Something extraordinary is about to take the stage in Chicago. On October 23, 25, and 28, 2026, the Lyric Opera of Chicago presents the company premiere of Omar, the Pulitzer Prize-winning opera by Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels — and it is a work like no other in today’s repertoire.
Omar tells the true story of Omar ibn Said, a West African Muslim scholar from present-day Senegal who was captured and sold into slavery in 1807. In 1831 he wrote his memoir in Arabic — the only known slave narrative written in Arabic in America — and his words, set to music by folk artist Giddens (who also wrote the libretto) and composer Abels, became a sweeping opera about survival, faith, and identity that won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Music.
The score weaves together hymns, spirituals, gospel, and bluegrass with West African percussion, setting the musical inheritance of the American South against the sounds of the homeland Omar was forced to leave behind. Tenor Issachah Savage returns to Lyric in the title role, joined by soprano Kearstin Piper Brown, mezzo-soprano Zoie Reams, and bass-baritone Kyle Ketelsen. Conductor Kazem Abdullah leads the Lyric Opera Orchestra, and director Kaneza Schaal — who staged the work’s world premiere — creates a brand-new production exclusively for Lyric.
A Lyric co-commission, Omar is sung in English with projected titles and runs about 2 hours and 40 minutes with one intermission. Ticketholders can also enjoy a free pre-opera talk by ethnomusicologist Adam Zanolini, Ph.D., on the history behind the work. This is a landmark moment for Chicago’s cultural life — a homegrown American story, a modern masterpiece, and a night at the opera you will never forget.
Photo: Lyric Opera of Chicago
