Lyric Opera 2025-2026 Issue 12 - Rising Stars

Lyric Opera of Chicago | 8 DANIEL LUIS ESPINAL TENOR Previously at Lyric: Five roles since 2024/25, most recently Second Villager & Young Man/ El último sueño de Frida y Diego and Third Jew/ Salome (both 2025/26). A second-year Ryan Opera Center member, the Cuban-Dominican tenor from Sarasota was a national winner of the 2024 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, received a 2025 Sara Tucker Study Grant, and was in residence at the 2025 Aix-en-Provence Festival Académie and Ravinia Festival’s Steans Institute. He debuted with Lyric in 2024/25 as Jacquino/ Fidelio . This summer Espinal makes his debut with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis as Frederic/ The Pirates of Penzance and the Grand Teton Music Festival with Sir Donald Runnicles. A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, Espinal continued his studies at Yale University, where he received a Master of Musical Arts degree. His roles there included Tom Rakewell/ The Rake’s Progress , Rinuccio/ Gianni Schicchi , and Male Chorus/ The Rape of Lucretia . The tenor previously participated in San Francisco’s Merola Opera Program for two summers. Daniel Luis Espinal is sponsored by Lead Sponsor the J.Thomas Hurvis Endowment,in loving memory of Dick Kiphart and cosponsors Fred & Phoebe Boelter,Margo & Michael Oberman & Family, and Jennifer L.Stone . ADIA EVANS SOPRANO Previously at Lyric: Four roles, most recently First Frida Image/ El último sueño de Frida y Diego (2025/26) and Theresa Alvarez/ The Listeners (2024/25). A second-year soprano with the Ryan Opera Center from Baltimore, Evans sang Countess Ceprano/ Rigoletto and Girlfriend 2/ Blue in Lyric’s 2024/25 Season. After participating in the 2025 Britten Pears Young Artist Programme in Aldeburgh, England, she presented a recital for the Dame Myra Hess Series in Chicago. Recent debuts include The Cliburn in Recital with Jake Heggie, the Dayton Philharmonic, Annapolis Opera, Borderland Arts Foundation, and the National Orchestra Institute (Beethoven’s 9th with Marin Alsop). Evans has performed with Santa Fe Opera, Merola Opera Program, Fort Worth Opera, Dallas Opera Guild, Opera Columbus, Tulsa Opera, and Knoxville Opera, among others. A winner of the 2026 London Foundation Competition and a semi-finalist in the 2026 Tenor Viñas Competition, her other numerous honors include the 2025 Lola Fletcher Award from the American Opera Society of Chicago, a 2024 Richard F. Gold Career Grant, third place in the 2023 and 2024 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, Midwest Region, and a 2022 Sullivan Foundation Award. Adia Evans is sponsored by Lead Sponsor the H.Earl and Miriam U.Hoover Foundation and cosponsors Ron and Peggy Beata,Pamela Crutchfield,Margo & Michael Oberman & Family, and Sheila & David Ormesher . MARINETTE GOMEZ STAGE DIRECTOR Previously at Lyric: El último sueño de Frida y Diego , Salome, and Medea (all 2025/26); and La Bohème, The Marriage of Figaro , and Fidelio (all 2024/25). Gomez is a second-year Ryan Opera Center member in the recently created Ensemble position of Stage Director. As part of an emerging artists team, Gomez received a 2025 Robert L. B. Tobin Director-Designer Prize from OPERA America for a production concept of Breaking the Waves . Recent highlights include directing Handel’s Silla for Chicago Summer Opera, serving as a Young Artist Assistant Director for the Glimmerglass Festival’s Pagliacci , being a Directing Fellow at the Metropolitan Opera, and assisting at Rice University for Eugene Onegin . The Orlando, Florida native also staged a production of Puccini’s Suor Angelica for Bold City Opera at St. John’s Cathedral in Jacksonville, Florida. As Assistant Director for University of North Florida’s opera program, Gomez directed various productions and scenes, and she staged concerts of La Bohème and The Magic Flute for the Jacksonville Symphony. This summer she will be a Directing Fellow at Wolf Trap Opera. Marinette Gomez is sponsored by Lead Sponsor an Anonymous Donor and cosponsors Donna Van Eekeren & Dale Connelly and Drs.Joan & Russ Zajtchuk . SANKARA HAROUNA BARITONE Previously at Lyric: Four roles since 2023/24, most recently Registrar/ Madama Butterfly and A Cappadocian/ Salome (both 2025/26). A Chicago native, the Ryan Opera Center baritone stepped in to perform as Benny Paret and Benny Jr./ Champion at Lyric in 2023/24 and sang Marullo/ Rigoletto in 2024/25. The summer of 2025 featured his debut with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis in the world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon’s This House as well as with the Grant Park Music Festival to which he returns in 2026. Future engagements also include Porgy and Bess at Komische Oper Berlin. He joined Portland Opera as a Resident Artist in the 2023/24 Season, where he was seen in Le nozze di Figaro and The Snowy Day . A former apprentice artist at Des Moines Metro Opera, he performed there as Moralès/ Carmen and Homecoming Soldier/Redler’s The Falling and the Rising . Other previous engagements include Greensboro Opera, Atlanta Opera, Dayton Opera, Kentucky Opera, and Cincinnati Opera. In concert, Harouna performed Mozart’s Missa Brevis with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra. The baritone has participated in the artist-development programs of Atlanta Opera, Kentucky Opera, and Dayton Opera. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Music in Vocal Performance at Kentucky State University. Sankara Harouna is sponsored by Lead Sponsors Michael Steinberg and Salme Harju Steinberg and cosponsors Mary Ellen Hennessy and Virginia Tobiason . Lead Sponsor t e J.Thomas Hurvis Endowment,i loving memory of Dick Kiphart and co ponsors Fred & Ph be Boelter,Margo & Michael Ober an & Family, and Jennif r L.Stone . y Diego (2025/26) and Theresa Alvarez/ The Listeners (2024/25). a 024 Richard F. Gold Career Gran , third place in the 023 and 024 a 022 Sullivan Foundation Award. Adia Evan i sponsored by Lead Sponsor the H.Earl and Miriam U.Ho ver Found tion and c spo sors Ron and Peggy Beata,Pam a Crutchfield,M rgo & Michael Ober an & Family, nd Sheila & David Ormesher . La Bohème, The M rriage of Figaro , and Fidelio (all 2024/25).