Billy Corgan has been named to the board of directors of Chicago's Lyric opera house.
"Thank you to the Lyric Opera of Chicago for the great honour and distinction of being invited to join Lyric's Board of Directors," the Smashing Pumpkins frontman writes in an Instagram post. "I personally aim to make the Lyric, our great opera house of Chicago, the most exciting and dynamic opera house in the world."
Corgan previously performed at the Lyric in 2025 with a series of shows celebrating the 30th anniversary of the 1995 Pumpkins album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. In a video accompanying his post, Corgan calls his shows at the Lyric "one of the most exciting moments of my life."
Also in the video, Corgan mentions a "fine young actor" who "sort of attacked the arts obliquely, saying nobody cared," presumably referring to Timothée Chalamet's recent comments about the opera and ballet.
"But if want to be part of the change, if you want to be part of the restoration of the arts in America, then you have to lean in, and of course you have to support," Corgan says.
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