Lyric Opera of Chicago Turns Carmen Rehearsal into Hurricane Benefit

By Ben Mattison
September 15, 2005

The Lyric Opera of Chicago will sell tickets to a dress rehearsal of Bizet's Carmen on September 21 to raise money for the American Red Cross Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund.

The production, which opens the Lyric's season on September 24, features Denyce Graves in the title role, Neil Shicoff as Don José, Ildebrando d'Arcangelo as Escamillo, and Andrea Rost as Micaëla. John Copley directs; music director Andrew Davis is the conductor.

Only 850 tickets will be made available for the rehearsal. Tickets are $200 for orchestra seats and $50 elsewhere. They can be purchased by calling 312-332-2244 x 5600.

The production runs through October 21 and March 9-25, 2006.