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with obvious pride. Her
bold move from the Paci c
Northwest to the sidewalks of
New York was a success. She
completed a bachelor’s degree
there and then pursued a
master’s at the Curtis Insti-
tute of Music, the prestigious
tuition-free institution in Phil-
adelphia, where she studied
with mezzo-soprano Patricia
McCa rey, an acclaimed
teacher of vocal technique
who also has a studio in New
York City. “I commuted back
and forth,” Bridges said, “and I
was learning so many roles at
Curtis. It really set me up for
success.” (McCa rey has also
been on the voice faculty of
Ravinia’s Steans Music Insti-
tute since
.)
A er Curtis, Bridges
auditioned for Lyric Opera
of Chicago’s Patrick G. and
Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center,
which has a ercely compet-
itive admission process. Of
the upward of
singers
who apply for the apprentice
program, only four to six
are accepted each year. Dan
Novak, who has been director
of the program since
,
recalled her audition vividly.
“Her talent was obvious,” he
said. “She was a terri c art-
ist and a compelling stage
presence. It was her
calling, what she was
meant to do.” Bridg-
es also shared
that calling with
Ravinia during
her rst year
at the Ryan
Opera Cen-
ter. On the
Fourth of
July
,
she and ve
other singers
from the
program joined
Chicago’s Ensem-
ble Dal Niente to
give the world premiere of a
chamber version of Leonard
Bernstein’s
Songfest
in the
Martin eatre led by the
arranger, Alexander Platt.
Over her three seasons as
a Lyric apprentice (
– ),
Bridges was onstage at the
Civic Opera House several
times, including as Inez in
Il
trovatore
, Vlasta in
e Passen-
ger
, and Flora in
La traviata
.
Her career has since taken her
to opera houses throughout
the United States and Canada,
as well as in England, France,
Germany, Mexico, and Spain.
In late June, she made her
house and role debuts as Prezi-
osilla in nine performances of
La forza del destino
with Zu-
rich Opera, and her July dates
included two performances at
the Oregon Bach Festival,
e
Passion of Yeshua
by American
composer Richard Danielpour
and Mendelssohn’s
Elijah
.
Contemporary classical
works form a critical part of
Bridges’s repertoire. Perhaps
one of her most successful
credits was her large role as
the female guerrilla ghter
Carmen in the
premiere
of Jimmy López’s
Bel Canto
by the Lyric Opera of Chicago
[with direction by Kevin New-
bury, who helmed the staging
of Bernstein’s
Mass
at Ravinia
on July ]. She also created
the role of Josefa Segovia in
John Adams’s
Girls of the Gold-
en West
at the San Francisco
Opera last November and
December, and she is slated to
reprise the performance with
the Dutch National Opera in
February and March. Addi-
tionally, Bridges has a turn
as Kasturbai in Philip Glass’s
Satyagraha
with Los Angeles
Opera in October and Novem-
ber, and she has previously
portrayed Sister Helen Prejean
in Jake Heggie’s
Dead Man
Walking
with Vancouver Op-
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