Lyric Opera 2021-2022 Issue 3 The Magic Flute

Lyric Opera of Chicago | 25 DENIS VÉLEZ | PAPAGENA Previously at Lyric: Giannetta/ The Elixir of Love , Third Apparition/ Macbeth (both 2021/22). The soprano, a second-year Ryan Opera Center member from Puebla, Mexico, sang in “Sunday in the Park with Lyric’s Rising Stars’’ this summer. She was a national winner of the Metropolitan Opera’s 2020 Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition. In Mexico’s most important platform for rising talent, the National Singing Contest Carlo Morelli, her performance earned her the First Prize, the French Opera award, and the Francisco Araiza Special award. Her repertoire includes the Countess and Susanna/ The Marriage of Figaro , Bastienne/ Bastien und Bastienne , Fiordiligi/ Così fan tutte , Adina/ The Elixir of Love , and Mimì/ La bohème . Last spring she sang in the Harris Theater’s “Beyond the Aria” series alongside Joyce DiDonato, and appeared in Lyric’s 2020/21 virtual programs “Pasión Latina,” “Sole e Amore,” “Magical Music Around the World,” and “Rising Stars in Concert.” Denis Vélez is sponsored by The C.G.Pinnell Family. MARTIN LUTHER CLARK | FIRST ARMORED MAN Lyric debut During Lyric’s 2020/21 season, Clark performed in “Lawrence Brownlee and Friends: The Next Chapter,” “Creating The Factotum ,” “Sole e Amore,” “Magical Music Around the World,” and “Rising Stars in Concert.” He began the 2021/22 season with “Sunday in the Park with Lyric’s Rising Stars” and will perform Adult William and Chicken Plucker/ Fire Shut Up in My Bones . The second-year Ryan Opera Center tenor recently graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music, where he sang First Sailor/ Dido and Aeneas , Tobias Ragg/ Sweeney Todd , and Don Ottavio/ Don Giovanni . He was an apprentice artist with Central City Opera and recently appeared as tenor soloist at the Library of Congress, where he sang published and unpublished works of Leonard Bernstein as part of the centennial celebration of the composer’s birth. Clark has sung with Lyric Opera of Kansas City; University of North Texas Opera; Opera North; and with Dallas, Charlottesville, and Wolf Trap operas. Martin Luther Clark is sponsored by the Robert and Isabelle Bass Foundation, Inc., David & Janet Fox, and Richard O. Ryan. ANTHONY REED | SECOND ARMORED MAN Previously at Lyric: Four roles since 2019/20, most recently Assassin & First Apparition/ Macbeth (2021/22), Narumov/ The Queen of Spades (2019/20). A third-year member of the Ryan Opera Center, the bass recently appeared in “Sunday in the Park with Lyric’s Rising Stars” and “Sole e Amore,” and sings Sciarrone/ Tosca at Lyric later this season. Reed was recently seen at Wolf Trap Opera as Friar Laurence/ Romeo and Juliet . A former Adler Fellow at San Francisco Opera, his highlights there include King of Egypt/ Aida , Speaker/ The Magic Flute , and Dr. Grenvil/ La traviata , among other roles. His repertory also encompasses Sarastro/ The Magic Flute , Don Magnifico/ La Cenerentola , and Don Basilio/ The Barber of Seville . He has performed with Grammy award-winning symphony orchestras and some of the world’s most esteemed conductors, among them Nicola Luisotti and Donald Runnicles. Reed is an alumnus of the Curtis Institute of Music and the Merola Opera Program. Anthony Reed is sponsored by J.Thomas Hurvis . DAELYN CALLOWAY | FIRST GENIE Previously at Lyric: The Queen of Spades , Dead Man Walking (both 2019/20). Daelyn Calloway was first introduced to opera in 2017 when she performed at the Ravinia Festival in The Elixir of Love with Opera for the Young. She has since appeared with Opera for the Young in two additional productions: Rusalka: A Mermaid’s Tale (2018) and Super Storm! (2019). Calloway is a member of the Chicago Children’s Choir, and in her free time enjoys creating performances on TikTok , playing volleyball, and spending time with her family. HENRY LOMBARDO | SECOND GENIE Previously at Lyric: Macbeth (2021/22), Luisa Miller (2019/20). Henry Lombardo is a student in the Merit School of Music Alice S. Pfaelzer Conservatory program. Select performance credits include A Christmas Carol (Goodman Theatre), An Inspector Calls (Chicago Shakespeare Theater), NINE the Musical (BrightSide Theatre), The Christmas Foundling (The Buena at Pride Arts Center), Seussical: A Virtual Musical! (The Virtual Stage Co.) and Spirit Week Assembly: No PDA (The Second City). Lombardo also regularly performs in choral ensembles, including the children’s chorus of the Joffrey Ballet’s recent production of The Nutcracker . He also can be seen in television commercials for Casey’s General Store, Camping World, Empire Today, and in several short films. Lombardo studies tap dancing, piano, drums, and violin.