Lyric Opera 2025-2026 Issue 5 - BLAC

Lyric Opera of Chicago | 10 B.L.A.C.’s 2024 Holiday Cocktail Event NYC Mentee Weekend,Spring 2025,with Alyson Cambridge,J’Nai Bridges,Larry Brownlee,and mentees Audrianna Hughes and Kathiana Dargenson. few and far between. We’ve realized there’s still a need for more. We have all gotten to a certain point in our respective careers, and we want to pay it forward. What are some other examples of the specificity you mentioned? These young singers ask questions like, “Hey, I’ve got an audition. What do I wear?” “I have an audition for such and such company. I don’t want to sing something from Porgy and Bess because I don’t want to be typecast.” “I’m auditioning for this particular agent, but I want to be considered for all repertoire. What do you suggest?” We go through their repertoire. There are lots of audition fees, travel fees, wardrobe, voice lessons, coachings — the list goes on. If you’re not in a program like the Lindemann or the Ryan Opera Center, you’ve got to do it on your own. All of those things are expensive. And so we, as an organization, provide that financial support. For so many artists, being smart in the area of finances can be challenging. That’s part of why we provide much more than just that weekend in New York. Taxes, and international currencies, and even commissions, agents, and what percentages you should expect to be paying — all of that. The opera world is ever-changing. The climate in this country is ever-changing, and these young singers are having to navigate it. We want to be the organization to help them do that in the most loving and supportive way. I know you’ll be thinking of Grace Bumbry as you prepare for this performance. Do your fellow singers feel similarly about their predecessors? Absolutely. They paved the way for us all to be here. This is really a one-of-a-kind concert. To do an 85-minute recital comprised of all Black singers, arguably some of the best in the world, one night on stage paying tribute to those legends that inspired them — that’s a big moment. I think all of us, all of us on the program, realize the profound significance and wonder of it all. Presenting this concert at the Lyric Opera of Chicago is just an immense moment of pride.