ArtsPass Exclusive: Lyric Opera of Chicago: safronia
A remarkable new story told in blues, funk, and gospel.
Open to UChicago Students Only
Friday, April 17th, 2026 from 5:45pm to 10:15pm.
Bus Departs from the Logan Center at 4:45 pm
Performance: Lyric Opera of Chicago - 20 N Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60606
Pre-Performance Dinner and Conversation: Lyric Opera of Chicago - 20 N Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60606 - Lower Level Opera Club*
ArtsPass Exclusive Discounted Price: $15 plus $2 ticketing fee– Seating is limited – Tickets on sale now through link above.
Co-presented by Office of Multicultural Student Affairs, The Center for Identity + Inclusion, Chicago Studies, and the Logan Center for the Arts
Join us for a UChicago ArtsPass exclusive performance of safronia, featuring a pre-performance dinner and conversation on Friday, April 17th as part of our Spring ArtsPass Exclusives program.
Students will have the opportunity to attend one of the only two performances of a world premiere musical work from Chicago’s first-ever poet laureate and frequent UChicago artist in residence, the celebrated interdisciplinary artist avery r. Young.
Lyric presents a striking world-premiere opera commissioned from Chicago’s first Poet Laureate, the celebrated interdisciplinary artist avery r. young. See what he has to say about this new musical work here!
safronia journeys into the heart of the Great Migration, where generations of hope, upheaval, joy, and loss converge. Told through the eyes of a family yearning to connect to their roots, this Afro-surrealist story blends memory and myth to reveal a rich, deeply human portrait of a family shaped by resilience and the search for home.
This visually stunning, concert-style performance continues Lyric’s commitment to producing art that reflects our city and our stories, and we invite you to be a part of it.
Language: Sung in English with projected English titles
Running Time: 2 hours, 20 minutes including 1 intermission
Composer and Librettist: avery r. young
Schedule:
4:45 pm - Bus Departs Logan Center, 915 East 60th Street
5:45 pm - Dinner and Conversation in the Opera Club, lower level*
6:45 pm - Conversation ends
7:00 pm - Show begins
9:30 pm - End of show and Bus Returns to Logan Center [Show is 2hrs 20mins with intermission]
Bus will depart after show to return students to campus by 10:15pm
*Please note, the Lyric Opera House is a historic building and the Opera Club is located on the lower level, reachable by stairs only.
While at the Lyric you can also visit the The Art of Culture Exhibition in hte Lobby.
In celebration of Lyric’s performances of Madama Butterfly, El último sueño de Frida y Diego, and safronia, this six-week exhibition highlights the traditions and artistic legacies of Japanese, Mexican, and African American cultures. The Art of Culture features an exploration of Japan’s historic Geisha culture, visual artwork by Mexican American artists, and selections from Vanessa Charlot’s Down in the Delta, a photographic journey through the Deep South inspired by the Great Migration.
To learn more about the UChicago ArtsPass program, visit artspass.uchicago.edu
To learn more about Chicago Studies, click here. To learn more about OMSA click here.
A program of the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, the UChicago ArtsPass is supported by a generous gift from Anne Van Wart and Michael A. Keable, AB’88, MBA’96. Additional support is provided by the Robert M. Rudolph Arts Endowment, the University of Chicago Women’s Board, the College, Michael Barin, AB’04, Bharath Dwarakanath Nath, AB’00, and Kara Braciale, AB’98 and the generosity of other alumni, friends, and partnering cultural institutions.