Rising Stars in Concert

You're warmly invited to a showcase performance by The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center 2021/22 Ensemble with members of the Lyric Opera Orchestra conducted by Lyric’s Music Director Enrique Mazzola. This year's program centers on the music of Romantic-era composer Jacques Offenbach and other French repertoire of the time. Join us for this beautiful evening of music featuring some of the brightest rising stars of the opera world!

Location: Lyric Opera House

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Ryan Opera Center 2021/22 Ensemble and staff

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The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center prepares emerging artists for careers in opera by providing unique, comprehensive training. Your gift helps offset the expense of maintaining the high quality of Lyric’s stellar professional artist-development program.

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Check out the 2021 virtual concert

Hear operatic gems and rarities in this virtual Rising Stars in Concert led by conductor Christopher Allen, with Ryan Opera Center pianist Chris Reynolds and a chamber ensemble of Lyric Opera Orchestra members.

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Meet the artists

Enrique Mazzola

Conductor

As of July 1, 2021, Italian conductor Enrique Mazzola is music director of Lyric Opera of Chicago. He is only the third person to serve in this capacity at Lyric, following the tenures of Sir Andrew Davis and the late Bruno Bartoletti.

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Mathilda Edge

Soprano

Ryan Opera Center Ensemble

Third-year soprano Mathilda Edge, originally from Chandlerville, Illinois, is an alumna of Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, where she earned her master’s degree in Vocal Performance.

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Maria Novella Malfatti

Soprano

Ryan Opera Center Ensemble

Italian soprano Maria Novella Malfatti is a second-year Ryan Opera Center member.

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Denis Vélez

Soprano

Ryan Opera Center Ensemble

Third-year Ryan Opera Center soprano Denis Vélez, from Puebla, Mexico, was a national winner of the Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition in 2020.

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Katherine Beck

Mezzo-Soprano

Ryan Opera Center Ensemble

Originally from Bennington, Vermont, second-year mezzo-soprano Katherine Beck was most recently heard onstage at the Metropolitan Opera, where she competed as a semi-finalist in the Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition in February 2020.

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Katherine DeYoung

Mezzo-Soprano

Ryan Opera Center Ensemble

Third-year Ryan Opera Center mezzo-soprano Katherine DeYoung hails from Traverse City, Michigan.

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Kathleen Felty

Mezzo-Soprano

Ryan Opera Center Ensemble

Mezzo-soprano Kathleen Felty, from Lubbock, Texas, is a third-year member of the Ryan Opera Center.

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Martin Luther Clark

Tenor

Ryan Opera Center Ensemble

Third-year Ryan Opera Center tenor Martin Luther Clark recently completed his studies at the Curtis Institute of Music, receiving a master’s degree in opera.

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Lunga Eric Hallam

Tenor

Ryan Opera Center Ensemble

Third-year Ryan Opera Center tenor Lunga Eric Hallam is from Khayelitsha, South Africa.

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Leroy Davis

Baritone

Ryan Opera Center Ensemble

Baritone Leroy Davis is a second-year member of the Ryan Opera Center.

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Rivers Hawkins

Bass

Ryan Opera Center Ensemble

First-year Ryan Opera Center bass Rivers Hawkins is a native of Columbia, South Carolina.

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Anthony Reed

Bass

Ryan Opera Center Ensemble

Bass Anthony Reed is a third-year member of the Ryan Opera Center and an alumnus of the Curtis Institute of Music and the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

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Donald Lee III

Conductor/Pianist

Ryan Opera Center Ensemble

Originally from Hampton, Virginia, Donald Lee III is the inaugural Ryan Opera Center conductor/pianist, a new Ensemble position in 2021/22.

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Chris Reynolds

Pianist

Ryan Opera Center Ensemble

Third-year Ryan Opera Center pianist Chris Reynolds has made a name for himself as both a soloist and a collaborator.

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