Lyric Opera 2025-2026 Issue 7 - A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness

Lyric Opera of Chicago | 32 during the summer, sang Sharpless in Madama Butterfly at the Hyogo Performing Arts Center in Japan. He made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Fiorello in Il barbiere di Siviglia and has since appeared as Figaro in Barbiere , Schaunard in La Bohème (also on tour to Japan), and as Larkens in La Fanciulla del West , broadcast to cinemas worldwide as part of the Met’s “Live in HD” series. A National Winner of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, the Pennsylvania native trained at the Met’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. KATIE SPELMAN DIRECTOR Lyric debut Spelman made her Broadway choreographic debut this past season with The Notebook . Other recent credits include Great Come t (Writers Theatre, Jeff Award for Best Director), Huzzah (World Premiere, Old Globe), Waitress (Paramount), The Music Man (Marriott Theatre), Cabaret (Barrington Stage Company, Berkie Award for Best Choreography), the world premiere of An American Tail (CTC), Once (Writers Theatre), Swearing in English (Ars Nova), AD 16 (Olney Theater, Helen Hayes Award for Best Choreography), The Beautiful Game (Tokyo), The Who’s Tommy (DCPA), and Oklahoma! (Goodspeed). She was the Associate Choreographer on Moulin Rouge for the Boston, Broadway, and Australian companies, as well as an associate on the Broadway productions of Amelie, American Psycho, and Once . She has also collaborated with Lookingglass, Ars Nova, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Camerata Bern, Court Theatre, The Hypocrites, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Timeline Theatre, and Northwestern University. Upcoming: the world premiere of Wonder at American Repertory Theatre. HOUSE OF GILLES COSTUMES Lyric debut House of Gilles is a haute couture house rooted in craftsmanship and artistry. A sixth-generation family business, it was founded by Gilles Mendel and Chloé Mendel Corgan, merging a legacy of savoir-faire with modernity to create exquisite garments in New York City. Renowned for dressing life’s greatest moments, from bridal to red carpet, the house also designed costumes for the 2024 New York City Ballet Fashion Gala. House of Gilles embodies elegance, precision, and innovation. Mendel, a CFDA honoree, Smithsonian’s Cooper Hewitt National Design Award winner, and member of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, brings decades of expertise to every creation. At House of Gilles, couture is an experience — where craftsmanship, heritage, and personal storytelling meet. The Gambler . Other recent highlights include Mandane/ Idaspe at Quantum Theatre, Beggar Woman/ Sweeney Todd at Austin Opera, Lily in the Metropolitan Opera’s Porgy and Bess , Jane in Cincinnati Opera’s Castor and Patience , the title role/ Carme n (Opéra Louisiane, Minnesota Opera), Margret/ Wozzeck (Des Moines Metro Opera), Bruckner’s Te Deum (Houston Symphony Orchestra) and Bernstein’s Symphony No. 1: Jeremiah (Staatstheater Cottbus Philharmonic Orchestra). DOMINICK VALDÉS CHENES TENOR Lyric debut Engagements for the tenor this season include the role of Solano in Delius’ The Magic Fountain at the Wexford Festival, and debuts with Florida Grand Opera as Calaf in Turandot , and with The Dallas Opera in concert. Other recent highlights include his Metropolitan Opera debut in the role of Greenhorn in Jake Heggie’s Moby Dick , his role debut as Erik in Der Fliegende Hollander with Oper im Steinbruch, and his house debut as Pollione for Oper Leipzig. Chenes also sang Cavaradossi with the New Orleans Opera and Turiddu with Opera Orlando. In the 2023/24 Season he performed Pinkerton in Boston Lyric Opera’s Madama Butterfly , Pollione in Norma with the Boston Youth Symphony, the title role of Hoffmann in Les Contes d’Hoffmann for Palm Beach Opera, and Nicias in Thaïs for Utah Opera. He recently made his role debut as Canio in Pagliacci with the Sacramento Philharmonic, returned to Seattle Opera for Alfredo in La Traviata , and sang Pollione in Norma for Musica Viva Hong Kong, the Verdi Requiem for the Reading Symphony, and Don José in Carmen for Palm Beach Opera. Chenes has performed Pinkerton for Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège, Seattle Opera, and Austin Lyric Opera, and Cavaradossi for Seattle Opera, Reading Symphony, and Minnesota Opera. EDWARD PARKS BARITONE Previously at Lyric: Valentin/ Faust (2017/18). This season’s highlights for the Grammy Award-winning baritone include returns to the Metropolitan Opera both as Schaunard in La Bohème and in concert with Andrea Bocelli. Parks will continue to join Bocelli on tour throughout the season, bow as Marcello in La Bohème with Palm Beach Opera and sing Orff’s Carmina Burana with the Santa Fe Symphony. Last season, he made his Houston Grand Opera debut as Marcello, and returned to Detroit Opera to sing Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte in a new staging by Yuval Sharon. He appeared with Bocelli on tour in 16 concerts across the United States. Parks began the 2023/24 Season as The Creature in the world premiere of Gregg Kallor’s Frankenstein with Arizona Opera and,