Lyric Opera 2024-2025 Issue 8 - The Listeners

29 | Lyric Opera of Chicago in the title role of Bluebeard’s Castle , and sang Escamillo in Carmen with the RTVE Symphony Orchestra in Madrid. He returned to the Bayerische Staatsoper Munich for his role debut as Kaspar in Der Freischütz in a new production by Dmitri Tcherniakov, and to Dutch National Opera for his role debut as Adahm in Rudi Stephan’s Die ersten Menschen . JASMINE HABERSHAM ASHLEY Lyric debut Recent highlights for the American soprano include a return to Minnesota Opera as Sarah Ruth in Edward Tulane , performances with the Rochester Philharmonic, the Dallas Symphony, and the Mercer-Macon Symphony, and a debut as Sophie in Werther with Houston Grand Opera. Habersham sang Gilda in Rigoletto with Utah Opera, made her role debut as Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro with Madison Opera, and returned to The Glimmerglass Festival as Almirena in Rinaldo . Last season she made her role debut as Juliette in Roméo et Juliette with Opera San José, reprised Gilda in Rigoletto in her return to Atlanta Opera, sang Frasquita in Carmen in her debut with the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, performed Pamina in Die Zauberflöte with Nashville Opera, and joined Central City Opera as Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance . Habersham performed in concert with the Fresno Philharmonic for Mahler’s 4th Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony for Carmina Burana , and Symphoria for a concert of operatic excerpts. Other recent highlights include a return to Atlanta Opera for her role debut as Cleopatra in Giulio Cesare , a company debut with Opera North (UK) as Gilda in Rigoletto , an appearance as The Dew Fairy in Hansel and Gretel with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, a return to Madison Opera for a role debut of Euridice in Orpheus in the Underworld , and The Glimmerglass Festival as Mimi in Tenor Overboard and Mary in Holy Ground . JONAS HACKER KYLE Lyric debut A 2016 Grand Finalist of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, the tenor began this season with a debut as Alfredo Germont in La traviata at the Opéra Grand Avignon, followed by performances of Tamino in Die Zauberflöte with Estonian National Opera. He appeared previously at Lyric in Lyric Unlimited’s production of Fellow Travelers (2017/18). Future engagements include Tom Rakewell in The Rake’s Progress at Des Moines Metro Opera, and his debut at the Metropolitan Opera as the Shepherd in Yuval Sharon’s new production of Tristan und Isolde . Hacker was previously a member of the ensemble at the Bayerische Staatsoper, where he was heard as Tamino, Hylas ( Les Troyens ), Pedrillo ( Die Entführung aus dem Serail ), Arbace ( Idomeneo ), and Sladek/Pierrino in Christoph Marthaler’s conceptual production of Giuditta . He has also appeared as a guest at the Opéra national de Lorraine, where he sang Uriel in a staged version of Haydn’s The Creation , and at the Staatsoper Hannover, performing the role of Tamino. Hacker has sung at the Dallas Opera, Washington Concert Opera, Opera San José, Arizona Opera, and Des Moines Metro Opera, among others. He has been the tenor soloist in Handel’s Messiah twice with the Philadelphia Orchestra, first under the baton of Yannick Nézet- Séguin (2018) and then with Jane Glover (2019). DANIELA MACK ANGELA ROSE Previously at Lyric: Kitchen Boy/ Rusalka (2013/14). This season the mezzo-soprano returns to both the Metropolitan Opera and LA Opera as Federico García Lorca in the new production Ainadamar , and to San Francisco Opera as Idamante in Idomeneo . She recently made her debut at the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma as Orsini in Lucrezia Borgia , returned to the Metropolitan Opera for the new production of El Niño and to LA Opera as the title role in El último sueño de Frida y Diego . At the Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville she appeared as Bradamante in Alcina , and at San Francisco Opera as Rosmira in Partenope . She also appears in concert with Boston Baroque and in recital at the Kennedy Center. Mack made her Metropolitan Opera debut as the Kitchen Boy in Rusalka . Other important debuts include the Royal Opera and Ballet as Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia , Teatro Real as Rosmira in Partenope , Teatro de la Maestranza in her role debut as Romeo in Bellini’s I Capuleti e i Montecchi , and with the BBC Philharmonic as Béatrice in Béatrice et Bénédict . She also made her Carnegie Hall debut in a performance of Serse with The English Concert. ZACHARY NELSON PAUL Previously at Lyric: Three roles since 2016/17, most recently Marcello/ La Bohème (2018/19) and Ping/ Turandot (2017/18). This season, the Annapolis, Maryland native made his role debut as the titular Bluebeard in Bluebeard’s Castle with Opera San José, returned to one of his signature roles, Leporello, in Don Giovanni with Opera Omaha, and continues the role of Alberich in his first performances of Siegfried with Atlanta Opera. Recent highlights include a return to Palm Beach Opera for a role debut as the Four Villains in Offenbach’s Les contes d’Hoffmann , Dulcamara in L’elisir d’amore at Florentine Opera, Marcello in La Bohème at Atlanta Opera, and Leporello in Don Giovanni at Arizona Opera. In concert he joined the Utah Symphony for Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and Act 3 of Berg’s Wozzeck , and he appeared with the Sag Harbor Song Festival in recital. During the summer of 2024 he debuted the role of Faninal in Der Rosenkavalier with Santa Fe Opera, his 11th opera with the company. Highlights of recent seasons include a role debut as Alberich in Atlanta Opera’s new production of Das Rheingold . Additionally, he returned to the role of Leporello in Don Giovanni with North Carolina Opera, joined the Lubbock Symphony as Sharpless (role debut) in Madama Butterfly , and returned to Santa Fe Opera, singing Golaud in Pelléas et Mélisande . He sang Donner/ Das Rheingold at Lyric in the 2016/17 Season.