Ravinia 2026 Issue 2

KYMBERLI JOYE Kymberli Joye is a singer and gospel recording artist from Windsor, CT, whose powerful voice and soulful delivery have captivated audiences across both gospel and mainstream stages. A graduate of Berklee College of Music, she devel- oped her artistry through years of performing, ministry, and musical training. Before stepping into the spotlight as a solo artist, she built a strong foundation as a background vocalist, performing with such artists as JJ Hairston, Phil ompson, and Childish Gambino. Joye gained national recognition as a semi nalist on Season of e Voice , where her stirring and emotionally rich performances introduced her vocals to millions of viewers. Her powerful ren- dition of “Break Every Chain” resonated widely, reaching the number-one spot on Billboard ’s gospel charts for two weeks. Known for blend- ing heartfelt vulnerability with commanding stage presence, Joye brings authenticity and passion to every performance. rough her music, she continues to inspire, upli , and con- nect with audiences while sharing a message of hope, faith, and encouragement. Kymberli Joye is making her Ravinia and Chicago Symphony Orchestra debuts. ZEBULON ELLIS To share the power and ministry of music has always been not just a mission for Zebulon El- lis but his calling. He ful lled this call in the eighth, all-star season of BET’s Sunday Best! when he nished as runner-up, having placed in the top four during the show’s second season. is church boy at heart has already blazed a trail working on prestigious stages and with some of music’s most notable artists as a singer and actor, including a star turn as Pastor Walker in Tyler Perry’s Hell Hath No Fury Like a Wom- an Scorned . e son of a Baptist preacher and a hardworking corporate mother, Ellis started a musical group while completing his BA in the- ology at Morehouse College, appearing in the motion picture e Fighting Temptations alongside Beyoncé, Shirley Caesar, and Cuba Gooding Jr. e East Point, GA, native has also shared hisvoice as part of Bravo TV’s airing of NeNe Leakes’s wedding, where he was the fea- tured soloist in his own arrangement of “ e Lord’s Prayer” with e SEEiT Choir, which he leads as musical director. A er many years of training under his grandfather Cameron M. Alexander, pastor of Antioch Baptist Church North, and his father, Rev. Zebulon Ellis Sr., pastor of Browns Mill Park Baptist Church, Ellis realized that beyond any accolade or accom- plishment, he is more than a minister, artist, or musical mind—he is a man who has over- come defeat, abuse, misunderstanding, failure, bullying, and low self-esteem, and much like everyone else in this world, he is trying to nd his place in life, love, and acceptance. Re ect- ing the Hebrew meaning of his name—“to give honor to”—he chooses to give honor to God through his mission to share hope and to relate, one song at a time, with those who can hear or see him as a testament to overcoming struggle and nding their destiny. His song will always point to something bigger than what the human experience can grasp or contain. Zebulon Ellis is making his Ravinia and Chicago Symphony Orchestra debuts. BERNARDHOLCOMB Tenor Bernard Holcomb is a Detroit native who won the Michigan District of the Metropolitan Opera’s La ont Competition and holds both a master’s degree from the University of Michi- gan and a bachelor’s degree from the Eastman School of Music. Last season at the Metropolitan Opera, Holcomb sang the Fourth Jew in Strauss’s Salome , having made his company debut in Ter- ence Blanchard’s Champion and previously ap- peared in productions of Anthony Davis’s X: e Life and Times of Malcolm X and Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones . He also appeared with Eugene Opera as the Duke of Mantua in Verdi’s Rigoletto and Opera Parallele in the title role of David Hanlon’s e Pigeon Keeper , and he joined Heartbeat Opera for Slaylem: e Witch Trials and Central City Opera as the Minstrel in Once Upon a Mattress . In concert, Holcomb sang in Mozart’s Coronation Mass at Carnegie Hall, Robert Ray’s Gospel Mass with Manhat- tan Concert Productions, and Strauss’s Guntram with the American Symphony Orchestra. Over this past year, Holcomb joined Lyric Opera of Kansas City as Robbins and Crab Man in Ger- shwin’s Porgy and Bess and as Carlson in Floyd’s Of Mice and Men , as well the Lincoln Center eater for Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visi- tors . He also joined the Monterey Symphony for their th anniversary season-opening concert, Heartbeat Opera for Orgy & Bess , Opera South- west for Mozart’s C-minor Mass, and Richmond Symphony for Damien Geter’s African American Requiem , which he helped premiere in with the Oregon Symphony and Resonance Ensem- ble and reprised in with Fort Worth Op- era. He is an alumnus of the Ryan Opera Center at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, where he per- formed such roles as Ernesto in Donizetti’s Don Pasquale and Rodolfo in Puccini’s La bohème . During his Lyric residence, Holcomb appeared in main stage performances of Strauss’s Elek- tra , Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra , and O enbach’s Les contes d’Ho mann , and he covered major roles in Massenet’s Werther , Wagner’s Die Meis- tersinger von Nürnberg , and Verdi’s Rigoletto . Bernard Holcomb is making his Ravinia and Chicago Symphony Orchestra debuts. RAVINIA.ORG • RAVINIAMAGAZINE 91 EDDIEDANIELS(JOYE)