Lyric Theatre at Illinois

Lyric Theatre @ Illinois is the producer of sung theatre at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, where it mounts three MainStage and many smaller productions in a variety of styles and languages each year. We are committed to new, innovative, sung theatre; traditional European opera; and American Musical Theater. We work closely with professionals in all industries, and sponsor several compositions each year, ranging from workshops to full productions with chamber orchestra. In our short history, many of these have been world premieres, including our workshop of 2019's Pulitzer Prize winner for music: p r i s m. Our Lyric Studio and Opera Scenes classes focus on the development of stagecraft and acquisition of repertoire and culminate in shared presentations in Krannert Center’s Tryon Festival Theatre each semester. We encourage the development of works for the stage by student composers, in frequent collaboration with our renowned composition faculty and the Illinois Modern Ensemble.The Lyric Theatre Program mounts three fully staged productions of musical theatre and opera each year, performed in our outstanding opera house at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, the Tryon Festival Theatre, and several studio, scenes, and workshop programs.

The student has additional performance opportunities in Studio where scenes and shorter works are presented to teach acting, movement, and role preparation. Studio offers performance opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students, in a wide range of styles, from classical musical theatre to bel canto opera, from contemporary to Baroque. We emphasize vocal and physical health. Champaign-Urbana is home to many practitioners of the Alexander Technique, in which dancers, actors, and musicians are taught individually and in groups.

Illinois boasts one of the best performing arts libraries in the world, superb academic resources, and the world-class Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, which has hosted dozens of internationally renowned performers, including Renée Fleming, Cecilia Bartoli, and Frederica von Stade.

Alumni include Nathan Gunn, Jerry Hadley, Erie Mills, Kallen Esperian, Eric Halfvarson, Craig Rutenberg, and current members of the young artists' programs at San Francisco Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, and more.