The Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra have been champing at the bit to return to live performances, and the wait is finally over. Both musical institutions will launch their 2021-22 seasons in September.

Enrique Mazzola will begin his inaugural season as music director at Lyric, having served in an interim capacity for the last year. He is only the third person to serve as music director at Lyric, following the tenures of Sir Andrew Davis and the late Bruno Bartoletti. Mazzola will be leading the company in performances of Giuseppe Verdi’s “MacBeth” from Sept. 17-Oct. 9, followed by Gaetano Donizetti’s “L’elisir d’amore” from Sept. 26-Oct. 8.