The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago proudly presents Rising Stars in Concert on Saturday, April 25, 2026 at 7:30 p.m., at the Lyric Opera House. This annual showcase of the acclaimed Ryan Opera Center’s 2025/26 Ensemble is a vibrant and theatrically engaging program celebrating the next generation of operatic talent. The concert is free and open to all. Tickets can be reserved at lyricopera.org/risingstars.
"Rising Stars in Concert is a true celebration of our Ryan Opera Center Ensemble and their remarkable artistry," says John Mangum, General Director, President and CEO of Lyric Opera. "After a full season of intense training and mainstage performances, our emerging artists take the stage to shine. It’s a thrilling, world-class performance — and a rare chance to see the opera stars of tomorrow — all in one unforgettable, free evening."
The 2025/26 Ensemble performs with the Lyric Opera Orchestra under the baton of Lyric Music Director Enrique Mazzola in a dynamic program directed by Kyle Lang. The performance features selections from Gaetano Donizetti’s Viva la mamma, a witty and irreverent comedy that captures the delightful chaos of staging an opera, complete with outsized personalities and a notoriously overbearing stage mother. The evening also includes additional repertoire showcasing the Ensemble’s versatility and breadth of talent.
The full 2025/26 Ensemble roster will be featured in Rising Stars in Concert, including Ryan Opera Center singers Adia Evans, Emily Richter, Alexis Peart, Camille Robles, Daniel Luis Espinal, Travon D. Walker, Sankara Harouna, Sihao Hu, Finn Sagal, Christopher Humbert, Jr., and Benjamin R. Sokol as well as Ryan Opera Center pianist Michael Banwarth and conductor Chi-Yuan Lin. Pianist Michael Banwarth will be performing as part of the concert and conductor Chi-Yuan Lin will conduct selected pieces. Supporting the performance behind thescenes are Ryan Opera Center stage director Marinette Gomez and stage manager Gemma DeCetra.
"As the season’s culminating performance, Rising Stars in Concert reflects Lyric Opera’s commitment to developing world-class artists, while celebrating emerging talent in a dynamic, theatrical showcase that marks the next chapter in the careers of tomorrow’s leading opera performers. Come celebrate with us," says Matthew Ozawa, Chief Artistic Officer at Lyric.
Members of the 2025/26 Ensemble have played important roles at Lyric this season, including serving as understudies for lead roles and performing supporting roles in various operas including Medea, Cavalleria rusticana & Pagliacci, Salome, Madama Butterfly, and El último sueño de Frida y Diego.
Michael Banwarth, Gemma DeCetra, Adia Evans, Marinette Gomez, Sankara Harouna, Christopher Humbert, Jr., Chi-Yuan Lin, Emily Richter, Finn Sagal, and Travon D. Walker will conclude their tenures with the Ryan Opera Center following the concert to pursue full-time careers nationally and internationally. Upcoming engagements for these soon-to-be alumni include Staatsteater Kassel (Germany), Wolf Trap Opera, Komische Oper Berlin, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Des Moines Metro Opera, Glimmerglass Festival, La Monnaie (Brussels), Oper Frankfurt, and The Metropolitan Opera as well as returns to their artistic home, Lyric Opera of Chicago.
The 2025/26 Ryan Opera Center Ensemble
Sopranos: Adia Evans, Emily Richter
Mezzo-Sopranos: Alexis Peart, Camille Robles
Tenors: Daniel Luis Espinal, Travon D. Walker
Baritones: Sankara Harouna, Sihao Hu, Finn Sagal
Bass-Baritones: Christopher Humbert, Jr., Benjamin R. Sokol
Pianist: Michael Banwarth
Conductor: Chi-Yuan Lin
Stage Director: Marinette Gomez
Stage Manager: Gemma DeCetra
Rising Stars in Concert will be recorded for broadcast on 98.7 WFMT and online streaming at wfmt.com on Sunday, May 17, at 5 p.m.
Tickets and Information
Tickets are free. Reserve your seats at lyricopera.org/risingstars or by calling the Lyric box office at 312.827.5600. The Lyric Opera House is located at 20 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago.
Lyric’s 2025/26 Season is presented by the Robert and Penelope Steiner Family Foundation.
Rising Stars in Concert is generously made possible by Lead Sponsor the Donna Van Eekeren Foundation, with additional support from the Dr. Scholl Foundation, Penelope R. Steiner, the Thierer Family Foundation, Dr. Nora Jaskowiak and Mr. Matthew Hinerfeld, and Phyllis Neiman.
Maestro Enrique Mazzola is generously sponsored by Alice & John Butler, H. Gael Neeson, Sylvia Neil & Daniel Fischel, the Robert and Penelope Steiner Family Foundation, Mary Stowell, and the Zell Family Foundation as members of the Enrique Circle.Lyric Opera of Chicago thanks its Official Airline, United Airlines, and acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council.
Rising Stars in Concert is being recorded for broadcast on 98.7 WFMT and streaming on wfmt.com on Sunday; May 17 at 5pm. The Rising Stars in Concert radio broadcast is generously made possible by the Donna Van Eekeren Foundation.
About Lyric
Lyric Opera of Chicago is committed to redefining what it means to experience great opera. The company is driven to deliver consistently excellent artistry through innovative, relevant, celebratory programming that engages and energizes new and traditional audiences.
Under the leadership of General Director, President & CEO John Mangum and Music Director Enrique Mazzola, Lyric is dedicated to reflecting, and drawing strength from, the diversity of Chicago. Lyric offers, through innovation, collaboration, and evolving learning opportunities, ever-more exciting, accessible, and thought-provoking audience and community experiences. We also stand committed to training the artists of the future, through The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center; and to becoming increasingly diverse across our audiences, staff, programming, and artists — magnifying the welcoming pull of our art form, our company, and our city.
Through the timeless power of voice, the splendor of a great orchestra and chorus, theater, dance, design, and truly magnificent stagecraft, Lyric is devoted to immersing audiences in worlds both familiar and unexpected, creating shared experiences that resonate long after the curtain comes down.
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For more information, visit lyricopera.org.
About the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center
The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center is Lyric’s preeminent artist-development program that nurtures the talents of some of the most promising operatic artists of each generation. The program’s Ensemble members earn their coveted spot by successfully auditioning among more than 500 artists worldwide. Its alumni are among the dominant names in opera today. Donor generosity ensures continued unparalleled training, performance experience, and professional readiness of Ensemble members. This highly competitive program, established in 1974, is led by Director Dan Novak, Music Director Craig Terry, and Director of Vocal Studies Julia Faulkner.
For more information, visit lyricopera.org/ryanoperacenter.