Chicago Lyric Opera

  On Monday we began the Immersion Week for our "Discover Chicago - Music Scene." This basically means that all the freshman music students are being exposed to all the different parts that form the music scene of Chicago. At first you might just picture the performers, but after you starting looking into it there's so much more going on behind the scenes.


  We began with getting our U-Pass, which lets us use all the transportation, and immediately headed down to the Chicago Lyric Opera. We got a backstage tour of the opera house, and everything in it is astounding. Below I will have the pictures and a couple videos that I took while there.
  But first I want to take a second to discuss what I gathered from this experience. Seeing how they ran the opera house looked more like a business than music. It's as if there's simply an auditorium inside a very large office. This made me realize how many people are involved in the music scene behind the scenes. You have full-time professionals there that range all the way from wig makers to set designers, and everything in between. The amount of time and man-or woman-power it takes to put these shows together is simply astounding.


Now for some picture from the tour. Sorry for the videos being rushed sometimes, we were being hurried along so it made that a bit harder.

Behind the set of Boris Godunov

--This set would blow your socks off. The sheer size of the set, combined with the room they have backstage to house multiple sets like this one is staggering. 

Costumes Room

--The costume room was quite expansive as well. The amount of robes and shoes that they have in stock makes my girlfriend's closet look like nothing. Below is also a video walkthrough of the costumes room as well.

Wig Room

--The wig room was something new to me. These wigs each take about 40 to 80 hours to make because the hairs are hand-threaded into the base. Wigs can cost at least $1,000 dollars and just go up from there. And incase you're wondering; yes, most of them are made from human hair.

Beneath the stage

--Here's a small part of what it looks like beneath the stage. This is where all the trap doors and other cool stuff like that lead to. This room also leads from the pit's lounge to the actually pit. I wish I could've gotten a picture of the lounge, but it's basically just a hangout with everything they'd need to relax between shows and rehearsals.

--Above is a walkthrough of the props room. Again, sorry for being fast paced and somewhat blurred. I'm glad we got to go through here, because originally it wasn't scheduled on the tour but the props master kept urging our guide to let us walk through it.

--Here's a quick scan through the auditorium of the Chicago Lyric Opera. They were working on lighting so that's why it's so dark and no one was allowed to use any kind of flash. That aside, you still get somewhat of an idea of how huge this place is.

Lobby of the Lyric

--Finally, this is the section of the lobby right before you walk into the auditorium. The architecture throughout this entire place is brilliant and something pictures can't truly capture. I highly suggest that everyone who's interested in this go and take the real tour. There are a number of things that I didn't have room to include here and some of the best sights I couldn't take pictures of. If you're into opera or theater at all this is a must-see.