Lyric’s social networking choices were at the leading edge of trends discussed by a panel of prominent arts writers in attendance at a June conference of the Music Critics Association of North America during the San Francisco Opera’s 2015 summer season. Perhaps more surprising are the other social networks in which the Lyric is now very active: Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, and TripAdvisor. Lyric Opera’s Facebook and Twitter presence has intensified as a result of Middleton’s influence. and Canada throughout an extended summer season. Traditionally known for its Shakespeare, the festival is both cultural and recreational, catering to a broad range of theater lovers from the U.S. “When I came on board, the Lyric was only devoting a portion of one individual’s time to social media even as it was mushrooming, and so I felt that we were going to have to jump in with both feet,” said Middleton, who came to the Lyric from the Stratford Festival in Ontario, Canada.

Grappling with the realities of this pervasive cultural shift is an enormous and urgent challenge for arts organizations. The rate of change in the digital world of communication had been outpacing the adaptation rate for some time. When Lisa Middleton joined the staff of the Lyric Opera of Chicago as director of marketing in early 2013, the company – like most adults over the age of 25 – was playing catch-up in social networking on the Internet. CHICAGO – If you want to share your excitement about one of the great classical art forms with your college-age nephew or your grandchildren, how do you go about it? Do you send a letter? Pick up the phone and leave a voicemail? Clip a newspaper article? Dash off an email?

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