Terms & conditions

Subscription terms

• Lyric cannot guarantee your same or comparable seats when changing your series or seating section.
• Lyric cannot guarantee comparable seats when trading or exchanging performances within your series.
• Aisle and adjacent seats incur an additional $10 per ticket for seats in Main Floor Select, Main Floor Prime, and First Balcony 1; aisle and adjacent seats incur an additional $5 per ticket in all other sections of the house
• All orders incur a $4 building fee per ticket
• A one-time handling fee of $7 is applied to all subscription orders
• Requests for additional tickets are fulfilled after all subscriptions have been fulfilled
• Pricing is subject to change
• Subscriber discount may not be available for all special events
• 25% subscriber discount for 6-opera subscribers is only available through July 23
• All tickets will be delivered electronically for the 21/22 season
• Pricing fluctuates depending on production and performance date; when making any trades or exchanges, patron is responsible for paying any price difference at the time of exchange or trade
• All exchanges and trades incur a fee; $10 for subscribers, $20 for single ticket buyers
• Subscribers can exchange for free 5 or more days in advance of their production; all other times and ticket types incur an exchange fee

 

 

Terms & Conditions

No refunds. All sales are final.

Should you wish to exchange or trade your tickets, additional fees and price may apply. Unused tickets may be donated back to Lyric prior to performances by calling 312.827.5600.

The Management reserves the right to refuse admission to any person who may cause a disturbance. In this case, the face value of the ticket held will be refunded. License granted herein may be revoked upon refund of purchase price.

Please arrive early and plan your travel and parking carefully. 

Performances are scheduled to begin promptly, and admittance may not be granted while the performance is in progress.

Lyric reserves the right to search bags and other personal belongings for security reasons. Lyric requires large items (i.e. briefcases, book bags, computer bags, and large purses) to be checked and may refuse to check certain items. Lyric is not responsible for any checked, lost, or stolen items.

Casts and programs subject to change without notice.

Lyric reserves the right to film at all Lyric events, in and out of the opera house, including audiences. Your entry onto the premises or attendance at an event constitutes your understanding that photographs and video may be taken and you grant your consent and permission to Lyric to use any photos or video that may contain your image in all types of promotions and all forms of media.

COVID-19: An inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present. Those purchasing or attending Lyric events voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19.

By purchasing, Lyric attendees agree to follow all health and safety procedures outlined at lyricopera.org/safety and all signage posted while at Lyric events. Lyric reserves the right to require visitors who do not follow guidelines to leave any Lyric event immediately. Any visitor who is disrespectful or discourteous to other guests, staff, or volunteers may also be asked to leave.

Lyric Opera of Chicago is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization. Donations are tax-deductible as defined by law. Tangible benefits received are deducted from the tax-deductible amount as specified by the Internal Revenue Service. Please contact your financial advisor to determine the value of your tax deduction.

Refunding of Gifts: Under rare circumstances, Lyric may deem it necessary to return or refund a gift. Requests for refunds may come either from the donor or from the Board of Directors of Lyric.

Policy Statement

Revised June 2019

This policy summarizes the documentation, signatories, and processes required for Lyric Opera of Chicago (hereinafter referred to a "Lyric") to accept a gift of bequest. All gifts are to be accepted in accordance with the policy statements set forth herein.

Lyric is a non-profit corporation, exempt from federal income taxation pursuant to Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3), and gifts to Lyric may be tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. As such, the acceptance of a gift or bequest may have financial or legal consequences. To mitigate these consequences, this document outlines Lyric's gift acceptance policy.

The Gift Acceptance Policy is subject to change by action of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors, and this policy is intended to complement and integrate with existing policies established by the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors.

The Gift Acceptance Policy shall be interpreted within the context of the following overarching principles:

A gift shall not be accepted by Lyric unless there is a reasonable expectation that acceptance of the gift will support Lyric in its mission of cultural service and advancement of the development of the art form of opera. In addition, Lyric will not knowingly accept a gift that would be adverse to the interests of the donor.

Lyric may decline a gift due to particular restrictions imposed by the donor. By definition, a gift cannot be associated with a private benefit that would jeopardize the charitable contribution deduction under IRC Section 170 if the donor and beneficiary of the restricted gift have less than an arms-length relationship.

Procedures

1. CASH OR CHECK

All gifts by cash or check shall be accpeted by Lyric regardless of amount. Checks shall be amde payable to Lyric. In no event shall a check be made payable to an individual who represents Lyric.

2. PLEDGES

In general, pledges may be payable in single or multiple installments and must have a value of at least $100. A pledge may not exceed five years in duration. Pledge amount, purpose, and payment schedule must be confirmed by the donor in writing. Pledges less than $1,000 and payable on or before the end of the then-current fiscal year do not require written confirmation.

Exceptions to this rule are discussed with the Chief Development Officer and Chief Financial Officer.

3. PUBLICLY TRADED SECURITIES

Readily marketable securities, such as those traded on a stock exchange, can be accepted by Lyric.

a. Gifts of securities may be made by electronic transfer to Lyric's DTC account or may be made by stock certificate, in which case the stock certificate should be either duly endorsed or accompanied by a stock power and in each cirumstance accompanied by an apporpriate signature guarantee.

b. All readily marketable securities are to be sold immideiately up receipt.

c. For interal gift crediting and accounting purposes, the value of the securities is calculated at the average of the high and low on the effective date of the completed transfer to Lyric.

d. Gift acknowledgement documents must include the number of shares received, the date received, and the fair market value. The value of the gift is calculated using the average trading price on the date received. The high, low, and mean trading prices of the security may be provided to the donor upon request.

4. CLOSELY HELD SECURITIES

Non-publicly traded securities, including membership interests in limited liability companies or partnership interests, may be accepted after consultation with the corporate treasurer and or/general counsel.

a. Prior to acceptance, Lyric shall explore methods of liquidation for the securities through redemption or sale. A representative of Lyric shall try to contact the closely held corporation to determine:

1. An estimate of fair market value, and

2. Any restrictions on transfer.

b. Gift acknowledgment documents must include the number of shares received, the date received, adn the fair market value.

5. REAL ESTATE

a. Gifts of Real Estate

i. Gifts of the real estate may include developed property, personal or secondary residences, condominium units, residential co-ops, vacation property, farms, commercial property, undeveloped property, or gifts subject to a prior life interest. It is the policy of Lyrcic not to keep gifted real estate for any length of time, but to sell it as quicly as possible and realize the sale to proceeds from the gift. Therefore, prior to acceptance of real estate, Lyric shall make a determination that the property is marketable at a reasonable price, and that upon acceptance, it can be sold in a reasonable amount of time in order to avoid excessive carrying costs. In order to make such a determination, Lyric may retain qualified experts in real estate evaluation, management, or sales to assist Lyric in this process.

ii. Prior to acceptance of any real estate, Lyric shall require an initial environmental review of the property to ensure that the property has no environmental damage. In the event that the initial inspection reveals a potential problem, Lyric may reject the gift at that time or elect to retain a qualified inspection firm to conduct an environmental audit. The cost of the environmental audit shall be an expense of the donor.

iii. When appropriate, a title binder shall be obtained by Lyric prior to the acceptance of the real estate gift. Such title binder shall show that the donor has clear and full ownership to the property. Any mortagages or other liens on the property shall be fully paid and staisfied by the donor before conveying real estate to Lyric. The cost of this title binder shall be an expense of the donor.

iv. Prior to acceptance of real estate property, the gift shall be approved by the General Director, President, adn CEO of Lyric. Criteria for acceptance of any gift of real estate property shall include, but not be limited to, the following factors: 

1. Does acceptance of the real prperty contribute to the mission of Lyric?

2. Is the property marketable? This will entail a consideration of the estimate of the perperty's value at the time of gift, and upon resale, the condition of the property, the time it would take to sell the property, and the plan for the property's use or sale.

3. Will the property, in the condition when accepted, require excessive expenses in order to upgrade the property to a marketable condition? If so, the donor may be required to upgrade the property to a marketable condition prior to conveying ownership to Lyric.

4. Are there any restrictions, reservations, easements, or other limitations associated with the property?

5. Are there any carrying costs, which may include insurance, property taxes, assessments, maintenance expenses, etc., associated with the property?

6. Does the environmental audit confirm that thte property is not damaged and will not require any expenses to conform to existing environment, federal, and state laws and refulations?

v. The estimated value of the property at the time of the gift – net of expenses – shall be reocrded by Lyric as a pledged donation. The donor shall receive a Gift Receipt at the time of the gift showing the description of the property received, but will not contain a valuation of the property. (Under IRS rules and regulations, the donor is responsible for valuing the gifted property with a supporting appraisal, not the donee.) After the sale of the property, the final financial entry shall be made by Lyric recording the net sales proceeds of the sale.

b. Remainder Interests in Real Property

i. A Remainder Interest in real property is one in which one or two donors live in the property for their life or lives, and upon their deaths, the property passes to Lyric. Lyric will accept a remainder interest in any of the types of real estate property referred to in the provsiions of section 5, above.

ii. In all such cases, all expenses incurred on the real estate during the lives of the donors shall be paid by the donors. These include, but are not limited to, expenses for maintenance, property taxes, assessments, insurance, and any indebtedness to the property. Upon request by Lyric, the donors shall supply documentation to Lyric that these expenses are being paid by the donors. The donors shall also maintain the property and keep it it reasonably neat condition for the benefit of Lyric as the residual owener, which shall be permitted, upon reasonable notice to the donors, to inspect the property from time to time to ensure the property is properly maintained.

iii. Prior to acceptance of a gift of a remainder interest in real property, the donors shall sign a Gift Agreement with Lyric containing the above and any other related provisions.