Lyric Opera of Chicago in the Black for 2013/14 Season with Ticket Sales Increasing 8%

Anthony Freud, general director of Lyric Opera of Chicago, announces that the company is reporting a breakeven operating performance for fiscal year 2014. Lyric has operated in the black for 26 of the past 27 years -- a record among the country's not-for-profit music and performing-arts companies.

Ticket revenue is $28.8 million for fiscal year 2014 -- up significantly from $26.6 million the previous year. Both subscription and individual-ticket sales increased, with a total of 284,440 tickets being sold -- an 8% increase over the previous season. Of that total, 71,074 tickets were sold for The Sound of Music, making it the top-selling production in Lyric history.

Freud also reported an important increase in the number of new Lyric buyers. Of the 284,440 tickets sold for the 2013/14 season, 67,485 were purchased by people who were attending Lyric for the first time. Of that new-to-Lyric total, 41,223 were Sound of Music buyers.

Fundraising results were also excellent. Lyric will surpass its $23.6 million annual fundraising campaign goal. In addition to its annual campaign, Lyric receives support from its annual endowment draw and its new Breaking New Ground fund.

Lyric's operating expenses for the 103-performance 2013/14 season were $69.4 million. Audited financial statements will be issued in October.

The 2013/14 season comprised 67 performances of eight operas, which sold at 85% of total seating capacity: Verdi's Otello, Puccini's Madama Butterfly, Wagner's Parsifal, Verdi's La Traviata, Strauss's Die Fledermaus, Rossini's The Barber of Seville, Dvorák's Rusalka, and Mozart's La Clemenza di Tito.

Lyric also presented a sold-out concert by Renée Fleming and Jonas Kaufmann, a recital by Itzhak Perlman, a sold-out family performance of The Family Barber, one student performance of Rusalka, two sold-out performances of Canciones y Arias in Pilsen, and 30 performances of The Sound of Music, including one sold-out performance for students.

Freud reported that 111,725 children, students, and adults had participated in additional Lyric activities through the company's Lyric Unlimited initiative, which includes Lyric's community engagement and education programs.

In reporting on the results of Lyric's 2013/14 season, Freud stated that "opera companies everywhere are facing new realities and challenges in the 21st century. Lyric's strategic plan addresses those issues through proactive steps to recapitalize the company's balance sheet, expand the company's audience base, generate more ticket revenue, and reach larger and more diverse publics through programming and community engagement. The highly positive results of the 2013/14 season show that we are making significant progress on all fronts, with an 8% increase in the number of tickets sold in 2013/14."

Freud stated that "opera companies must become more relevant in their communities and reach out to new audiences in new ways. Integral to ensuring a vibrant future for Lyric Opera is Lyric's expanded activity through its Lyric Unlimited and American Musical Theater initiatives. I thank our unions for their partnership in helping to make Lyric's expansion of activity possible."