When officials in late 2019 hired the venue management company ASM Global to run The Lyric, they outsourced the financially risky business of booking and presenting shows. Lyric officials, however, are certain they have a plan to restore the organization to solvency for virtually the first time in the 21st century, a plan to bring high-profile performers to the stage and increase revenues while cutting costs. But the one-time grant isn’t a permanent solution to the serious financial woes that existed long before the beleaguered 127-year-old institution was upended by the COVID-19 pandemic. Small Business Administration means the concert hall can pay its bills as it begins its fiscal year and prepares to once again welcome live audiences. The Shuttered Venue Operators grant from the U.S. So, the $3.4 million promised by the federal government in mid-July - funds amounting to roughly half of the Lyric’s operating budget - is cause for celebration. Chris Heacock, general manager of The Lyric Theater Jacqueline Brooks, vice chair of the foundation, and Steve Palmer, chair of the foundation, are shown July 14, 2021, at the historic Baltimore concert hall.

From left, Jonathan Schwartz, executive director of the Lyric Foundation Inc.

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