A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness

7 performances celebrating the 30th anniversary of the renowned album
Tickets on sale Friday, April 11, at 10:00 a.m. 

CHICAGO (3/11/2025) — In a historic partnership with Lyric Opera of Chicago, Billy Corgan, the frontman of the two-time GRAMMY® Award-winning iconic rock band, The Smashing Pumpkins, reimagines the era-defining album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, with the world-premiere concerts A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness for seven performances taking place November 21–30, 2025. The concerts will celebrate the project’s 30th anniversary this fall, paying homage to the record and expanding the definition and intention of opera.

The one-of-a-kind performances will harness all of Lyric’s technical and artistic forces — including the epic sound of the Lyric Opera Orchestra and Lyric Opera Chorus — for an immersive original sonic and visual experience that blurs the boundaries of opera, rock, and performance art. The newly commissioned arrangements and orchestrations by Corgan and James Lowe, who also conducts, as well as costumes from House of Gilles by Gilles and Chloé Mendel Corgan.

A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness will be performed at Lyric Opera House, 20

1. Wacker Drive, Chicago, the evenings of November 21, 22, 25, 26, 28, 29, and 30, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets, starting at $49, go on sale to the general public on Friday, April 11 at 10:00 a.m. at lyricopera.org and are available to Lyric subscribers now, as part of a subscription package

“It is thrilling to collaborate with Lyric head John Mangum, my musical partner James Lowe, and all of the artists at Lyric in reimagining this very special and historic album, and to discover how Lyric’s full operatic treatment is helping me experience my own compositions in powerful new ways,” says Billy Corgan. “Opera and rock both tell stories of heightened emotions, and I am excited for both fans of my music and traditional opera fans to hear some truly inspired work; for the balance here is to honor both traditions in a magisterial way.”

“Next season is filled with a tremendous range of lavish and powerful opera productions that we are excited to share with our audiences,” says John Mangum, General Director, President & CEO of Lyric Opera of Chicago. “I’m just as excited about the special performances like A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness that open the aperture and expand the definition of opera and what an American opera company can be. The season clearly illustrates how this company continues to push the art form forward and create new work that can only happen in Chicago.”

As commissioned and produced by Lyric Opera of Chicago, Corgan’s hometown company, this unique collaboration was announced today by Lyric as a highlight of the company’s 2025/26 Season, its first complete season under the leadership of Mangum.

In addition to A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness, Lyric’s 2025/26 Season features a rich mix of traditional operas and other live performances, from Medea and Madama Butterfly to Carmina Burana and the world premiere of safronia, an

Afro-surrealist opera featuring music and text by Chicago Poet Laureate avery r. Young.

More details on A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness are at

lyricopera.org/MellonCollie

 About Billy Corgan 

Beyond founding and fronting GRAMMY® Award-winning band The Smashing Pumpkins, Billy Corgan stands out as a solo artist, producer, songwriter, poet, wrestling promoter, podcast host, and café owner. His solo catalog comprises TheFutureEmbrace [2005], Aegea [2014], Ogilala [2017], and, most recently, Cotillions [2019]. In the studio, he has notably collaborated with everyone from Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Rick Ocasek, Cheap Trick, Ray Davies, New Order, Marianne Faithful, and Scorpions to Korn, Phantogram, The Veronicas, and Code Orange. He has also contributed music to soundtracks such as Ransom directed by Academy® Award winner Ron Howard, Stigmata, and Spun, to name a few. He released his first poetry book, Blinking with Fists, in 2004. A lifelong wrestling aficionado, he owns and serves as president of The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA)—home to a dynamic roster and bombastic

pay-per-view spectacles. He notably owns Madame ZuZu’s Tea House in Highland Park, where he often performs intimate surprise sets, and recently debuted his new podcast, “The Magnificent Others,” under Bill Maher’s production company, Club Random Studios. Corgan also remains a staunch animal advocate who supports NO Kill shelters such as PAWS Chicago. The Chicago native is constantly writing and recording new music.

About House of Gilles

House of Gilles is a Haute Couture house rooted in craftsmanship and artistry. A sixth-generation family business, it was founded by Gilles Mendel and Chloé Mendel

Corgan, merging a legacy of savoir-faire with modernity to create exquisite garments in New York City. Renowned for dressing life’s greatest moments, from bridal to red carpet, the house also designed costumes for the 2024 New York City Ballet Fashion Gala. House of Gilles embodies elegance, precision, and innovation, redefining the couture experience. Gilles Mendel, a CFDA honoree, Smithsonian’s Cooper Hewitt National Design Award winner, and member of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, brings decades of expertise to every creation. At House of Gilles, couture is an experience — where craftsmanship, heritage, and personal storytelling meet.

Press contacts

 For Billy Corgan:

Carleen Donovan, carleen@theoriel.co Kaeleah Isaac, kaeleah@theoriel.co

For Lyric Opera of Chicago:

Holly Gilson, hgilson@lyricopera.org

Michael Solomon, msolomon@lyricopera.org