Lyric Opera 2024-2025 Issue 1 - Rigoletto

29 | Lyric Opera of Chicago IGOR GOLOVATENKO RIGOLETTO Previously at Lyric: Rodrigue/ Don Carlos (2022/23). The Russian baritone has been acclaimed for his performances in theatres such as the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Metropolitan Opera, Vienna State Opera, Opéra national de Paris, and his home theatre, the Bolshoi in Moscow. Recent roles include Simon Boccanegra at the Teatro Regio di Parma, Iago/ Otello at the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, Robert/ Iolanta (Berlin Philharmonic), Riccardo/ I puritani (Vienna), and the title role of Eugene Onegin at the Metropolitan Opera. Last season, Golovatenko appeared as Don Carlo/ La forza del destino at the Met, Amonasro/ Aida in Arena di Verona, Rodrigue/ Don Carlos for his debut at the Vienna State Opera, where he later returned as Germont/ La traviata , Guido di Monforte/ I Vespri Siciliani and Iago/ Otello . In the 2019/20 Season, he made his Met debut as Prince Yeletsky in Pique Dame , and in 2018/19 he made his North American debut as Eugene Onegin at Washington National Opera. MANÉ GALOYAN GILDA Lyric debut This season the Armenian soprano will sing Micaëla in Carmen at the Royal Opera House in London, and have two more role and house debuts: as Vitellia in La clemenza di Tito at Opéra de Monte Carlo and as Liù in Turandot at the Theater Basel. Additionally, she will return to the Bayerische Staatsoper as Adina in L’elisir d’amore . Last season, she performed Suor Angelica and Lauretta in a new production of Il Trittico at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte at the Wiener Staatsoper, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni with the Canadian Opera Company, Violetta in La traviata with Santa Fe Opera and Deutsche Oper Berlin, Suor Angelica with the Bayerische Staatsoper, and the title role in The Cunning Little Vixen with Detroit Opera. Some concert highlights included Rachmaninoff’s The Bells with The Hallè at the BBC Proms and a gala concert with the Detroit Opera Orchestra. Other recent highlights include her debut with Dutch National Opera as Violetta, the title role in Luisa Miller with the Glyndebourne Festival, and her Metropolitan Opera debut as Prilepa/Chlöe in Pique Dame . JAVIER CAMARENA DUKE OF MANTUA Lyric debut The Mexican tenor’s 2024/25 Season includes a house debut with Dallas Opera as Alfredo in La traviata staged by Louisa Muller; he will sing the role also at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in a David McVicar production. The tenor also returns to Bergamo to sing Ernesto in Don Pasquale , and to the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples to portray Roméo in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette . Recent highlights include Elvino in La sonnambula at the Vienna Staatsoper, his signature role of Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore at the Staatsoper Munich, and Tonio in a new production of La fille du régiment at Opera de Monte Carlo. In the 2023/24 Season, he returned to Spain three times, for Miguel del Arco’s new production of Rigoletto (Duke) at Teatro Real de Madrid, as Roméo in Roméo et Juliette at the Palacio Euskalduna in Bilbao, and Ramiro in La cenerentola at Barcelona’s Liceu. Other recent highlights include a return to the Metropolitan Opera as Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore , Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor at the Opéra national de Paris, and a debut as Alfredo in La traviata at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo. SOLOMAN HOWARD SPARAFUCILE Previously at Lyric: Grand Inquisitor/ Don Carlos (2022/23) and Wurm/ Luisa Miller (2019/20). A graduate of Washington National Opera’s Cafritz Young Artist Program, Howard’s recent highlights include appearances with the Metropolitan Opera ( La forza del destino, Turandot, Aida, TheMagic Flute ), Royal Opera House ( Aida, Das Rheingold ), Teatro Real ( Don Carlos ), LAOpera ( Don Carlos ), Opéra National de Bordeaux ( Simon Boccanegra ), Staatsoper Hamburg ( Rigoletto ), San Francisco Opera ( Turandot ), and the Santa Fe Opera ( La Bohème, Don Giovanni ). At Washington National Opera, he performed in TheMagic Flute, Show Boat, Don Giovanni, Approaching Ali, The Lion, The Unicorn, and Me, Nabucco , and Philip Glass’s Appomattox . Future performances include the roles of Hunding inWagner’s DieWalküre with both the Royal Opera House and the Santa Fe Opera, Sparafucile/ Rigoletto and Sarastro/ Die Zauberflöte with theMetropolitan Opera, Colline in La Bohème with the Santa Fe Opera, and Banquo in Macbeth with Washington National Opera. Future performances includeWashington National Opera, as well as English National ( LuisaMiller ), Gran Teatre del Liceu ( The Barber of Seville ), and theMet ( TheMagic Flute ). ZOIE REAMS MADDELENA Previously at Lyric: Chief’s Daughter #2 and Sibyl/ Proximity (2022/23) and Ragonde/ Le Comte Ory (2022/23). Recent engagements for the American mezzo-soprano include Mandane/ Idaspe at Quantum Theatre, Beggar Woman/ Sweeney Todd at Austin Opera, and soloist in Messiah at Washington National Cathedral. Other recent highlights include Lily in the Metropolitan Opera’s Porgy and Bess, Jane in Cincinnati Opera’s Castor and Patience , the title role/ Carmen (Opéra Louisiane), Margret/ Wozzeck (Des Moines Metro Opera), and Bernstein’s Symphony No. 1: Jeremiah (Staatstheater Cottbus Philharmonic Orchestra). She has also been heard as Maddalena/ Rigoletto (Wolf Trap Opera), in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 (National Symphony Artist profiles