Lyric Opera 2022-2023 Issue 6 - Hansel and Gretel

Lyric Opera of Chicago | 24 SAMANTHA HANKEY | HANSEL Lyric debut The mezzo-soprano opened her 2022/23 Season as Federico García Lorca in Golijov’s Ainadamar at Scottish Opera and later this season reprises the role of Dorabella in Così fan tutte at Palm Beach Opera, before making her role and house debut as Mélisande in Pelléas et Mélisande at Santa Fe Opera. This year, Hankey will make her solo recital debut at Carnegie Hall, in a program of Zemlinsky, Strauss, and Ravel. In 2021/22 she made house and role debuts at the Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona as Der Komponist in Ariadne auf Naxos , Dorabella at San Diego Opera, and Ruggiero in Glyndebourne Festival’s new production of Alcina . She made her role debut as Prince Charmant in Cendrillon at the Metropolitan Opera and her house debut in the same role at the Opéra national de Paris, before returning to Munich’s Bayerische Staatsoper as Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro and Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier , in the new production by Barrie Kosky. From 2019 to 2021, Hankey held a Fest contract at the Bayerische Staatsoper where she appeared as Hansel in Hansel and Gretel , Wellgunde in Das Rheingold , Zweite Dame in Die Zauberflöte , and as Carmen in Marina Abramovi´c’s new production of 7 Deaths of Maria Callas at the Opernfestspiele. Other recent significant house debuts include Opernhaus Zürich, Den Norske Opera, The Dallas Opera, and Grand Théâtre de Genève. On the concert stage, Hankey has performed the title role in Handel’s Agrippina in concert with Il Pomo d’Oro in Turku, Finland, appeared at Bard Festival in Lili Boulanger’s Faust et Hélène , and sang at Carnegie Hall in Handel’s Messiah . HEIDI STOBER | GRETEL Previously at Lyric: Dalinda/ Ariodante (2018/19) and Valencienne/ The Merry Widow (2015/16). Since her acclaimed debut as Pamina/ Die Zauberflöte at Deutsche Oper Berlin in 2008, the soprano has cultivated a long-standing relationship with the company, with recent roles including her debut as Eva/ Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg , Gretel/ Hansel and Gretel , Donna Elvira/ Don Giovanni , Micaëla/ Carmen , Marguerite/ Faust , and Oscar/ Un ballo in maschera . At Semperoper Dresden her roles include Fiordiligi/ Così fan tutte , title role/ Alcina , Micaëla/ Carmen , and Adina/ L’elisir d’amor e, and she has also appeared as Adina for the Wiener Staatsoper. Stober made her Metropolitan Opera debut in the 2011/12 Season as Gretel, returning to the company in recent years as Gretel, Pamina, Oscar, and most recently Despina/ Così fan tutte . She appears regularly at San Francisco Opera where roles include Norina, Gretel, Magnolia/ Showboat , Oscar, Johanna/ Sweeney Todd , Nannetta/ Falstaff , Atalanta/ Xerxes , and Susanna/ Le nozze di Figaro . For Houston Grand Opera, her roles include Cleopatra/ Giulio Cesare , Susanna, Musetta/ La bohème , Atalanta, Drusilla/ L’incoronazione di Poppe a, Norina/ Don Pasquale , and most recently Micaëla. This season’s highlights include her role debut as Blanche/ Dialogues of the Carmelites for San Francisco Opera, Despina for Hamburgische Staatsoper, Susanna for Semperoper Dresden, and Donna Elvira at Japan’s Hyogo Performing Arts Center. Future plans include a return to the Metropolitan Opera and her debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. JILL GROVE | THE WITCH Previously at Lyric: 14 appearances since 2003/04, most recently Governess/ The Queen of Spades (2019/20) and Marthe/ Faust (2017/18). This season, the American mezzo-soprano makes her Portland Opera debut as Ježibaba/ Rusalka and joins Opera Omaha as Principessa/ Suor Angelica . Last season, she performed with Arizona Opera as Madame Armfeldt/ A Little Night Music and also returned to the Metropolitan Opera for Elektra and The Rake’s Progress . She recently joined the Metropolitan Opera as Governess/ The Queen of Spades , Minnesota Opera for Klytaemnestra/ Elektra , San Francisco Opera for the Fortune Teller/ Arabella and Mamma Lucia/ Cavalleria Rusticana , Canadian Opera Company as 1st Maid/ Elektra , and the Calgary Philharmonic for performances of Verdi’s Requiem . A frequent guest at Lyric, she previously sang performances of Filipyevna/ Eugene Onegin (2016/17), Margret/ Wozzeck (2015/16), Ježibaba/ Rusalka (2013/14), Klytaemnestra/ Elektra (2012/13), and Witch/ Hansel and Gretel (2012/13) among others. Grove’s numerous performances at the Metropolitan Opera include Erda/ Siegfried and Das Rheingold , Magdalene/ Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg , Madelon/ Andrea Chénier , Pantalis/ Mefistofele , Emilia/ Otello , Mary/ Die fliegende Holländer , Auntie/ Peter Grimes , die Muschel/ Die ägyptische Helena , and Cornelia/ Giulio Cesare . Other recent performances include Ježibaba/ Rusalka with Des Moines Metro Opera; Klytaemnestra/ Elektra with Detroit Opera; Auntie/ Peter Grimes with Canadian Opera Company; Ježibaba/ Rusalka and First Maid/ Elektra with Houston Grand Opera; Buryja/ Jen ˚ufa , Madelon/ Andrea Chénier and Jenny Reefer/Thomson’s The Mother of Us All at San Francisco Opera; Dame Quickly/ Falstaff , die Muschel/ Die ägyptische Helena , Florence Pike/ Albert Herring , Ursule/ Béatrice et Bénédict , and Antonia’s Mother/ Les contes d’Hoffmann with Santa Fe Opera; Erda/ Siegfried , Nutrice/ L’incoronazione di Poppea , and Zita/ Gianni Schicchi at Los Angeles Opera; Baba the Turk/ The Rake’s Progress with Pittsburgh Opera and Utah Opera; Amneris/ Aida with Canadian Opera Company and New Orleans Opera; Ulrica/ Un ballo in maschera with San Diego Opera; and the Sorceress/ Dido and Aeneas with Philharmonia Baroque. Artist profiles