Carmen

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P R O F I L E S | L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O
February 11 - March 25, 2017 | 25
CHRISTIAN
VAN HORN (Escamillo )
Previously at Lyric:
Fourteen roles since 2004,
most recently Narbal/Les
Troyens (2016-17); Friar
Laurence/Romeo and Juliet,
Alidoro/La cenerentola
(both 2015-16).
The American bass-baritone, a Ryan Opera
Center alumnus, previously portrayed
Escamillo at Toronto’s Canadian Opera
Company, where he has also sung Colline/
La bohème and Angelotti/Tosca. Van Horn has
earned acclaim with such major companies
as the Metropolitan Opera (Falstaff, La
bohème), San Francisco Opera (Four Villains/
Les contes d’Hoffmann, Oroveso/Norma,
Alidoro/La cenerentola), Munich’s Bavarian
State Opera, Rome’s Teatro dell’Opera, and
the Salzburg Festival. His diverse repertoire
encompasses Colline/La bohème (Paris’s
Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Munich, San
Francisco, Los Angeles, Santa Fe, Baltimore),
the title role/The Marriage of Figaro (Chicago
Opera Theater, Stuttgart Opera, CD), Gessler/
Guillaume Tell (Netherlands Opera), Banco/
Macbeth (Geneva’s Grand Théâtre), Zuniga/
Carmen (Salzburg Festival), and Zaccaria/
Nabucco (Seattle Opera). Among Van Horn’s
major credits in contemporary opera are Tan
Dun’s Tea (Santa Fe), David Carlson’s Anna
Karenina (Miami world premiere, St. Louis
revival, CD), Marco Tutino’s La Ciociara
(world premiere, San Francisco), and most
recently Prospero/Joseph Summer’s The
Tempest (Boston’s Shakespeare Concerts, CD).
Prestigious concert engagements include the
Berlin Philharmonic (Das Rheingold, released
on CD), the Emerson String Quartet (Carnegie
Hall), the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and
the Bard Festival.
BRADLEY SMOAK
(Zuniga)
Previously at Lyric: Nine
roles since 2014-15, most
recently Bandit Chief/
Don Quichotte , Ghost of
Hector/Les Troyens (both
2016-17); Waiter/Der
Rosenkavalier (2015-16).
A native of North Carolina and a third-year
Ryan Opera Center member, the bass-baritone
will appear at Lyric this season as Baron
Douphol/La traviata (for Celebrating Plácido).
Smoak has been heard with many companies
nationwide, with particular success at Opera
Theatre of Saint Louis (Colline/La bohème,
King of Hearts/U.S. premiere of Unsuk Chin’s
Alice in Wonderland, Pirate King/The Pirates of
Penzance, Masetto/Don Giovanni, Antonio/
The Marriage of Figaro, Second Soldier/
Salome). He has appeared in concert with
the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (L’enfant
et les sortilèges, Pelléas et Mélisande, Esa-Pekka
Salonen conducting) and onstage at Boston
Lyric Opera (Les contes d’Hoffmann), Palm
Beach Opera (Otello, Don Giovanni, Carmen),
Sarasota Opera (La bohème, The Crucible ),
Opera Omaha (Carmen, The Magic Flute,
Fidelio), Opera North, Opera Charleston,
Opera Roanoke, Annapolis Opera, andDuPage
Opera Theatre. Smoak made his international
debut at Ireland’s prestigious Wexford Festival
Opera in The Ghosts of Versailles and Donizetti’s
Maria Padilla, returning for Smetana’s The
Kiss and Pergolesi’s La serva padrona. Bradley
Smoak is sponsored by The Elizabeth F. Cheney
Foundation.
DIANA NEWMAN
(Frasquita )
Previously at Lyric:
Papagena/The Magic Flute,
Pedro/Don Quichotte,
Woglinde/Das Rheingold
(all 2016-17).
The American soprano is
in her second year in the
Ryan Opera Center. She is an alumna of the
University of Southern California (title role/
L’incoronazione di Poppea, Pamina/The Magic
Flute, Miranda/The Tempest, Lauretta/Gianni
Schicchi, Belisa/The Love of Don Perlimplin).
The Malibu native has also been heard as
the Page/Rigoletto with the Los Angeles
Philharmonic. Extensive concert appearances
include Schneider’s Winter Morning Walks
(Lucerne Festival), Bach Cantatas 211 and 209
(Whittier Bach Festival), Mozart’s “Exsultate,
jubilate” (USC Alumni Orchestra), Lukas
Foss’s Time Cycle (Aspen Music Festival and
School), Samuel Barber’s Knoxville: Summer
of 1915 (American Youth Symphony), Frank
Ticheli’s Songs of Love and Life and Angels
in the Architecture (both at University of
Texas at Austin), and Francesco Cilluffo’s The
Land to Life Again (world premiere, UCLA
Camarades Ensemble). Newman is an alumna
of the Steans Music Institute of Ravinia, Music
Academy of the West, the Fall Island Vocal
Arts Seminar, and the Aspen Opera Theater
Center. Diana Newman is sponsored by Susan
Ipsen and Mrs. J. W. Van Gorkom.
LINDSAY METZGER
(Mercédès)
Previously at Lyric:
Garcias/Don Quichotte
(2016-17); Second Noble
Orphan/Der Rosenkavalier,
Second Peasant Girl/The
Marriage of Figaro (both
2015-16).
The Mundelein, Illinois native is a mezzo-
soprano in her second year with the Ryan Opera
Center. Earlier this year she appeared in the
“Beyond the Aria” series at the Harris Theater.
She spent two summers as an apprentice artist
with Des Moines Metro Opera where she
performed in such productions as La rondine,
Eugene Onegin, and Don Giovanni. She is also a
former studio artist with Milwaukee’s Florentine
Opera (Giannetta/L’elisir d’amore). Among her
recent portrayals are the title role/La Cenerentola
(Lyric Unlimited’s community engagement
program “Opera in the Neighborhoods”),
Daphné/Marc-AntoineCharpentier’sLa descente
d’Orphée aux enfers (Chicago’s Haymarket
Opera Company), Cherubino/The Marriage of
Figaro (La Musica Lirica in Novafeltria, Italy),
Nella/Gianni Schicchi (DuPage Opera Theatre),
title role/Ariodante, Béatrice/Béatrice et Bénédict,
and Beppe/L’amico Fritz (all at University of
Wisconsin-Madison). Metzger debuted with
the Grant Park Symphony singing the soprano
solo in Fauré’s Requiem . Among her numerous
awards are the Virginia Cooper Meier Award
from the Musician’s Club of Women, and an
Encouragement Award from the Metropolitan
Opera National Council District Auditions.
Lindsay Metzger is sponsored by an Anonymous
Donor.
EMMETT O’HANLON
(Dancaïre )
Previously at Lyric:
Second Priest/The Magic
Flute, Second Servant/Don
Quichotte (both 2016-17).
The New York native is
a first-year Ryan Opera
Center member. He earned
a Master of Music degree from The Juilliard
School (Traveler/Curlew River , Bartley/Riders
to the Sea), and a bachelor of music degree
from the University of Cincinnati College-
Conservatory of Music (Arsamene/Xerxes,
Achilla/Giulio Cesare, Harašta/ The Cunning
Little Vixen). In a workshop recently produced
by the Metropolitan Opera, O’Hanlon sang
the Soldier/Scott Wheeler’s The Sorrows of
Frederick the Great. His concert activities
have included Bach cantatas and Fauré’s
Requiem, all with St. Thomas Episcopal
Church (Cincinnati). O’Hanlon has been a
prize-winner in the Altamura/Caruso, Gerda
Lissner, Opera Index, Palm Beach Opera, and
Dayton Opera competitions. He participated
in the singer-training program at Caramoor,
La Musica Lirica (Novafeltria, Italy), Oberlin
in Italy, and the “Juilliard in Paris” project.
O’Hanlon is a principal vocalist with the
celebrated Irish singing group Celtic Thunder,
both for concerts internationally and on CD.
Emmett O’Hanlon is sponsored by Lois B. Siegel
and Drs. Joan and Russ Zajtchuk.
MINGJIE LEI
(Remendado)
Previously at Lyric:
Iopas/Les Troyens (2016-
17); Benvolio/Romeo and
Juliet, Marschallin’s Major
Domo/Der Rosenkavalier
(both 2015-16).