Billy Corgan to premiere Smashing Pumpkins opera at Lyric Opera Chicago
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Billy Corgan. Photo: Courtesy of Big Foot Media.
Lyric Opera of Chicago will premiere an opera by Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan for the 30th anniversary of one of the band's seminal albums.
Driving the news: Lyric Opera on Tuesday announced their 2025-26 season, which includes the Nov. 21 world premiere of "A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness," composed by Corgan.
The big picture: Considered one of the greatest alternative rock albums and symbolic sound of the '90s, "A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness" opera will feature Corgan and special guests in a "completely new sonic and visual experience," for Lyric, according to press release.
What they're saying: "Opera and rock both tell stories of heightened emotions, and I am excited for both fans of my music and traditional opera fans to hear some truly inspired work; for the balance here is to honor both traditions in a magisterial way," Corgan said in a statement.
Zoom out: The opera's 71st season opens on Oct. 10 and will include two performances as part of the "Movie Nights at Lyric" with the Lyric Opera Orchestra performing the live score of films that will be announced soon.
- "Carmina Burana" will feature 225 artists on stage, including the Uniting Voices Chicago children's choir.
- Renée Fleming returns to Lyric for one night only in April 2026 for "Voice of Nature: The Anthropocene" with music accompanied by video by National Geographic Society.
The intrigue: "safronia," written by Chicago poet laureate avery r. young, tells Young's story about the Great Migration and a family's return to their southern hometown. It is a mix of poetry and folklore to the sounds of blues, funk and soul.
What's next: Tickets for "A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness" go on sale to the public April 11 at 10am.