https://www.loudounlyricopera.org/

Loudoun Lyric Opera, PO Box 3145, Leesburg, VA (2025)

04/23/2025

Join us at LLO Presents: Change of the Season, the latest installment in our "LLO Presents" recital series! Through this special concert, LLO proudly continues its mission of uplifting and showcasing the next generation of vocal talent.

This performance features the return of baritone Chris Fotis, who captivated audiences as Papageno in our 2024 production of "The Magic Flute". Accompanying him on piano is none other than our Artistic & General Director, Mark Irchai.

Don't miss this beautiful evening of music and artistry. See you on May 3rd!

Tickets: https://givebutter.com/aujfmq

04/21/2025

“À Chloris” is the title of one of the most beautiful French melodies ever composed, in this case under the pen of Reynaldo Hahn, on a poem by French Baroque poet Théophile de Viau. In Greek mythology, Chloris (from khloros, meaning “greenish-yellow”, “pale green”, “pale”, “pallid”, or “fresh”) was a nymph/goddess who was associated with spring, flowers and new growth, believed to have dwelt in the Elysian Fields. The imagery of the poem is lush, almost mythological—“ambrosia,” “kings,” “heavenly bliss.” It connects Chloris' love with notions of the divine, elevating the speaker’s feelings to a celestial plane. Come and experience this heavenly melody performed by baritone Chris Fotis at LLO’s “Change of the Season” on May 3rd!

Tickets: https://givebutter.com/aujfmq

04/18/2025

Reynaldo Hahn (1874 –1947) is one of the composers whose work will be featured at our May 3 recital LLO Presents: Change of the Season. Hahn was a Venezuelan-born French composer, conductor, music critic, and singer, remembered chiefly for his art songs. Hahn went to Paris as a child and later studied at the Conservatoire under Jules Massenet. Hahn was a prolific composer. His vocal works include secular and sacred pieces, lyric scenes, cantatas, oratorios, operas, comic operas, and operettas. He sang as well as played his own songs, and made recordings as a soloist and accompanying other performers. Hahn’s music is melodious and graceful. His memoirs are valuable sources for the musical and literary life of the time.

Tickets: https://givebutter.com/aujfmq

04/17/2025

Lee Hoiby’s "Where the Music Comes From" is more than a song—it’s a spiritual invitation. Set to a poem that sees music not just as sound but as a feeling, a presence, a place, it draws us into a world where music is lived. With imagery steeped in nature — “early morning,” “sunlight,” “snow,” “river,” “breezes,” and “garden,” this piece paints a serene, almost utopian landscape of harmony and connection to the earth.

We invite you to step into that world. Come be where the music comes from—experience peace, beauty, and renewal through a stunning evening of music at LLO's "Change of the Season" on May 3rd.

Tickets: https://givebutter.com/aujfmq

04/15/2025

Lee Hoiby is one of the composers whose work will be featured at our May 3 recital “Change of the Season”. Hoiby, born in Madison, Wisconsin on February 17, 1926, was one of America's most prominent composers of works for the lyric stage. His rich catalog of works encompasses operas, oratorios, choral works, concerti, chamber works, song cycles, and more than 100 songs, many of them championed by such singers as Leontyne Price, Federica von Stade, and Marilyn Horne, among many others. Hoiby's setting of Tennessee Williams' Summer and Smoke (with libretto by Lanford Wilson) was declared "the finest American opera to date" following its world premiere. Hoiby spoke about his long life of composing: "For me, composing music bears some likeness to archeology. It requires patient digging, searching for the treasure; the ability to distinguish between a treasure and the rock next to it and recognizing when you're digging in the wrong place. The archeologist takes a soft brush and brushes away a half teaspoon at a time. Musically, that would be a few notes, or a chord. Sometimes the brushing reveals an especially lovely thing, buried there for so long."

Tickets: https://givebutter.com/aujfmq

04/12/2025

William Bolcom’s “Villanelle”, set to Richard Tillinghast’s poignant poem “If You Love the Body”, delves into the complexities of love and the ephemeral nature of beauty. Tillinghast uses natural imagery — like winter rain, blooming flowers, and stone — to symbolize the tension between temporary beauty and what is eternal.
Through this song setting, Bolcom invites the listener to reflect on love's deeper, more intrinsic qualities that transcend the surface. It’s a bittersweet acknowledgment that external beauty fades, but something lasting—something inherent within us—endures.
Don’t miss the chance to experience this beautiful, evocative work live when Chris Fotis performs at “Change of the Season” on May 3rd.

Tickets: https://givebutter.com/aujfmq

04/09/2025

Join us in wishing our board member, Scott Hetz Clark, a happy birthday! From all of us at LLO, we hope you have a great time singing and celebrating!

04/09/2025

William Bolcom is one of the composers whose work will be featured at our May 3 recital “Change of the Season”. National Medal of Arts, Pulitzer Prize, and Grammy Award-winner William Bolcom (born May 26, 1938) is an American composer of chamber, operatic, vocal, choral, cabaret, ragtime, and symphonic music. With his wife, mezzo-soprano Joan Morris, he has concertized for over 40 years throughout the United States, Canada, and abroad. In the spring of 2007 Bolcom was feted in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, with a two and a half-week festival of his music, including master classes, recitals and concerts of his vocal, organ and chamber music.

Tickets: https://givebutter.com/aujfmq

04/07/2025

American composer Richard Hundley composed many songs to poems of James Purdy, his friend as well of several decades in New York City. Some of his works set to Purdy's poetry, like "Come Ready and See Me", composed in 1971, have been praised as true classics in the medium of the American song. Come ready and see baritone Chris Fotis at our recital “Change of the Season” before time runs out!
Tickets: https://givebutter.com/aujfmq

04/05/2025

For our May 3rd recital “Change of the Season”, baritone Chris Fotis will open with a song by American composer Richard Hundley. Hundley has focused his compositional career primarily on the art song. He has expressed that his primary goal is to musically reveal, "how I feel about the words. A song is like a short story, and from the first notes played by the piano I am telling the listener how I feel about the text." In 1987 he was among twelve composers recognized by Carnegie Hall as a standard American composer for vocalists in its International American Music Competition.
Tickets: https://givebutter.com/aujfmq

04/03/2025

Gerald Finzi's song cycle Before and After Summer (Op. 16), composed in 1949, is a setting of ten poems by Thomas Hardy. The cycle reflects on themes of time, memory, love, loss, and the changing seasons, which serve as metaphors for life's transitions. Finzi’s deeply expressive and pastoral musical style enhances Hardy’s introspective and evocative poetry, creating a poignant meditation on human experience. Reserve your seats today for May 3rd's "LLO Presents: Change of the Season" featuring baritone Chris Fotis! Tickets: https://givebutter.com/aujfmq

04/02/2025

Gerald Finzi is one of the composers whose work will be featured at our May 3 recital “Change of the Season.” The 20th century English composer Finzi is renowned for the lyricism of his songs (especially settings of poems by Thomas Hardy). About a third of Finzi’s total output is instrumental; but, as someone with so deep a love of poetry, his settings of words are probably his most characteristic works. Finzi’s output includes nine song cycles, six of them on the poems by Thomas Hardy, including “Before and after Summer” (1949). Finzi was a lover of reading, collector of books and conservationist. He saved a number of rare English apple varieties from extinction. He also amassed a large library of some 3,000 volumes of English poetry, philosophy and literature.
Come and see baritone Christopher Fotis perform Song Cycle from “Before and after Summer” at “LLO Presents: Change of the Season”! Reserve your tickets here: https://givebutter.com/aujfmq

03/30/2025

As the cherry trees in Washington, D.C. reach their peak bloom this weekend, A.E. Housman’s poem "Loveliest of Trees, the Cherry Now" comes to mind, capturing the fleeting beauty of life—much like the blossoms themselves.

Arthur Somervell’s song cycle, set to Housman’s "A Shropshire Lad", brings these timeless verses to life with deeply emotional music. On May 3, baritone Christopher Fotis will perform this moving cycle at "LLO Presents: Change of the Season." With piano accompaniment by LLO Artistic Director Mark Irchai , Fotis will guide the audience through the beauty of Housman’s poetry, creating an unforgettable musical journey that celebrates both nature’s fleeting moments and the enduring power of songs.
Tickets: https://givebutter.com/aujfmq

03/28/2025

Sir Arthur Somervell is one of the composers whose work will be featured at our May 3 recital “Change of the Season”. Somervell was an English composer and one of the most successful and influential writers of art song in the English music renaissance of the 1890s-1900s. Somervell is chiefly remembered for his song cycles, including the first know musical setting (1904) of English poet Alfred Edward Houseman’s “A Shropshire Lad,” in which ten poems were set for baritone and piano. English composer, poet, and author Trevor Hold points out that Somervell had “a genuine, deep affection for literature”, reflected in his wide and eclectic choice of texts.

Come and see baritone Christopher Fotis perform Song Cycle from “A Shropshire Lad” at “LLO Presents: Change of the Season”! Reserve your tickets here: https://givebutter.com/aujfmq

03/26/2025

Meet Christopher Fotis, featured soloist of our upcoming May 3 "LLO Presents" recital series! Christopher Fotis is a versatile teaching-artist with over a decade of experience. Known for his vibrant, lyrical voice, he has performed across the East Coast, from New York to Maryland to North Carolina. He is thrilled to return to Loudoun County for his third season with Mark Irchai and Loudoun Lyric Opera.

Recently, Christopher has been featured in two world premieres, most notably "Grounded" with The Washington National Opera. He is acclaimed for his clarity, seamless legato, and brilliant comedic timing in Mozart’s operas, portraying roles such as Papageno, Figaro, and Don Giovanni. Recitals hold a special place in Christopher’s heart, offering audiences a moment to reflect, connect, and find personal meaning within the music. He hopes each listener finds something meaningful to take with them.

As a dedicated voice teacher, Christopher fosters emerging talent with a student-first approach, emphasizing healthy technique and artistic expression. His motto: “Nurture Excellence, Inspire Beauty.”

For more on his performances and teaching, visit www.christopherfotis.com.

Reserve your tickets for "Change of the Season" today: https://givebutter.com/aujfmq

02/08/2025

The Loudoun Lyric Opera community mourns the passing of
longtime member, Peter Schweitzer, on January 28th, after a long battle with cancer. An earth scientist by day, Dr. Schweitzer served with the US Geological Survey and as Music Minister at St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church in Leesburg, until his retirement in last summer. An anchor member of the LLO Chorus, he performed in eight opera productions from 2009-2015.
Peter’s memorial service will be held at 11:00 on Saturday, February 15, 2025, in St. James Episcopal Church, 14 Cornwall St. NW, Leesburg, VA, with choral prelude music beginning at 10:30 AM.
Please keep his family and friends in your thoughts and prayers

02/02/2025

Like many arts organizations in Loudoun, Loudoun Lyric Opera has faced challenges related to securing venues and administrative resources in our county. Because of difficulties finding accessible theater space conducive to opera performance during our previously-advertised show dates, we have made the decision to reschedule our February production of A Cossack Beyond the Danube to a later date in 2025.

We are excited about bringing this seminal piece of Ukrainian performing art to the stage, and we look forward to sharing it with our audiences when the time is right. We apologize for any inconvenience this causes, and we thank our audience for your understanding and continued support. Stay tuned for updates!

Loudoun Lyric Opera

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