Lyric Opera 2023-2024 Issue 4 - Jenufa

29 | Lyric Opera of Chicago LISE DAVIDSEN JENŮFA Lyric debut This season’s highlights for the Norwegian soprano include the Last Night of the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, a solo recital on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera, and role debuts as Salome at the Opéra national de Paris and as Leonora in a new production of La forza del destino at the Metropolitan Opera. She also returns to the roles of Giorgetta/ Il Tabarro and Lisa/ The Queen of Spades, both at the Bayerische Staatsoper. She will appear in recital in Santa Monica at BroadStage Theatre; the Wiener Staatsoper; Teatro de Zarzuela in Madrid; Wigmore Hall in London; and Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia in Valencia . She will sing Wagner‘s Wesendonck Lieder with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Yannick Nézet-Séguin at Carnegie Hall; and a program of Verdi and Strauss at Teatro Real in Madrid. Other recent role debuts include Marschallin/ Der Rosenkavalier at the Metropolitan Opera, Giorgetta/ Il Tabarro at Gran Teatre del Liceu, and Elisabetta/ Don Carlo at Royal Opera House, where she also appeared as Elisabeth/ Tannhäuser . Last season she appeared at the Metropolitan Opera as Eva in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, the title role in Ariadne auf Naxos, and Chrysothemis in Elektra . In summer 2022, she returned to the Bayreuth Festival as Sieglinde in a new Ring tetralogy and as Elisabeth/ Tannhäuser . Her discography includes two solo orchestral recitals on Decca, a recording of Grieg songs with fellow Norwegian Leif Ove Andsnes, and the Grammy-nominated Concert for Ukraine with the Metropolitan Opera. NINA STEMME KOSTELNIČKA Previously at Lyric: Elektra/ Elektra (2018/19). The Swedish-born soprano is known for her portrayals of some of the most challenging roles in the repertoire, including Isolde, Brünnhilde, Kundry, Salome, Elektra, Fanciulla, and Turandot. Highlights of this season include Tristan und Isolde at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, and at the Vienna State Opera; her long- awaited debut as Ortrud/ Lohengrin at the Vienna State Opera; a new production of Die Frau ohne Schatten (as the Dyer’s wife) at the San Francisco Opera; and recitals in Geneva, Toulouse, Stockholm, and Budapest, and at the Wigmore Hall (London). After a successful debut as the Dyer’s wife in the anniversary production of Frau ohne Schatten at the Vienna State Opera, she most recently debuted the role of the Kostelniˇcka in Jen ˚ufa at the Theater an der Wien. In May 2022, Nina Stemme performed Brünnhilde for the last time in a complete Ring cycle at the Vienna State Opera, a role she had sung with great success worldwide for more than 10 years. In 1993, she won the Operalia competition. PAVEL Č ERNOCH LACA Lyric debut The tenor’s highlights this season include his signature role the Prince in Rusalka at the Wiener Staatsoper and in a new production at Staatsoper Berlin, as well as returns to the Opéra national de Paris as Albert Gregor in The Makropulos Affair and to Staatsoper Hamburg as Sergei/ Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District . Last season, ˇCernoch had his role debut as Apollo in Romeo Castellucci’s new production of Daphne at Staatsoper Berlin; sang the Prince in Philipp Stölzl’s new production of Rusalka at Dutch National Opera and at home in Prague; and the title role of Faust at Staatsoper Hamburg. Other recent highlights include a role debut as Florestan/ Fidelio at Staatsoper Berlin and as Max/ Der Freischütz at Bayerische Staatsoper, as well as performances of some of his most beloved roles: Cavaradossi/ Tosca at Staatsoper Hamburg and the National Theatre Opera in Prague; Laca/ Jen ˚ufa at Theater an der Wien; The Prince/ Rusalka in a new production by Christoph Loy at Semperoper Dresden and in Prague; and Pinkerton /Madama Butterfly , again in Hamburg. Other recent highlights include Cavaradossi in a new production of Tosca at La Monnaie and in performances at the National Theatre Opera in Prague; Vladimir in Barrie Kosky’s new production of Borodin’s Prince Igor at Opéra national de Paris; his company debut with Canadian Opera Company in the role of Prince in Dvorˇák’s Rusalka ; the title role of Don Carlo with Staatsoper Hamburg; Giasone/ Médé e at the Salzburg Festival, and Sergei/ Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District at Opéra national de Paris. RICHARD TREY SMAGUR ŠTEVA Lyric debut This season’s highlights for the American tenor include Adorno/ Simon Boccanegra at Opera Philadelphia, Laca/ Jen ˚ufa at English National Opera, Don José/ Carmen at Austin Opera, and Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde with the Vancouver Symphony. Last season, Smagur appeared in Der fliegende Holländer as the Steuermann at the Metropolitan Opera and as Erik at the Santa Fe Opera. He made role and house debuts with Virginia Opera in their Ring Cycle as Siegmund, and had symphonic engagements including Carmen in concert with the Reno Philharmonic and Beethoven’s 9th with the Tucson Artist profiles