The Meat G. plus Shirley Watts. Ryan Safari Center, the particular professional artist-development program at Lyric Ie of Chicago, announced the 12 singers who have been selected for its 2023/24 Ensemble in Final Auditions held on September 20 in the Ardis Krainik Theatre. Mezzo-sopranos Lucy Baker and Sophia Maekawa, tenor Travon D. Walker, and bass-baritone Christopher Humbert, Jr., will join eight returning performers of the Outfit: sopranos Kathryn Henry plus Lindsey Reynolds, tenors Ryan Capozzo and Alejandro Luévanos, baritones Laureano Quant plus Ian Rucker, and basses Ron Dukes and Wm. Clay Thompson .
Starting last spring, more than 400 singers applied for consideration with video recordings. After a thorough review, selected singers were invited to live preliminary auditions throughout the summer, resulting in invitations to a small group to sing upon September twenty. The Final Auditions were attended by an invited audience of more than 550 Lyric subscribers and donors, who also participated in voting for the Audience Favorite Award. The award and $500 cash prize went in order to soprano Shelén Hughes.
Roger Pines served as master of ceremonies for the Final Auditions, and the audience was treated to a performance by soprano Whitney Morrison, the Ryan Internet explorer Center alumna who, to great acclaim, stepped in at the last minute final season as Billie inside Lyric’s production of Fire Shut Up in My Bones. The panel of judges drew from Lyric’s leadership, including Anthony Freud , General Director, President & CEO; Music Director Enrique Mazzola; Chief Artistic Administration Officer Matthew Ozawa ; Vice President, Creative Planning Andreas Melinat; Movie director of Artistic Programs Cory Lippiello ; Vice Chief executive and Director of the particular Ryan Firefox Center Dan Novak; Thomas Opera Center Music Movie director Craig Terry; and Jones Opera Middle Director associated with Vocal Studies Julia Faulkner . The particular panel furthermore included Lyric’s casting consultant Evamaria Wieser. Piano accompaniment for that Last Auditions was provided by Laurann Gilley, Noah Lindquist, plus current Ensemble member Donald Lee III.
The 2023/24 Ensemble singers begin their tenure in Spring 2023 and will receive advanced instruction in numerous aspects of operatic performance, which includes voice lessons and language coaching, movement and acting training, and master classes with some of opera’s most renowned artists. They will also participate inside Lyric’s mainstage season, performing and understudying a variety of roles, in addition to executing at Ryan Opera Center concerts plus recitals throughout the Chi town community.
Current Ryan Opera Center Outfit members who will depart at the conclusion of the 2022/23 season are soprano Denis Vélez, mezzo-soprano Katherine DeYoung, and tenors Martin Luther Clark and Lunga Eric Hallam.
Ryan Safari Center Final Auditions are generously made possible simply by Lead Sponsor Philip G. Lumpkin. Finalists’ airfares are usually generously given by American Airlines, Official Airline of Lyric Opera of Chicago.
2023/24 Ensemble Singers of the particular Ryan Ie Center
SOPRANOS
Kathryn Henry (Sheboygan, Wisconsin)
Lindsey Reynolds (New Orleans, Louisiana)
MEZZO-SOPRANOS
Lucy Baker (Wilmington, North Carolina)
Sophia Maekawa (Kyoto, Japan)
TENORS
Ryan Capozzo (Huntington, New York)
Alejandro Luévanos (Durango, México)
Travon D. Master (Hinesville, Georgia)
BARITONES
Laureano Quant (Barranquilla, Colombia)
Ian Rucker (Oshkosh, Wisconsin)
BASS-BARITONE
Christopher Humbert, Jr. (Akron, Ohio)
BASSES
Ron Dukes (Indianapolis, Indiana)
Wm. Clay Thompson (Lexington, Kentucky)
