had a conversation with stage director Stephen Lawless to discuss The Marriage of Figaro. Read why Lawless says,” I think it is the greatest opera, full stop. Nothing else comes close to it. Not Wagner, not Verdi, certainly not Puccini. I think this is the musical-dramatic equivalent of the Sistine Chapel.” 💡 Read the article.
Photo/Video © Andy Newbegin
It turns out conductor Rory Macdonld has quite the palate for both Mozart and whiskey! We sat down with the maestro to learn about his career, go in depth on the music of the show, and hear about the art of conducting it. 🥃 Watch the interview.
This October, Lyric Opera hit the road with our touring program, Mozart’s Mic Drop, bringing the genius, drama, and wit of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to fourteen secondary schools across Kansas City! 🎤
Over the course of the tour, we reached 352 students, diving into Mozart’s life, his music, and the storytelling magic that makes his operas so timeless. From engaging plot twists to fun social media parallels, the students were so curious, invested, and ready with fantastic questions! 🧠
Kudos are due to our incredible performing artists—Resident Artists Bethany Jelinek, David Pelino, Natalie Sweeney, and Jon Dirk Ross, alongside pianist Maggie Hinchliffe. Singing Mozart is a challenge on any day, but performing it at as early as 9:00 am takes extraordinary talent and dedication! 👏 Keeping the story moving with energy and charm was our manager of school programs, Emily Bridges, who served as the show’s narrator.
We loved visiting our long-standing education partners in both Kansas City Public Schools and Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools. Check out this glowing feedback from local educators! 👇
At Lyric Opera, inspiring young minds through arts education is at the heart of what we do. We are so proud of this program and can’t wait to keep the music playing in schools for years to come! ❤️
As the autumn weather continues to chill, the Lyric Opera Circle has been busy preparing for the year's biggest celebration this spring! On Saturday, April 10, 2027, join us for the fortieth-annual Lyric Opera Ball: Under the Tuscan Moon! This event celebrates the beauty, romance, and elegance of Tuscany, the birthplace of opera in sixteenth-century Italy. 🍷 This festive gala supports world-class productions, opera education, and community engagement programs, and will also be a celebration of the fifteen-year legacy of Deborah Sandler Kemper.
Individual tickets will go on sale on January 20, 2027, or reserve your spot now by becoming a benefactor! Learn more.
Being a Lyric Opera Angel means enjoying a little extra magic! From exclusive Angels-only events featuring intimate musical performances to access to the Angel Suite during performances, Angels enjoy special insider experiences that bring them closer to the music and the Lyric community.
As Angel Becky Johnson shares, “I love the special experiences that come with being an Angel, especially the opportunity to hear incredible artists up close and personal! The option to give monthly makes it easy to support Lyric Opera in a way that works for my family.”
Ready to enjoy the perks of being an insider? Visit our website to find out more and become an Angel today!
This September, we gathered at Le Fou Frog for an evening of food, music, and community at Community Conversations: To Dinner! 🍷
Our sold-out crowd enjoyed an incredible four-course feast inspired by French chef Marie-Antoine Carême—imagining what the bohemians of La bohème might have ordered at Café Momus on a lucky night with a little extra money in their pockets! Every single dish was an absolute masterpiece (and that dessert was to die for! 🤤). To make the night even more memorable, Resident Artists Bethany Jelinek and David Pelino, accompanied by pianist Neal Long, serenaded diners with selections from La bohème. 🎶
We would like to thank our wonderful partners at Le Fou Frog for hosting such a lovely night. If you missed out this time, we highly recommend paying them a visit anyway—Le Fou Frog is a special Kansas City treasure! ❤️
Maya and the Magic Ring (2025) / Photo © Andrew Schwartz
The Pirates of Penzance Student Dress Rehearsal: Bring your students to the final dress rehearsal of The Pirates of Penzance at the Kauffman Center on February 18, 2027, at 2:30 pm. To enhance learning, schedule a pre-teaching session at your school—student groups who participate arrive at the opera more engaged, better prepared, and more connected to the performance. 🍎 Learn more.
Maya and the Magic Ring: Be careful what you wish for! 🔮 Bring a fully staged opera to your elementary school next spring! In this opera for children, a young girl named Maya discovers a dazzling ruby ring in her grandmother’s belongings. She rubs the jewel and accidentally releases a genie, leading to chaos as she wishes her cat and toy unicorn to life. 🧞 Performance slots are filling fast—be sure to reserve yours early! Learn more.
Porgy and Bess (2026) / Photo © Andrew Schwartz
Lyric Opera's annual report for the 2025–2026 season is now available! We invite you to look back at last season and celebrate the accomplishments that were made possible by your support. Read the report.
Join Our E-Club
Members of the Lyric Opera E-Club are the first to know about special events, news, and opportunities for Lyric Opera!
Sponsors
The 2026–2027 season is sponsored by the Richard J. Stern Foundation for the Arts; the Muriel McBrien Kauffman Family Foundation; the Lyric Opera of Kansas City Foundation; and R.C. Kemper Charitable Trust and Foundation, UMB Bank, n.a., Trustee; with public support from Missouri Arts Council, a state agency. The Marriage of Figaro is supported, in part, by the City of Kansas City, Missouri Neighborhood Tourist Development Fund. The Resident Artists Program is sponsored by the Estate of Richard Hill, Charter Sponsor of the Resident Artists Program, and the Polsky Fund of the Lyric Opera of Kansas City Foundation. Community performances by resident artists are sponsored by the Dr. Mary E. Brothers Resident Artist Performance Fund. Lyric Opera resident artist tenor David Pelino is sponsored by Connie K. Walker for the 2026-2027 season.
