Lyric Opera 2022-2023, Issue 7, Factotum

Lyric Opera of Chicago | 18 WILL LIVERMAN | CO-CREATOR & MIKE Previously at Lyric: 10 roles since 2012/13, most recently Charles/ Fire Shut Up in My Bones (2021/22) and Fellow Travelers (2017/18). The baritone, a Ryan Opera Center alumnus, starred in the Metropolitan Opera premiere of Fire Shut Up in My Bones last season, in addition to reprising Horembab / Akhnaten and Papageno/ The Magic Flute there. Along with Malcolm Fleet/Nico Muhly’s Marnie at the Met, other recent engagements include productions with the major companies of Philadelphia, Santa Fe, Dallas, Denver, Tulsa, and Dutch National Opera. Liverman created Dizzy Gillespie/ Charlie Parker’s Yardbird with Opera Philadelphia, a role he reprised with English National Opera, Lyric, Madison Opera, and at New York’s Apollo Theater. At Lyric in 2014/15, Liverman sang Lawyer Frazier/ Porgy and Bess . His second CD, Dreams of a New Day–Songs by Black Composers , recently earned him a Grammy nomination. Liverman has received the Marian Anderson Vocal Award, a Richard Tucker Career Grant, the Sphinx Medal of Excellence, and the Beverly Sills award from the Metropolitan Opera. Will Liverman is sponsored by Mary Stowell. DJ KING RICO | CO-CREATOR & DJ Lyric debut Born Rocket Jackson, multi-instrumentalist and producer DJ King Rico has worked in a wide range of roles in the music industry. After earning a bachelor’s degree in music production at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia, the artist moved to New York City in 2015, working in music distribution as part of the agship team at Distro Kid. To garner a new skill, in 2017 Rico began teaching himself how to DJ through Youtube and online tutorials. By 2018, he was one of eight world nalist DJ’s in A-Trak’s Goldie Awards. He has subsequently had success working as a DJ and competing across the United States and abroad. In 2023, he will release new original songs with Corey Fonville and DJ Harrison (members of the Butcher Brown jazz quintet), Braxton Cook, and Jay Prince. CECILIA VIOLETTA LÓPEZ | ROSE Lyric debut This season’s engagements include Celebrando a México with Opera Idaho, a debut with Asheville Symphony Orchestra, and a role debut of the title role/ Rusalka with Opera Idaho. This summer, the soprano will reprise the role of Desdemona in Rossini’s Otello in her Central City Opera debut. Last season’s highlights included Hanna Glawari in Opera Idaho’s The Merry Widow ; soprano soloist in Opera Idaho’s Opera in the Park concert and Handel’s Messiah with the Boise Philharmonic; and a return engagement with Paci c Symphony for Mahler’s Symphony No. 4. At Virginia Opera, she debuted with the role of Beatrice in Jake Heggie’s Three Decembers , and returned to Opera Orlando, where she reprised Violetta/ La traviata . She has performed that role with Houston Grand Opera, Opera Orlando, Paci c Symphony, Minnesota Opera, Opera Colorado, Opera Tampa, Opera Idaho, Ash Lawn Opera, The Northern Lights Music Festival, Madison Opera, and Virginia Opera. López made her European debut as Norina/ Don Pasquale with Zomeropera in Belgium. Other recent highlights include Adina/ The Elixir of Love with Opera Idaho, Virginia Opera, and Opera Las Vegas, Marguerite/ Faust with Opera Omaha, the title role in Massenet’s Manon with Opera Idaho, Nedda/ Pagliacci with Opera Colorado, Desdemona in Rossini’s Otello with LoftOpera, Maria in West Side Story with Opera Idaho, Mimì/ La bohème with Opera Orlando, and Rosalba/ Florencia en el Amazonas with Florida Grand Opera. MARTIN LUTHER CLARK | CJ Previously at Lyric: Adult William and Chicken Plucker/ Fire Shut Up in My Bones and First Armored Man/ The Magic Flute (both 2021/22). Third-year Ryan Opera Center tenor Martin Luther Clark holds a master’s degree in opera from the Curtis Institute of Music. Among his roles there were the First Sailor/ Dido and Aeneas , Tobias Ragg/ Sweeney Todd , and Don Ottavio/ Don Giovanni . Also on the East Coast, he sang Vaudemont/ Iolanta and King Charles/ The Maid of Orleans with Russian Opera Workshop (2019 summer season). The previous year, he was heard as a Central City Opera Apprentice Artist and as tenor soloist at the Library of Congress, where he sang both published and unpublished works of Leonard Bernstein for the centennial celebration of the composer’s birth. Later this season, he will appear in Lyric's world premiere of Proximity , and he will make his Tulsa Opera debut in Into the Woods as Rapunzel’s Prince. Other appearances have included Lyric Opera of Kansas City (Resident Artist), University of North Texas Opera (numerous roles and galas), The Dallas Opera, Charlottesville Opera, Opera in Concert, Opera North, and Wolf Trap Opera. Originally from Marshall, Texas, Clark has received an Encouragement Award from the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition (2018), First Place in the Bill and Margot Winspear Opera Scholarship Competition (2014), and First Place in the NATS Vocal Competition, Division VI (2013). Martin Luther Clark is sponsored by the Robert and Isabelle Bass Foundation,Inc., David & Janet Fox, and Richard O.Ryan. NORMAN GARRETT | GARBY Previously at Lyric: Foreman and Adult James/ Fire Shut Up in My Bones (2021/22) and Jake/ Porgy and Bes s (2014/15). This season, the baritone made his LA Opera debut as Abdul in Omar and will sing Ned in a new edition of Treemonisha with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. Later this season at Lyric, he will sing Dr. T in the world premiere of Proximity . In concert, he sang Vaughan-Williams’s Fantasia on Christmas Carols with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Messiah with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, Ontario. Last season, he made his debut at Seattle Opera as the Count in Le nozze di Figaro . At the Metropolitan Opera, he appeared as the Foreman/Adult James in Fire Shut Up in My Bones , and as Jim in Porgy and Bess . He sang Jake in Porgy and Bess with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, and on tour at both the Lucerne Festival and the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival with conductor Alan Gilbert. In the 2020/21 Season, Garrett made his house debut at Theater an der Wien as Crown in Porgy and Bess , made his role debut as the title role in Don Giovanni at Dayton Opera, and sang Escamillo in Carmen at Opera Artist pro les