Cast Bios Kathryn Lewek Soprano Kathryn Lewek has established herself as one of this generation’s most thrilling coloratura sopranos, performing some of the most vocally challenging roles in the repertoire and joining the top-ranking operatic performers of all time. Last season reached the remarkable milestone of Kathryn’s 50th performance of Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) as Die Königin der Nacht (The Queen of the Night) at The Metropolitan Opera, which surpasses The Met's record for the most performances of a role by a single artist. The New York Times declared her performance “utterly enthralling, emitting richly glowing bursts of notes like a collapsing star.” Ms. Lewek’s interpretation of the quintessential Mozart villain has labeled her the reigning Queen of the Night, with productions of Die Zauberflöte at more than 25 companies in over 300 performances to date, including The Royal Opera House, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Houston Grand Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Wiener Staatsoper, Teatro Real in Madrid, Festival d’Aix-enProvence, and The Royal Danish Opera, amongst others. Lewek's plush, buoyant, dramatic coloratura has received widespread acclaim on the global stage, pinning her as the soprano who "executes this stratospherically difficult role better than anyone alive” (The New Yorker). The upcoming 2023-2024 season will see Lewek in an array of brilliant roles. Two highly anticipated role débuts will include the title role of Lakmé at Opéra de Nice, followed by her portrayal of Juliette in Roméo et Juliette with Toledo Opera, alongside tenor Zach Borichevsky, Lewek’s husband, as Roméo. Additional performances include Olympia in Les contes d'Hoffmann at Semperoper Dresden; a debut as Madame Herz/Tonina in a pastiche of Der Schauspieldirektor with the Vienna Philharmonic; and Handel’s Messiah with the Oratorio Society of New York at Carnegie Hall. Ms. Lewek will perform Die Königin der Nacht in Die Zauberflöte with Semperoper Dresden, The Metropolitan Opera, the Cleveland Orchestra, and at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia in Valencia. She will also perform in Houston this spring in the world premiere of Matthew Aucoin and Peter Sellars' Unsilent Spring, presented by DACAMERA. Last season included role débuts of Countess Adèle in Rossini’s Le comte Ory with Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Heroines in Les contes d’Hoffmann with Deutsche Oper Berlin, as well as a reprisal of the title role of Lucia di Lammermoor for Opéra de Nice, which she had previously performed at Toledo Opera and Opera Carolina. Recent seasons’ leading roles have also included Teresa in Benvenuto Cellini with Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona; Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail with Deutsche Oper Berlin and subsequently in her house début with the Bayerische Staatsoper (Munich); a reprisal of her performance as Ginevra in Ariodante with Opera Monte Carlo; the title role of Maria Stuarda with Edmonton Opera; Angelica in Handel’s masterpiece Orlando on tour throughout Europe; and Jessica in the world première of André Tchaikowsky’s Kupiec Wenecki (The Merchant of Venice) with Bregenzer Festspiele. This production was awarded the International Opera Award 2014 in the category “Best World Première.” With an impressive history of leading female roles in her career, Lewek made an “especially brilliant” (Backtrack) début as Ginevra in Ariodante with the Salzburger Pfingstfestspiele in Austria opposite Cecilia Bartoli, where Ms. Lewek “perform[ed] a miracle” (Neue Zürcher Zeitung) and thrilled
audiences with “a rich (and richly differentiated) soprano voice [that] has not been experienced for a long time.” (Salzburger Nachrichten). In summer 2019, she returned to Salzburg in Barrie Kosky’s new production of Orphée aux enfers, “ravishingly” (Bachtrack) singing “the raunchy, full-throttle” (Financial Times) role of Eurydice, stunning critics and audiences alike with her versatility as a performer and prompting OperaWire to designate her as their Artist of the Week – as well as earning her a five-page feature in Salzburg’s official festival magazine. Orphée aux enfers was released worldwide in 2020 by Naxos on the UNITEL Edition label and was nominated for the International Classical Music Awards. The Blu-ray DVD of Ariodante was released Worldwide by Naxos in May of 2021, also on the UNITEL Edition label. Recent recordings of Lewek’s work have also been commended. Lewek’s latest album, Handel: Apollo e Dafne & Armida abbandonata (Pentatone/Naxos – 2021), was released worldwide in February of 2022 with critics praising her “technical, affective and dramatic prima donna power” which she “wields [...] majestically”; “The effect is spellbinding” (BBC Magazine). Ms. Lewek has two additional recordings on the Albany Records label, Kathryn Lewek sings Cary Ratcliff, and the collaborative album Quicksilver, with the internationally acclaimed guitar and flute duo Nicholas Goluses and Bonita Boyd.
Meryl Dominguez Soprano Cuban-American soprano Meryl Dominguez has been praised for her “intensity and warm tone” (Bachtrack). In the midst of her final year as a Houston Grand Opera Butler Studio Artist, she is an alumna of the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia and has been celebrated for her “gorgeous, crystalline highs and a powerful mid-range.” Recent seasons have seen Dominguez in performance with Houston Grand Opera, The Santa Fe Opera, and The Glimmerglass Festival, among others. Dominguez’s repertoire spans diverse roles, including Violetta (La traviata), Juliette (Roméo et Juliette), Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Rosalinda (Die Fledermaus), and Donizetti’s titular Lucia di Lammermoor. In 2022, she made her return to the international stage in the title role of Maria Stuarda with Musica Viva Hong Kong, where she earned praise for her “Sutherland-like purity in the upper and middle registers, coupled with depth in the lower range” (South China Morning Post). Dominguez has earned recognition in notable competitions, including as a Finalist in the Houston Grand Opera Eleanor McCollum Competition and a Semi-Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. She is the 1st Prize winner of the Vero Beach Opera Competition, a Sullivan Foundation Grantee, and a prize winner with both the Gerda Lissner Foundation and the Giargiari Competition. Passionate and invested in the realm of art song and new music, Dominguez has been involved in the creation and premieres of multiple new operas and recital programs. She was slated to sing Lucy Harper in Santa Fe Opera’s workshop of Corigliano’s The Lord of Cries (canceled due to COVID-19) and later premiered the role of Skyspace Woman in Another City (Beck/Fleischmann) with Houston Grand Opera. Most recently, she covered Callie van Lew in the world premiere of Intelligence (Heggie/Scheer/Zollar), also with Houston Grand Opera. Dominguez’s recital work has celebrated her versatility, collaborating with LyricFest on the premiere of John Musto's “Be Music, Night,” Lili Boulanger's “clairières dans le ciel,” Wolf's “Spanischesliederbuch,” and several other works. She is in the process of developing a recital combining her passion for fiber arts, the feminist concept of ‘women’s work’, and the narrative trope of madness that pervades the western musical canon.
Rachel Wilson Mezzo-Soprano American mezzo-soprano Rachael Wilson is a recent recipient of the honorary Bavarian Art Prize. A native from Las Vegas, Nevada, she is a graduate of the Juilliard School, and was a member of the Opera Studio at the Bayerische Staatsoper, where she joined the Ensemble in 2015 - between 2019 and 2022 Rachael was a member of the Ensemble at the Staatsoper Stuttgart. This season, Rachael Wilson’s engagements include her role debut as Donna Elvira Don Giovanni for Santa Fe Opera and Malmö Opera; Lola Cavalleria Rusticana at The Royal Opera House and the title role of Carmen in a new production for Theater Basel; further into the future, Rachael will return to the Bayerische Staatsoper, Opernhaus Zürich, Staatsoper Stuttgart and the Glyndebourne Festival, and she make debuts at Opéra de Lausanne and the Staatsoper Hamburg. In the 2022/23 Season, Rachael made her debut at the Opernhaus Zurich as Balkis in a new production of Offenbach’s Barkouf, returning as Olga Eugene Onegin and at the Glyndebourne Festival as Hermia A Midsummer Night’s Dream, while at the Staatsoper Stuttgart she appeared as Charlotte Werther and in the title role of Carmen. On the concert platform Rachael performed Messiaen’s Harawi at the Ruhrtriennale and Spoleto Festivals; she recorded and performed Zemlinsky’s A Florentine Tragedy with the Munich Radio Orchestra; she joined the American Modern Opera Company for a concert performance of John Adam's El Nino in New York City and made her debut with the Orchestre national d’Île de France performing Prokofiev’s Ivan the Terrible. Rachael’s recent operatic engagements include her debuts at the Teatro Real, Madrid as Cherubino Le nozze di Figaro - a role she also “jumped in” for at the Bayerische Staatsoper - and at the Opéra national de Rhin as Kay in Abrahamsen’s The Snowqueen, a role she reprised with the Dutch Radio Orchestra and Kent Nagano at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam. She joined the Ensemble of the Staatsoper Stuttgart in the 2019/20 season, making her debut as La Malaspina in the Premiere of Sciarrino’s Luci mie traditrici, and she has since made role debuts as Charlotte, Carmen, Fricka Das Rheingold and in the title role of Vivaldi’s Juditha Triumphans. During her time at the Bayerische Staatsoper (2015-19), Rachael’s appearances included: Kay The Snowqueen by Hans Abrahamsen; Hänsel Hänsel und Gretel; Dorabella Cosi fan tutte; Cherubino Le nozze di Figaro; the Gymnast Lulu; Bersi Andrea Chénier and Fatime in Weber’s Oberon – a performance for which she was awarded the Bayerische Festspielpreis.
Brenton Ryan Tenor Tenor Brenton Ryan is hailed by Opera News for his “remarkable tonal suavity and refined phrasing,” and is widely recognized at internationally acclaimed opera houses and orchestras as a singer of great vocal diversity and dramatic depth. In the 2023 – 2024 season, Mr. Ryan returns to Royal Opera Covent Garden to sing Mime and cover Loge in Barrie Kosky’s new production of Das Rheingold. He also makes house debuts at Gran Teatro del Liceu in Barcelona as Eros in John Adams’ Antony and Cleopatra, and with the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia in Valencia as Monostatos in the Simon McBurney production of Die Zauberflöte. Mr. Ryan returns to Bayerische Staatsoper as Tanzmeister in Ariadne auf Naxos on tour in Hong Kong, to the Metropolitan Opera to sing Monostatos in the holiday family version of The Magic Flute, and to Santa Fe Opera as CM in the premiere of Gregory Spears’ The Righteous at Santa Fe Opera. Concert work includes an appearance with the American Symphony Orchestra to sing Schoenberg’s Guerre-Lieder at Carnegie Hall, and the world premiere of Matt Aucoin and Peter Sellars’ Music for New Bodies with Dacamera in Houston. The 2022 – 2023 season saw Mr. Ryan’s house debut with Bayerische Staatsoper as Pedrillo in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Missail in Boris Godunov, and Second Jew in Salome, as well as his house debut with the Royal Opera House as Monostatos in David McVicar’s production of Die Zauberflöte. Mr. Ryan also returned to Dallas Opera to make his role debut as Loge in Das Rheingold conducted by music director Emmanuel Villaume, and returned to the Metropolitan Opera as Monostatos in the new Simon McBurney staging of Die Zauberflöte and a reprise of Spoletta in Tosca. He also returned to San Francisco Opera for a trio of role debuts as Eros in the premiere of John Adams’ Antony and Cleopatra, Triquet in Eugene Onegin, and Chaplain in Dialogues de Carmélites. Highlights of previous seasons include Mr. Ryan’s house and role debut at the Metropolitan Opera as Pedrillo in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, conducted by James Levine in his final appearance as Music Director, and subsequent appearances as Missail and covering Shuisky in a new production of Boris Godunov, Tanzmeister in Ariadne auf Naxos, Spoletta in the new David McVicar production of Tosca, and Der Narr in the new William Kentridge production of Wozzeck. Additional highlights include his European debut as Pedrillo in a new production of Die Entführung aus dem Serail with Opéra de Monte-Carlo, the roles of Novice in Billy Budd and Don Curzio in Le nozze di Figaro with San Francisco Opera, a return to Opera Theatre of Saint Louis singing Nero in Tim Albery’s production of The Coronation of Poppea, a return to Opera Philadelphia to debut Lysander in the U.S. premiere of Robert Carsen’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, his Lyric Opera of Chicago debut as Der Narr in Wozzeck conducted by Sir Andrew Davis and subsequent performances as Monostatos in the Barrie Kosky production of Die Zauberflöte, and his house debut with San Francisco Opera as Janek in Oliver Tambosi’s production of The Makropulos Case. At LA Opera, Mr. Ryan has sung Pedrillo in the James Robinson production of Die Entführung aus dem Serail, John Wormley in concert performances of Matthew Aucoin’s Crossing, Gastone in La traviata alongside Placido Domingo, Monostatos in Die Zauberflöte, Spirit/Sailor Dido and Aeneas, Léon in The Ghosts of Versailles, which received a 2017 Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording, and Beppe in Pagliacci conducted by Domingo. Mr. Ryan made his house debut with Opera Philadelphia as Monostatos in the Barrie Kosky production of Die Zauberflöte, his house debut with Santa Fe Opera singing the role of Dancing Master in Ariadne auf Naxos, and subsequent performances as Flute in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Don Basilio in Le nozze di Figaro, his house debut with Dallas Opera
singing both Gastone in La traviata and Florian in Der Ring des Polykrates. He has also sung Henrik in A Little Night Music in his house debut with Houston Grand Opera. Mr. Ryan’s concert appearances include semi-staged performances of Wozzeck, which received a 2018 Grammy for Best Opera Recording, and Ravel’s L’heure Espagnole, both with the Houston Symphony under Hans Graf, his Virginia Symphony Orchestra debut for Orff’s Carmina Burana, his Los Angeles Philharmonic debut in Beethoven's Choral Fantasy, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with both the Lexington Philharmonic and Rice University, Mozart’s Requiem with the Omaha Symphony, Elijah at DePaul University, and a semi-staged performance of Thomson’s The Mother of Us All singing the role of Jo the Loiterer with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by music director Ward Stare. Recital work includes his debut at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and concerts with the New York Festival of Song at both Caramoor and Merkin Hall in New York City. Mr. Ryan is a 2012 alum of the Music Academy of the West. Mr. Ryan is a winner of the Birgit Nilsson prize at the 2016 Operalia competition, a graduate of Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, and also holds a Bachelor of Music degree from DePaul University. He is featured in the film In Our Nature, starring John Slattery, Zach Gilford, Gabrielle Union, and Jena Malone, singing a selection from Pagliacci.
Cory McGee Bass-Baritone Bass-baritone Cory McGee opens the 2023 - 2024 season performing the title role in Mozart’s Don Giovanni with Wolf Trap Opera, before making his debut with Opera Philadelphia as Pietro in Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra. He also portrays the roles of Theseus in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Atlanta Opera, as well as Second Knight in Wagner’s Parsifal and the Imperial Commissioner in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, both with Houston Grand Opera. Concert appearances include Colline in a concert performance of Puccini’s La bohème with Chattanooga Symphony and Handel’s Messiah with Santa Fe Symphony. Most recently, Mr. McGee was seen as Johann in Massenet’s Werther, the Fifth Jew in Strauss’ Salome, Jailer in Puccini’s Tosca, and Dottore Grenvil in Verdi’s La traviata, all with Houston Grand Opera. With his “icy bass, complemented by an immense and sadistic physicality” (Harry Rose, Parterre Box), McGee sang Caspar in Weber’s Der Freischütz with Wolf Trap Opera. During the 2021 - 2022 season, he made his debuts as Colline in Puccini’s La bohème with Detroit Opera and Basilio in Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia with Opera on the James. He was also seen as Theseus in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the Santa Fe Opera. Further engagements included Billy in the world premiere of Thompson’s The Snowy Day with Houston Grand Opera. As a member of the HGO Studio, Mr. McGee has performed in The Houston Grand Opera’s Studio Showcase and Rienzi Recital Series, producing a full recording of Schubert’s Schwanengesang in the spring of 2021. He was also seen in Lawrence Brownlee’s 2021 and 2023 Giving Voice concert and The Snowy Day documentary, both with Houston Grand Opera. Other operatic roles include the Sodbuster in Mazzoli’s Proving Up, and Publio in Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito, both with Rice Opera Theatre. Mr. McGee was a finalist in the 2021 Pasadena Vocal Competition and won second prize in the Houston Grand Opera’s 32nd annual Eleanor McCollum Competition. Additional concert work includes Handel’s Messiah with West University Baptist Church, Houston, and a recital with Unity Church of Houston for their Black History Month Celebration in February 2020. McGee joined Santa Fe Opera as an Apprentice Artist for the 2019 season, portraying the role of the Gardener in Ruder’s The Thirteenth Child. In 2018, he was seen with Wolf Trap Opera as a Studio Artist, performing the roles of La Voce in Mozart's Idomeneo and Ranger Nat in Wolf Trap's commissioned children's opera, Hanlon's Listen, Wilhelmina!. He was also seen as a soloist in Bernstein at 100 - A Celebration, at Wolf Trap's Filene Center. Previous engagements include the roles of Elder Ott in Floyd’s Susannah and Sylvano in Cavalli’s La Calisto both with Rice Opera Theatre, Figaro in Oberlin Opera Theatre’s production of Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, Leporello in Mozart’s Don Giovanni with the Arezzo Opera Festival, and Pandolfe in Massenet’s Cendrillon with Oberlin Opera Theatre. Praised by Palm Beach Arts Paper for his “powerful, clarion voice,” Mr. McGee has performed several roles with the Miami Music Festival: Colline in Puccini’s La bohème, Simone in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, Reverend John Hale in Ward’s The Crucible, Lindorf, Coppelius,
and Crespel in Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann, and Harasta in Janacek’s The Cunning Little Vixen.