Lyric Opera 2025-2026 Issue 10 - El último sueño de Frida y Diego

Lyric Opera of Chicago | 26 the world premiere of Mato and the Bear Who Couldn’t Fish . Previously, she was invited to the Aspen Music Festival as a Fellowship Artist for two summers and appeared as the Sandman/ Hansel and Gretel and in scenes from Carmen , Werther , La Favorita , and Die Walküre . Robles recently received a Gulf Coast Region Encouragement Award in the Metropolitan Opera’s Laffont Competition. Following undergraduate studies at the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music, she earned her Master of Music degree from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, where she appeared as Olga/ Eugene Onegin . Camille Robles is sponsored by Heidi Heutel Bohn and Mark & Gale Kozloff. ROBERTO KALB CONDUCTOR Lyric debut Mexican-born conductor Roberto Kalb is currently the Music Director of Detroit Opera. This season, he makes several important house debuts including at the Metropolitan Opera conducting La Bohème , and the Staatsoper Stuttgart conducting Carmen in his German debut. Other highlights include his return to Atlanta Opera for Götterdämmerung ; Lili Elbe , in the U.S. premiere of Tobias Picker’s opera at the Santa Fe Opera; a double bill of Still’s Highway One / Weill’s Down in the Valley with Detroit Opera, and Madama Butterfly with Lyric Opera of Kansas City. In 2024/25, he led performances of West Side Story for his house debut with the Houston Grand Opera, Siegfried with the Atlanta Opera, and La traviata and Rinaldo with Detroit Opera. He also made his debut at the Britt Festival, with the Orquesta Sinfónica del Estado de México, and led the Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería in concert with Sir Bryn Terfel. In 2021, Roberto was awarded a Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award. He holds degrees from the University of Michigan and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. LORENA MAZA DIRECTOR Lyric debut Maza was Director of Mexico´s National Theater Company and directed Teatro UNAM and Teatro Helenico, where she managed three venues and produced more than 40 plays annually. She has been recognized with numerous awards for Best Direction and Best Play of the Year, has participated in six national and international festivals, and has translated more than 40 dramatic texts, including work for the National Theater LIVE Project. Maza founded the Ocesa Theater Department-CIE, and wrote, directed, and co-produced Bésame Mucho , Ocesa’s first original all-Mexican musical. In 2017, she opened her own production company, 19TEATRO, with other theater professionals. She has twice received the prestigious national grant for artists, Sistema Nacional de Creadores. She recently directed two feature films: El Paraíso de la Invención with Marina de Tavira and Alfonso Herrera; and the opera La Hija de Rappaccini (2021) with libretto by Octavio Paz and music by Daniel Catán. She currently lives and works in Mexico City. JORGE BALLINA SET DESIGNER Lyric debut Born in Mexico City, Ballina graduated as an architect at Universidad Iberoamericana and studied with famous Mexican set designer Alejandro Luna. His numerous opera credits include Die Zauberflöte, Macbeth, Don Giovanni, Le nozze di Figaro, Cosí fan tutte, L’italiana in Algeri, Fidelio, Rusalka, Les contes d’Hoffmann, L’amour de Loin, Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci, Carmen, The Rake’s Progress, Elektra , and Wagner’s Ring Cycle. For the theater, he has made set designs for Beyond, Copenhagen, Phaedra and other Greek Women, The Shape of Things, Touché, All about My Mother, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, Red, Glengarry Glen Ross, Salome, Constellations, Let the Right One In, Richard III, As You Like It, The Glass Menagerie, Coriolanus, No Exit , and, for the Royal Shakespeare Company, A Soldier in Every Son . His musical theater credits include Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Si nos dejan, Man of La Mancha, Rent, Next to Normal, Seven Times Goodbye, Mentiras , and Everybody’s Talking About Jamie . His work as set designer has been exhibited in five Prague Quadrennial festivals of Stage Design where he won an Honorary Mention in 2003. He won the Gold Medal for Set Design at the World Stage Design Toronto exhibition in 2005. ELOISE KAZAN COSTUME DESIGNER Lyric debut The award-winning costume and production designer’s work has been seen in the United States, Mexico, Spain, Argentina, the United Kingdom, and Croatia, at companies including San Francisco Opera, LA Opera, and the Royal Shakespeare Company, among others. Her opera credits include Macbeth , Jen˚ufa , and Rusalka for Ópera de Bellas Artes — the latter also presented at Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. Additional work includes Così fan tutte (Mozart Festival, A Coruña) and Le Nozze di Figaro for the Croatian National Opera. She was the production designer for the 2016 feature film Split , directed by Deborah Kampmeier. Other credits include costume design for A Soldier in Every Son , directed by Roxana Silbert for the Royal Shakespeare Company; The Good Canary , directed by John Malkovich (produced by Retrolab and Mr. Mudd, Mexico, 2008); and costume design for Let’s Play , a presentation of the fashion house Hermès Paris. Kazan was among the recipients of the Gold Medal for Best Costume Design at the Prague Quadrennial (2007) and was awarded the First Prize for Costume Design at WSD 2025. Costume Designers are supported by the Richard P. and Susan Kiphart Costume Designer endowment. Wagner’s Ring Cycle, and Deat in V nice , which he also directed. For the theater, he has mad set designs for Copenhagen, T e Shape of Things, All about My other, The Richard III, As You Like It, The Glas Menag rie No Exit, The Blue Room, The Father , and, for the Royal Shakespe r Company, A Soldier in Every Son . His mus cal theater cr dits include Si nos dejan, M of La Mancha, R nt, Next to Normal, Seven Times Goodbye, Mentir s , and Everybody’s Talking About Ja ie . His ance cred ts include Rome & Juliet, The Rite of Spring, Snow White , a d Omphalos . H s work as s t design r h s been exhibited in five Pragu Quadren ial festivals of Stage Design wh re he won an Honorary M ntion i 2003. He w n the Gold Medal f Se Design at the World Stage Design Toronto exhibition in 2005 and Second Place for Set Design at the World Stage Design Calgary 2022. ELOISE KAZAN COSTUME DESIGNER Lyric debut The award-winning costume and pro uction designer’s work has been seen in the United States, Mexico, Spain, Arg ntina, the United Kingdom, and C oatia, at companies including S Francisco Opera, LA Op r , and the Royal Shake peare Comp ny, m ng others. H r pera credits include Macbeth , Jen˚ufa , and Rusalka for Ópera de Be las Artes — the latter also presented at Teatro Coló in Buenos Air s. Additional work includes Così fan tutte (Mozart Festival, A Coruña) and L Nozze di Figaro for t Croatian National Opera. She was the pr uct on d signer for the 2016 feature film Split , directed by Deborah Kamp eier. Other credits inclu e costume design for A Soldie in Every Son , directed by Roxana Silb rt f r the Royal Shakesp ar Company; The Good Canary , directed by John Malkovich (produced by Retrolab and Mr. Mudd, M xico, 2008); and costume design for Let’s Play , a presentation of the fashion house Hermès Pari . Kazan was among the recipien s of the Gold Medal for Be Costume D sign at the P ague Quadrenni l (2007) and w s awarded the F rst Prize f r Costume Design at WSD 2025. Costume Designers are supported by the Richard P. and Susan Kiphart Costume Designer endowment.