What communities do you belong to? Why is community important? When Porgy, a kind-hearted man with a disability, meets Bess, a woman with a drug addiction who’s been abandoned by her abusive boyfriend, a pure and beautiful love blossoms. This iconic American opera about life in a fictional Charleston, South Carolina neighborhood, Catfish Row, highlights … Read more
Francesca Zambello shares her reflections about her time directing The Gershwins®’ Porgy and Bess.
Dive deeper into The Gershwins®’ Porgy and Bess with these opportunities to enhance your experience. 🎭
🎊Happy New Year from Lyric Opera! 🎊 Now it’s time to delve into two American classics as we kick off America’s 250th birthday year. 🎂🦅 The second half of our season explores American opera and letters. Together, we’ll experience two major American operas: The Gershwins®’ Porgy and Bess 🎣 and Carlisle Floyd’s Of Mice and … Read more
Meet the friends whose lives have been transformed by opera.
December is upon us, and with it comes the close of 2025. ☃️ Last month, we presented three gorgeous performances of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly. 🦋 Read below to see what the critics thought, and explore our show gallery page, replete with photos, videos, reviews, and more. 📸 You can also learn about the incredible work … Read more
In partnership with The Museum of Kansas City, we recently hosted a Community Conversation exploring Japanese American relations, past, present, and future. Miss Shizuoka, the Japanese Friendship doll in the Museum’s collection, was the icon of the event, embodying the youth and innocence of the event’s title—Eyes Full of Magic. The title is taken from … Read more
It is an incredible honor to direct Puccini’s Madame Butterfly as my debut as Lyric Opera of Kansas City. Bringing this beloved masterpiece to life offers a profound opportunity to explore its breathtaking music, emotional depth, and complex cultural legacy. Yet, for all its beauty and sincerity, Madame Butterfly is not without controversy. Over time, … Read more
In Madama Butterfly, Puccini, already celebrated for La bohème and Tosca, achieved something even more refined: long, seamless arcs of sound where voice and orchestra fuse into a single emotional current. Famous for his search for a piece’s sonic color or tinta, Puccini studied Japanese melodies and sonorities, weaving them into his late-Romantic language with … Read more
Can you believe there are only two months left in 2025? 🗓️ Neither can we! November brings cooler weather 🍂 and opportunities to connect with friends and family. 💞 But most importantly, it brings the second production of Lyric Opera’s 2025–2026 season and the return of one of the most popular operas of all time, … Read more
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