Music fills Duluth City Hall as Lyric Opera of the North begins artist residency

DULUTH, Minn. — The rotunda at Duluth City Hall filled with music and voices from Lyric Opera of the North as Mayor Roger Reinert welcomed the 2026 Artists in Residence to the City Hall on the afternoon of Wednesday, Jan. 21.

This year marks the opera company’s 20th year of performances and education in the community. At the event, guests first heard remarks from Mayor Reinert and General Artistic Directors of Lyric Opera of the North (LOON), Sarah Lawrence, and Cal Metts. The speeches were followed by a short performance from baritone Bill McMurray and pianist Bill Munson.

Reinert shared that his inspiration for using the public space came from hearing someone singing to themselves in the city hall while walking to his office, noting the “amazing acoustics.” He emphasized that the rotunda is a space intended for voice and public gathering.

With funding support from the Boreal Waters Foundation, LOON will hold monthly performances in the rotunda for the remainder of the year.

“We have also performed in like Clyde Iron Works and at North Shore theater and at impact up at UMD. So we really do perform in a variety of venues,” said Sarah Lawrence General Artistic Director, Lyric Opera of the North.

Following the musical performance, guests transitioned to the Mayor’s Reception Room to view visual installations and meet the performers.

“Opera, because it combines powerful text, human experience, sometimes to the extreme, and music, which we all know, is so moving to so many people. All of that combined can be a profoundly changing experience for many people. All of that combined can be a profoundly changing experience for many people,” said Tiffany Darling, Chorus Member, Lyric Opera of the North.

“It’s not just singing, it’s, you know, instrumentalists and dancers and directors and designers and craftspeople of every imaginable type combine to put on an opera,” said Lawrence.

Set pieces, past promotional posters, and photographs displayed in the Mayor’s Reception Room will remain in place throughout 2026 for viewing.