CHICAGO (10/5/2026) — Considered one of the world’s preeminent artist-development programs for emerging artists, The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago has announced the singers selected for its 2027/28 Ensemble at the Final Auditions held on Sunday, October 4, in the Ardis Krainik Theatre.
The new members of the Ensemble include soprano Jeysla Rosario Santos, mezzo-soprano Grace Ryan, and baritone Justice Yates. They will join 8 returning Ensemble singers: sopranos Kylie Kreucher and Josie Larsen, mezzo-soprano Camille Robles, tenor Sid Chand, baritone Adam Partridge, and bass-baritones Matthew Dexter, Lin Fan, and Benjamin R. Sokol.
Starting last winter, some 600 singers applied for consideration with video recordings. After a thorough review, selected singers were invited to live preliminary auditions throughout the spring and summer, resulting in invitations to a small group of finalists to come to Chicago last weekend, hosted by the Ryan Opera Center. The Final Auditions were attended by around 850 guests, who also participated in voting for the Audience Favorite Award. The award and $500 cash prize went to tenor Cole McIlquham.
Lindsay Metzger, an American mezzo-soprano and alumna of the Ryan Opera Center, served as emcee for the Final Auditions. The audience was also treated to a special performance by soprano Emily Richter, a Ryan Opera Center alumna who has appeared with Lyric in The Marriage of Figaro and Medea and just completed her two-year tenure in the Ryan Opera Center.
Judges for the day included Lyric’s General Director, President & CEO John Mangum; Music Director Enrique Mazzola; Chief Artistic Officer Matthew Ozawa; Vice President, Artistic Planning Andreas Melinat; Chorus Director and Head of Music Michael Black; and Ryan Opera Center Director Dan Novak, Music Director Craig Terry, and Director of Vocal Studies Julia Faulkner.
The Ensemble singers will begin their tenure in May 2027 and will receive advanced instruction in numerous aspects of operatic performance, including voice lessons and language classes, movement and acting training, and master classes with some of opera’s most renowned artists. They will also participate in Lyric’s mainstage season, performing and understudying a variety of roles, in addition to appearing at Ryan Opera Center concerts and recitals throughout the Chicago community.
Concluding their Ryan Opera Center tenures at the end of the 2026/27 Season are mezzo-soprano Alexis Peart, tenor Daniel Luis Espinal, and baritone Sihao Hu.
The 2027/28 Ryan Opera Center positions of Ensemble Pianist, Conductor, Stage Director, and Stage Manager will be announced at a later date.
2027/28 Ryan Opera Center Ensemble Singers
Selected at the Final Auditions
Sopranos
Kylie Kreucher, Novi, MI*
Josie Larsen, Sammamish, WA*
Jeysla Rosario Santos, Cincinnati, OH
Mezzo-sopranos
Camille Robles, Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico*
Grace Ryan, Bartlett, IL
Tenor
Sid Chand, Auckland, New Zealand*
Baritones
Adam Partridge, Jacksonville, FL*
Justice Yates, Leesburg, FL
Bass-baritones
Matthew Dexter, McKinney, TX*
Lin Fan, Chengdu, China*
Benjamin R. Sokol, Boston, MA*
* Current Ensemble member
