

The first public showing of electric cooking in Baltimore took place, as well as hosting speakers like Aimee Semple McPherson, Will Rogers, Richard Byrd, Clarence Darrow, Amelia Earhart, Charles Lindbergh and William Jennings Bryan. Many different kinds of events were presented at the Lyric, including sporting events such as the 1905 lightweight boxing fight between Joe Gans, the lightweight champion, and Mike Sullivan and the 1906 wrestling bout between Gus Schoenlein and the world champion, George Hackenschmidt, the world champion of the time. A highlight was the 1934 premiere of Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, with the composer at the piano. In March 1974, the Lyric's 75th anniversary featured the return of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and throughout these years, the Philadelphia Orchestra made regular appearances in Baltimore until April 1980. 1916 saw the founding of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra which presented performances there until 1982, while the building was purchased from Kahn in 1920 and a significant renovation created an enlarged balcony with seating capacity reaching 2,800. Having been modeled on the Concertgebouw, the Lyric was primarily used as a concert hall. By 1970, the name was changed to Baltimore Opera Company and had become firmly established at the Lyric. She brought Beverly Sills to Baltimore for a production of Manon in 1952. In 1950, building on earlier amateur efforts, the Baltimore Opera was formally established as the Baltimore Civic Opera Company, with the famous American soprano Rosa Ponselle as its first artistic director. In the early 20th century, the Lyric Opera featured opera tenor Enrico Caruso who appeared there with the Metropolitan Opera in a performance of Flotow's Martha. and firmed up the continuity of the Metropolitan Opera's annual visits. However Kahn's purchase caused the venue's name to be changed to the Lyric Theatre. Prior to the 1909 purchase of the building on behalf of the Metropolitan Opera by Otto Kahn, Oscar Hammerstein I presented an opera season and began to make plans to remodel it by enlarging the stage area. The Grote Zaal (Great Hall) of the Concertgebouw after which the Baltimore Lyric Opera House was modeled.
