Dominick Valdés, Chenes Zoie Reams, Billy Corgan, Edward Parks and Sydney Mancasola in "Mellon Collie" at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. (Photo by Andrew Cioffi courtesy of Lyric Opera of Chicago)
Lyric Opera of Chicago launched its most audacious and genre-defying experiment yet with the world premiere of A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness, an orchestral and operatic interpretation of The Smashing Pumpkins’ landmark 1995 double album.
Billy Corgan, Chloé Mendel, Karen Z. Gray-Krehbiel and Gilles Mendel. (Photo by Jaclyn Simpson courtesy of Lyric Opera of Chicago)
Three decades after Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness rewired a generation’s emotional circuitry with its 28 tracks of alternative-rock ambition, the epochal album reached its operatic destiny in this groundbreaking collaboration. Billy Corgan partnered with his hometown opera company to amplify the album with orchestral firepower, creating new arrangements with conductor and orchestrator James Lowe, who led the 57-piece Lyric Opera Orchestra through newly commissioned orchestrations that blur the boundaries between opera, rock, and performance art.
The Company of "A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness." (Photo by Cory Weaver courtesy of Lyric Opera of Chicago)
Four world-class opera artists joined Corgan and Lowe on stage to bring operatic scale and virtuosity to Corgan’s Diamond-certified album: soprano Sydney Mancasola, Hyde Park native mezzo-soprano Zoie Reams, tenor Dominick Valdés Chenes, and Highland Park resident baritone Edward Parks. The 40-voice Lyric Opera Chorus, prepared by Chorus Director Michael Black, brought muscular power to the music’s dramatic voltage.
The ambitious staging is directed by Katie Spelman and features the work of costume designer House of Gilles by Gilles Mendel and Chloé Mendel Corgan, show art designer Jeff Ritchie, lighting designer Chris Maravich, sound designer & audio mix engineer Pete Wiejaczka, and projection designer Greg Emetaz.
Thirty years after first capturing the zeitgeist and defining a generation, Mellon Collie proves it was operatic all along.
Performances continue through Sunday, November 30 at Lyric Opera of Chicago. (lyricopera.org/melloncollie)
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Run Dates & Performance Schedule
There are seven performances total: on November 21, 22, 25, 26, 28, 29, and 30.
All performances begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Lyric Opera House (20 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago).
Length of Performance
The show runs roughly 2 hours total, including one intermission.
Source Links
https://www.lyricopera.org/shows/upcoming/2025-26/a-night-of-mellon-collie-and-infinite-sadness/
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