THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO
DetailsThe Marriage of Figaro by Mozart
Friday, July 10, 2026 — 7:30 PM
Sunday, July 12, 2026 — 2:00 PM
Ganz Hall
Roosevelt University
430 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60605
SynopsisThe good-natured Figaro, a servant to Count Almaviva, and his playful bride-to-be Susanna, herself a servant to the Countess, eagerly anticipate their upcoming marriage. However, Susanna is uneasy because the Count is pursuing her, intending to invoke the old feudal droight de seigneur by sleeping with a servant’s new wife. Aiding the Count in his extramarital scheme are Bartolo, Marcellina, and Basilio, who are motivated to prevent Figaro and Susanna’s union by revenge, jealousy, and a simple love of meddling, respectively. Figaro and Susanna hatch a plan to trap the Count.
Meanwhile, the Countess Rosina, who despairs over her husband’s philandering, is not without her own admirers. The young page Cherubino, is enamored with the Countess (and, frankly, with all women he encounters) and is also aware of the Count’s pursuit of Susanna. To solve his Cherubino problem, the Count intends to send him to the military. Susanna and the Countess involve Cherubino in their scheme to thwart the Count’s plans. The Count’s double standard is apparent when he nearly catches Cherubino in the Countess’s room, explodes with jealousy, and is forced into an abashed and unwilling apology – an encounter that reveals the deep hurt in their marriage. To complicate matters, Bartolo, Marcellina, and Basilio, with the Count’s obvious support, throw an administrative wrench into Figaro and Susanna’s nuptials.
Susanna and the Countess modify the original plan to expose the Count: Susanna will feign interest in him, then the two women will switch places that evening for a scheduled rendezvous – thus, the Countess can expose her cheating husband directly. In the dark gardens, even Figaro and Susanna’s relationship seems momentarily threatened by mistrust, but ultimately their deep love, and the sweet and noble forgiveness offered to the Count by the Countess, affirm that now, all will be well.
The crown jewel of Mozart’s comic operas, Le nozze di Figaro is his first of three highly successful collaborations with librettist Lorenzo da Ponte. The original Beaumarchais source material was initially banned in many royal courts due to its depictions of servants outwitting their masters.
Cast
Lucas Maceroni
Lucas just finished his fourth year at the College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati, OH. There, he performed the roles of Maestro Spinelloccio in Gianni Schicchi, Antonio in Le Nozze di Figaro, Vater in Hänsel und Gretel, and Ipparco in L'Egisto. He's excited to be performing in Le Nozze di Figaro once more with Chicago Summer Opera!
Figaro
Andrew Ives
Bass-Baritone Andrew Ives hails from Crown Point, Indiana. He is a 3rd-year undergraduate, studying under the tutelage of Kelly Markgraf at IU Jacobs School of Music.
FigaroSusannaErica Ancell
Emily Mun
Emily is a Korean American soprano based in New York. In the past two years, she has performed in opera/opera scenes as Susanna, Suor Genovieffa, Paquette, Norina, and Donna Anna. She graduated from Manhattan School of Music in 2025, and is starting her Master’s degree at Mannes this Fall.
Susanna
Clara Pancake
Clara Pancake is thrilled to be a part of the Chicago Summer Opera this season. Clara is a soprano from Orange County, California. She is currently a rising senior at DePaul University, where she studies with Dr. Chandler. Last summer she traveled to Urbino, Italy with Musica Nelle Marche, where she studied Italian and worked on various opera scenes, including Sull’aria and La Cenerentola opening scene as Clorinda. Through DePaul Opera Theatre, she has been in Orfeo ed Euridice, Suor Angelica, and Hansel and Gretel.
Susanna Cover
Samuel Morton Morris is a British lyric baritone earning his master’s degree in opera at the Mannes School of Music in New York, under the tutelage of Amy Burton and Joshua Greene. This season’s engagements include Ensemble in La Passion de Simone, K. Saariaho and Andrea (cover) in The Silent Serenade, E. Korngold with Mannes Opera, as well as concerts with the Mannes Sounds Festival in New York City.
Born and raised in London, he has been performing from a young age as a violinist, choral, and solo singer. He has also gained rich experience as a recording artist, contributing to a number of both live and studio-recorded CDs in the UK. Before moving to the US, Sam attended Royal Holloway University of London for his Batchelor’s in Music, and then Guildhall School of Music & Drama under the patronage of Dame Felicity Lott, whose scholarship he was awarded in 2021.
Count AlmavivaSamuel Martin Morris
William Sulkow
Will Sulkow, a baritone from New York City, is entering his fourth year at Oberlin Conservatory, where he studies with Professor Salvatore Champagne and is pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance. His recent operatic credits include Melisso in Handel's Alcina with Chicago Summer Opera, as well as Joe in Musto's Later the Same Evening, Nardo in Mozart’s La Finta Giardiniera, and Plutone in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo with Oberlin Opera Theater.
Count Almaviva
Evan Beaty
Evan Beaty, a Sophomore Music Education Major and former Summer Choral Institute participant, is so excited to be the cover for Count Almaviva. Last season, Evan made his opera theatre debut as a lead as Falstaff in Merry Wives Windsor, and before that he made his opera theatre debut as Jess in Slow Dusk. He would like to thank his family and mentors for helping him further achieve his dream of singing opera professionally.
Count Almaviva Cover
Julia Scannell, soprano, is a native of Plymouth, Michigan. She completed her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music and earned her Master of Music in Voice Performance and Literature from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in May 2024. At the University of Illinois, her performances include soprano soloist appearances with the Illinois Bach Academy and Concerto Urbano, the university’s premiere Baroque ensemble, as well as roles such as Fiordiligi and Mimì in UIUC Voice Area Opera productions. She has performed with prestigious ensembles such as the Cleveland Orchestra and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Passionate about new music, she has premiered two chamber operas, portraying Maria/Opera Diva in The Sneeze by Jude O'Dell and Jiwon Hahn and 1st Rusalka in Rusalka by Mykola Leontovych. Recent roles include Donna Elvira, in Chicago Summer Opera’s Don Giovanni, Beth in UIUC Lyric Theatre's Spring 2026 opera production of Mark Adamo's Little Women, and Gretel in LAHSOW Opera Workshop's production of Hänsel und Gretel. Most recent awards include being a winner of the Jaqueline Avent Concerto Competition, at OperaFest Sewanee, where she was an Emerging Artist, at the Sewanee Summer Music Festival. She is currently pursuing a D.M.A in Vocal Performance at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, under the tutelage of Professor Yvonne Redman. Passionate about teaching as well, she is also a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the university, where she has taught Applied Voice, Italian Diction, and in the fall of 2026 will help co-direct and stage undergrad opera scenes.
CountessJulia Scannell
Lillian Hoehl is a rising senior at Towson University. She currently is a staff singer at Church of the Redeemer in Baltimore, MD. Most recently, she was Euridice in Towson University's production of Orpheus in the Underworld by Jacques Offenbach. She also was first soprano section leader of the Towson University Chorale in Bach’s Magnificat. She was Second Woman in Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. In her freshman year, she was Ida and Orlovsky in Strauss II’s Die Fledermaus on alternating nights of performances. She sang the National Anthem at Towson University’s Freshman Convocation.
CountessLillian Hoehl
Edith Malungu
Edith Malungu is a nineteen-year-old lyric soprano from Boston, Massachusetts. Her musical journey began in Kampala, Uganda, where she started playing violin at age five. By eight, she discovered her voice through her elementary school choral program, an experience that sparked a lifelong involvement in choral and vocal music. Edith is currently a Presidential Scholar at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music, where she studies Classical Voice in the studio of Jeanette Thompson. She is also minoring in Music Industry to develop skills as a well-rounded musician and in Psychology, where she is a member of the Psi Chi Honor Society. As of August 2025, she is a member of the Frost Chorale, the school’s premier ensemble, which has toured internationally. Last summer, Edith studied with La Musica Lirica’s summer program in Novafeltria, Italy, performing in L’elisir d’amore, singing a partial role of Alice in Falstaff, and singing Cleopatra’s aria “Se pietà di me non senti” from Giulio Cesare. This summer, she will cover the Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro with Chicago Summer Opera and perform as the Massachusetts State representative in the America 250 concert along with the American Pops Orchestra.
Countess Cover
Tiffany Sanchez Borjas is a Honduran-American light lyric-coloratura soprano who is a recent graduate from Florida Gulf Coast University with a degree in voice performance. She won third place in the “classical freshman women’s category for the Tampa Bay National Association of Teachers of Singing or TB NATS. She has played opera roles such as Manuelita from Offenbach’s La Perichole in the Butler school of Music at the University of Texas at Austin for the 2023 FAVA youth summer opera program. First Lady in a one-act scene of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte as well as Zerlina from Don Giovanni in a series of one-act scenes at the Bower School of music at FGCU. Most recently she played as Witch 2 from Purcell’s Dido and Aeneus at the Bower School of Music at FGCU.
MarcellinaTiffany Sanchez Borjas
Anastasia Inglima
Anastasia Inglima is a 20-year-old mezzo-soprano from Long Island, New York, currently studying Music Education and Vocal Performance with Dr. Marc Webster at Ithaca College. During her three years of undergrad, she has portrayed the role of Damon in Acis and Galatea by Handel, Dorothée in L'amant Anonyme by Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, and sung in the chorus of Le Dernier Sorcier by Pauline Viardot. To add on, Anastasia participated in the 2025 Opera Seme Summer Festival, where she portrayed the role of Bradamante in Handel’s Alcina. Most recently, Anastasia won the 2026 Ithaca College Concerto Competition, where she performed Faites-lui mes aveux from Gounod’s Faust with the college’s Symphony Orchestra. This summer, Anastasia is beyond thrilled to portray the role of Marcellina in Le Nozze di Figaro at Chicago Summer Opera, and is honored to work alongside such talented musicians!
MarcellinaTianbo Feng
Bass from Jinan, China. Studied with Stephen Powell, Peter Volpe. Made his opera debut in 2025 in Berlin with Berlin Opera Academy’s production of L’ incoronazione di Poppea
Bartolo
Daiki Okuaki is a Japanese bass whose artistry has earned him recognition as one of the few vocalists of his fach to receive personal mentorship from the renowned bass Carlo Colombara.
A graduate of Musashino Academia Musicae, where he also completed his postgraduate studies at the top of his class, Okuaki has distinguished himself in numerous prestigious competitions. His accolades include 3rd Prize at the 19th Tokyo Music Competition—marking the first time a bass has reached the podium in the competition’s history—as well as finalist placements at the 88th, 90th, and 92nd Music Competition of Japan. Furthermore, he achieved 1st Prize in both the Student and General divisions of the 2nd and 3rd Russian Vocal Music Competitions, respectively.
Okuaki’s commitment to artistic excellence has been further shaped by his training at the Tokyo International Vocal Art Academy (TIVAA), where he served as a full-scholarship recipient from 2021 to 2025 under the guidance of Howard Watkins and Jorge Parodi. In 2024, following a recommendation from stage director Joshua Major, Okuaki relocated to Boston to further his craft and expand his professional engagements.
As a testament to his rising career, he has been engaged as a bass chorister by the Boston Lyric Opera for the 2026–27 season. Okuaki currently studies under the tutelage of Tyler Reece and Carlos Conde.
BartoloDaiki Okuaki
Zach Heise
I’m Zach Heise, I’m a junior in high school and 16 years old. I am classically trained as a bass baritone and aspire to train at a conservatory in my upcoming years for opera and vocal performance.
Bartolo Cover & Chorus
Jacob King
Jacob is thrilled to return with Chicago summer opera. He played Aeneas in Dido and Aeneas in 2024 and Tom Snout in A Midsummer Nights Dream in 2023 with them. Other roles include Fabrizio Naccarelli (The Light in the Piazza) with Harrower Summer Opera, Alfredo in Die Fledermaus (Samford Opera), Bardalfo and Fenton cover (Falstaff) with International Lyric Academy of Italy and Guy 2 (Trouble in Tahiti) with Birmingham Opera Project. Jacob would also like to thank his parents, friends and professors for all their support on his journey.
Basilio
Simon Fletcher
Simon Fletcher recently graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a BFA in Vocal Performance. He has performed numerous Operatic roles included Oronte in "Alcina" by George Frideric Handel, Le Roi Ouf in "L'etoile" by Emmanuel Chabrier, and Tamino in "The Magic Flute" by Mozart. He has also performed a number of musical theater roles, including Harold Hill in "Music Man", The Baker in "Into the Woods", and Young Man in Stephen Sondheim's "Putting it Together". Simon has recently had the pleasure of performing with Pittsburgh Festival Opera, as well as studying abroad in Italy at the Lorenzo de' Medici Institute. While not performing, Simon enjoys working as a Stage Manager and ASM for various productions at CMU and Pittsburgh Festival Opera. He is excited to have the opportunity to continue performing this summer, and wishes to thank everyone who has helped him reach this point in his life.
Basilio
Lauren Mahoney
Lauren Mahoney is a mezzo-soprano and a junior studying Vocal Performance at Boston University under the tutelage of Dr. Alison Trainer. In addition to her classical pursuits, Mahoney is an accomplished pop and jazz artist who accompanies herself on the piano.
In 2024, Mahoney performed her first operatic role, Fidalma, in Opera Seme’s production of Il matrimonio segreto by Domenico Cimarosa in Arezzo, Italy. She was invited back to Opera Seme that following summer to perform the role of Ruggiero in Alcina by George Frideric Handel. With the Boston University Opera Institute, Mahoney appeared in the ensemble of Suor Angelica by Giacomo Puccini in 2025 and in Roméo et Juliette by Charles Gounod in 2026. In 2025, she was awarded First Prize for Voice in the New York Artists Guild International Music Competition, College Division. In addition, Mahoney was selected to be an alternate for the 2026 American Traditions Vocal Competition.
Mahoney is excited to make her debut with Chicago Summer Opera, singing the role of Cherubino in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro. Additionally, this August, Mahoney will be attending Passaggio in Salzburg, Austria, to work with Barbara Bonney and Victoria Browers. This May, she will be competing in the Classical Singer Vocal Competition.
Cherubino
Bianca Lucas
Bianca Lucas, mezzo-soprano, is a recent graduate from the Boston University College of Fine Arts, where she received her undergraduate degree in voice performance under the tutelage of Dr. Alison Trainer. Bianca’s credits with Boston University Opera Workshop include Nancy in Martha, Cinderella in Cendrillon, Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, and Laeticia in The Old Maid and the Thief. Bianca recently studied as a resident artist at Opera Seme in Arezzo, Italy, where she performed the role of Climene in Gluck’s La Corona. In addition, she has had the honor of performing with the Boston University Opera Institute as an ensemble member for Roméo et Juliette and Suor Angelica. Bianca was granted the Sally Whittle Memorial Award for Musical Excellence from the Syracuse Sounds of Music Association. She is also well-versed as a soloist in choral repertoire, culminating in her recent performance at Boston Symphony Hall as a soloist in Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms with the Boston University Symphonic Chorus. Bianca is an accomplished music educator as well as performer, as she is returning to Boston University next year to pursue a +1 program for her master’s degree in music education. Bianca is so excited and grateful for the opportunity to make her debut with Chicago Summer Opera through her role of Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro.
CherubinoCherubino CoverVivian Hirst
Hong Chou
Hong Chou, a soprano born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, is studying at The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University under the tutelage of Elizabeth Bishop. As first prize winner of the Solial Competition, she had the opportunity to perform with the Solial Philharmonic Orchestra in Korea. Chou also won first place in two competitions held in Taiwan "Excellence International Music Competition" and "Taiwan International Classical Traditional Music Award". Hong Chou performs a wide range of repertoire and specializes in classical and romantic arias.
Barbarina
Danielle Yamashiro
Danielle Yamashiro is a 22-year-old Japanese American soprano studying Voice Performance and Music Education at Ithaca College. Born and raised in Kailua, Hawaii, she has performed the role 1st Spirit in Die Zauberflöte at Hawai’i Performing Arts Festival, and in ensemble roles with Hawai’i Opera Theatre (Madama Butterfly), Tri-Cities Opera (Amahl and the Night Visitors, La Traviata), and Ithaca College (Acis and Galatea, Le Dernier Sorcier, L’amant Anonyme, and The Pirates of Penzance). She has participated in masterclasses with Karen Slack, Mark Morash, and Tamara Sanikidze. During the summer of 2025, she further expanded her artistry by training at Opera Viva! Italy, in Verona. Danielle is dedicated to exploring the connections between singing and personal health.
Barbarina
Ava Mitchie, soprano, is known for her engaging vocals and scene stealing charisma across operatic, musical theatre, concert, and choral settings. Ava is a member of the Young Voices of the Santa Fe Opera and additionally serves as the Arts Administrative Intern. During her time with the Young Voices program, Ava has performed several operatic scenes in various roles including: Adele (Die Fledermaus), Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Giulietta (Les contes d’Hoffman), and Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro).
As a lover of choral music, Ava is a chorus member with Opera Southwest performing in Verdi’s Aida and the world premiere of Llantos 1492. As a member of the New Mexico Symphonic Chorus Ava performs annually in the company’s New Year’s Eve concert. She also performed in the chorus of Verdi’s Requiem. In the Summer of 2026 Ava will make her Carnegie Hall debut as a chorus member in Vivaldi’s Gloria.
Her “unteachable stage presence” has landed her many leading roles in musical theatre. Select roles include: Cinderella (Into the Woods), Katherine (Newsies), Elle Woods (Legally Blonde), and Ariel (The Little Mermaid).
Ava made her European debut at just 15 years old singing Benedetto Marcello’s “Il mio bel foco” at London’s Dukes Hall. Recently, Ava returned to the UK as a participant in the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s Pre-undergraduate Classical Singing Intensive.
An advocate for bringing the arts to all generations, Ava has been fortunate to have assistant music directed multiple children’s musical theatre productions. As a young singer Ava is passionate about expanding her knowledge of the classical singing industry. She is a student of Juilliard’s Extension Program and was the winner of the John McCullough Award at the 2025 Vocal Artistry Art Song Festival.
Barbarina CoverAva Mitchie
Lennon Schriever
Lennon Schriever, tenor, is a recent graduate of Wartburg College with a BM in Voice Performance. Recent engagements include Ghost Chorus (The Flying Dutchman) at Des Moines Metro Opera, and with Wartburg Opera, Henrik (A Little Night Music), the Witch (Hansel and Gretel), Tenor (Coffee Cantata), and Chip (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee). He has also directed student productions, interned with the Des Moines Metro Opera, and is a 2025 Presser Foundation Scholar and a winner of the WCS Concerto Competition.
Don Curzio
Bass-baritone Krish Muthukumar is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, where he studies under Dr. Robin Rice. He has performed in the chorus for the Shepherd School’s fall production of Die Zauberflöte and spring production of Falstaff. This summer, Krish will perform the role of Antonio in Chicago Summer Opera’s production of Le Nozze di Figaro, and he will also sing the roles of Bartolo and Antonio in Luke Housner’s Le Nozze di Figaro workshop.
Antonio