Billy Corgan achieved stratospheric fame as the founder, frontman, and creative force behind the legendary SMASHING PUMPKINS. A Grammy winner whose powerful songwriting, commanding vocals, and inventive melodies were the foundation for the massive, decade-defining double album “Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness”, Corgan has now teamed up with Lyric Opera of Chicago, his hometown company, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of this groundbreaking album with his signature boundary-pushing, innovation and imagination.The result is “A Night Of Mellon Collie And Infinite Sadness”, a new commission inspired by one of the greatest alternative albums of all time. You’ll hear Corgan and special guest artists along with the epic sound of the Lyric Opera Of Chicago Orchestra And Chorus in a completely new, sonic and visual experience. Whether you love the PUMPKINS and are excited to hear their music in a sumptuous new dimension, or you simply crave the opportunity to hear a new work inspired by the unexpected, this promises to be one of the can’t-miss cultural collaborations of the season.”A Night Of Mellon Collie And Infinite Sadness” will be staged across seven nights only, November 21–30, 2025. Corgan reimagines his magnum opus by marshaling all of Lyric’s technical and artistic forces for an immersively original sonic and visual experience that blurs the boundaries of opera, rock, and performance art. Featuring 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, these historic performances promise to further magnify the legend of the original album and expand the definition and intention of opera.”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 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.”Tickets for “A Night Of Mellon Collie And Infinite Sadness” 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.John Mangum, general director, president and CEO of Lyric Opera of Chicago, adds: “Next season is filled with a tremendous range of lavish and powerful opera productions that we are excited to share with our audiences. 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.””Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness” was SMASHING PUMPKINS’ third studio album. It featured the singles “Tonight, Tonight”, “Bullet With Butterfly Wings” and “1979”.Photo credit: Jason Renaud