Based on a play by Victor Hugo, this dramatic opera centers on a messy love quadrangle, with one of three suitors for the same woman being the king. 1, Verdi’s “Ernani,” Lyric Opera of Chicago, Enrique Mazzola, conductor, Lyric Opera House, 20 N. In keeping with the festival’s theme, all the performers except Phan will be Chicago-based, including tenor Lunga Eric Hallam, mezzo-soprano Zoie Reams, baritone Robert Sims and pianist Yasuko Oura. 11 with a tribute to Carl Sandburg, who in addition to writing poetry also famously collected American folk songs in a 1927 anthology titled “The American Songbag.” This concert will feature arrangements of some of those songs by composers like Ernst Bacon, Ruth Crawford Seeger and George Walker, as well as settings of several of Sandburg’s poems.

“I’m excited about all three programs, but I’m particularly excited about this program,” Phan said, “because it’s showing a story that has been overlooked, and it’s a really important story.” 8 with works by such composers as Florence Price and Nora Holt, who became the first African American to receive a master of music degree in 1918. Chicago’s rich history of Black composers will be showcased Sept.

7 program, “Chicago’s Own,” features an overview of composers who were born or spent time in the city, including Rorem, Joseph Schwantner and Reena Esmail.

Chicago lyric opera house schedule