Lyric Opera 2023-2024 Issue 8B - Aida

Lyric Opera of Chicago | 72 What was your path to working at Lyric? I was interested in music from a very young age and visited Lyric a handful of times. I also studied at the Merit School of Music, in their voice and opera program, and I was part of the collaboration with Lyric and Renée Fleming. That gave me the opportunity to come see performances, so Lyric was always kind of the gold standard for me. When I moved back to Chicago after my master’s, Lyric was an easy choice. What is the most fun about your role at Lyric? My favorite part of the job is getting to interact with every department. I find myself walking down to the stage door, talking to company management, visiting the general director’s office, popping down to the box office. Ticketing is very much a people- facing role where having and building relationships helps support our ultimate goal. What do you like about working in the arts? The people: It’s nice to be surrounded by a community of artists who may not be directly on the stage producing or creating the art, but who may have backgrounds in performing, and they bring that creativity to their behind-the-scenes jobs. I’m also a huge opera nerd and buff. That’s what I went to school to study. A favorite moment at Lyric? One performance sticks out. One of the first operas I saw here was Rigoletto , one of my favorite operas, with the tenor Giuseppe Filianoti as the Duke. If I remember correctly, he was a bit sick, but he still went on and sounded amazing. I’m a tenor, so I was really inspired by that. Albina Shagimuratova was the Gilda, and she sang the famous aria, “Caro nome,” laying on a bed upside down and just crushed it. We create a lot of magic in this theater, and those moments make me proud to work here. Beyond opera, what are your other passions? Running is a big one. I’m planning to run my first full marathon this year. And I play a good amount of basketball and golf (my new obsession). One of my biggest hobbies, coming from a big Greek family, is cooking. I’m kind of a pizza fanatic. I recently bought a pizza oven and make pizza dough. It’s a weekly hobby that I’m trying to perfect. Favorite opera character? This is maybe a little controversial, but the Duke in Rigoletto . As a young student, that was my favorite opera, because the music is very intense and passionate. I think it would be an interesting, fun role to sing because it’s such a departure: He is this villain, but he’s a tenor, which doesn’t happen often. Favorite performer? Right now, Benjamin Bernheim, a French tenor. I really like what he’s been doing with his career and the sensitivity in his voice. Jonas Kaufmann is an all-time favorite for me, of course. Some Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center alums, like Christian Van Horn—I regularly listen to his podcast and draw inspiration from him. Favorite opera? I don’t know if I can choose one favorite opera. It kind of changes a lot—but Romeo and Juliet , the Gounod version, is one of them. I’ve been in it multiple times, and I just love the music and the story. A close second would probably be Werther . I saw a production of that at the Met, which was one of the best operas I’ve ever seen, cast and production and everything. I’m a sucker for the classic romantic ones. People of Lyric A behind-the-scenes conversation Hometown: I grew up in the Hinsdale area, in the western suburbs of Chicago. When did you start at Lyric? In 2018, when I had just finished my master’s in Voice and Literature at the Eastman School of Music. I was auditioning for different productions and jobs, and Lyric provided a lot of flexibility (which it still does) for part-time roles in the ticketing department. FIrst opera: I think it was La traviata , at the Met—of course a classic. I saw it on a school choir trip. I was a sophomore in high school, and was literally in the last row, but I still remember James Valenti. I only remember the tenor, but it was amazing. Achilles Bezanis VIP Ticketing Associate Kyle Flubacker