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with obvious pride. Her

bold move from the Paci c

Northwest to the sidewalks of

New York was a success. She

completed a bachelor’s degree

there and then pursued a

master’s at the Curtis Insti-

tute of Music, the prestigious

tuition-free institution in Phil-

adelphia, where she studied

with mezzo-soprano Patricia

McCa rey, an acclaimed

teacher of vocal technique

who also has a studio in New

York City. “I commuted back

and forth,” Bridges said, “and I

was learning so many roles at

Curtis. It really set me up for

success.” (McCa rey has also

been on the voice faculty of

Ravinia’s Steans Music Insti-

tute since

.)

A er Curtis, Bridges

auditioned for Lyric Opera

of Chicago’s Patrick G. and

Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center,

which has a ercely compet-

itive admission process. Of

the upward of

singers

who apply for the apprentice

program, only four to six

are accepted each year. Dan

Novak, who has been director

of the program since

,

recalled her audition vividly.

“Her talent was obvious,” he

said. “She was a terri c art-

ist and a compelling stage

presence. It was her

calling, what she was

meant to do.” Bridg-

es also shared

that calling with

Ravinia during

her rst year

at the Ryan

Opera Cen-

ter. On the

Fourth of

July

,

she and ve

other singers

from the

program joined

Chicago’s Ensem-

ble Dal Niente to

give the world premiere of a

chamber version of Leonard

Bernstein’s

Songfest

in the

Martin eatre led by the

arranger, Alexander Platt.

Over her three seasons as

a Lyric apprentice (

– ),

Bridges was onstage at the

Civic Opera House several

times, including as Inez in

Il

trovatore

, Vlasta in

e Passen-

ger

, and Flora in

La traviata

.

Her career has since taken her

to opera houses throughout

the United States and Canada,

as well as in England, France,

Germany, Mexico, and Spain.

In late June, she made her

house and role debuts as Prezi-

osilla in nine performances of

La forza del destino

with Zu-

rich Opera, and her July dates

included two performances at

the Oregon Bach Festival,

e

Passion of Yeshua

by American

composer Richard Danielpour

and Mendelssohn’s

Elijah

.

Contemporary classical

works form a critical part of

Bridges’s repertoire. Perhaps

one of her most successful

credits was her large role as

the female guerrilla ghter

Carmen in the

premiere

of Jimmy López’s

Bel Canto

by the Lyric Opera of Chicago

[with direction by Kevin New-

bury, who helmed the staging

of Bernstein’s

Mass

at Ravinia

on July ]. She also created

the role of Josefa Segovia in

John Adams’s

Girls of the Gold-

en West

at the San Francisco

Opera last November and

December, and she is slated to

reprise the performance with

the Dutch National Opera in

February and March. Addi-

tionally, Bridges has a turn

as Kasturbai in Philip Glass’s

Satyagraha

with Los Angeles

Opera in October and Novem-

ber, and she has previously

portrayed Sister Helen Prejean

in Jake Heggie’s

Dead Man

Walking

with Vancouver Op-

RAVINIA MAGAZINE | AUGUST 6 – AUGUST 19, 2018

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