Salome in Chicago

Tomáš’s debut at the famous Lyric Opera in Chicago couldn’t have gone better!

“The unsung star of this performance was conductor Tomáš Netopil, who made his debut here… The Czech conductor led the clearly enthusiastic members of the Lyric Opera Orchestra (plus additional musicians) in an extraordinary performance of Strauss’s stormy score, which was carried along at a thrilling tempo and had a penetrating dramatic effect… Tomáš Netopil is a conductor we should be hearing more about in Chicago.“

Lawrence A. Johnson, Chicago Classical Review, January 27, 2026

Richard Strauss’s opera Salome is one of the most daring and provocative works in the opera repertoire. It´s revived production premiered at the Lyric Opera in Chicago on January 25, will be performed five more times; dates and details can be found in the calendar. In his Lyric Opera debut, Tomáš conducted the outstanding Lyric Opera Orchestra and a cast of exceptional singers, with the stunning Jennifer Holloway in the title role. Sir David McVicar’s revival is set in the harsh environment of pre-war fascist Italy: Against the backdrop of impending war, the biblical story of John the Baptist is retold as a haunting tale of a teenage girl’s obsessive infatuation, leading to tragic consequences.