Lily Smith is a 24-year-old French-American soprano. She was born and raised in Paris, France, and later moved to the United States.

In 2019, Smith graduated from Northwestern University in Chicago, IL, with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance, and a Bachelor of Arts in French language. This past spring, Smith earned her Masters of Music from the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California where she studied under the renowned Professor Elizabeth Hynes.

In her spare time, Lily likes to play tennis, travel, and cook!

Mary Buckingham, soprano, is excited to make her Chicago Summer Opera debut as Le Prince Charmant in Massenet’s Cendrillon. Mary is a master’s student in voice and opera performance in the class of 2022 at The Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University. She is originally from Annapolis, Maryland. Mary graduated from DePauw University with a Bachelor of Music in vocal performance in 2020. Some of her favorite past roles include Musetta (La bohème), Mrs. Gobineau (The Medium), Noémie (Massenet’s Cendrillon), The First Lady (Die Zauberflöte), and the Dew Fairy (Hänsel und Gretel). Mary has attended summer programs such as Musiktheater Bavaria, Opera in the Ozarks, and William Lewis School of Opera.

Jessica Gu is a young coloratura soprano born in Shanghai, China and grew up in the United

States since age 3. She found herself deeply enthralled by classical music, and being able to sing

and act on stage was a marvel. Halfway through high school, she made the decision to attend the

Interlochen Arts Academy in Interlochen, Michigan for specialized training in opera and

classical singing. Since then, Jessica has been recognized with honors including Second Place

Regional in the Water Cube Cup Overseas Young Adult Chinese Song Competition in 2013. In

2016, she received an Honorable Mention in the National Young Arts Competition. She received

her Bachelor’s degree at the Eastman School of Music. During her undergraduate studies, she

has performed the role of Euridice from Orfeo ed Euridice. In 2020, she participated in

renowned coloratura soprano Tracy Dahl’s masterclass. She received 2 nd place in the District

Region Washington D.C. Water Cube Cup Competition and was awarded the Maryland Lyric

Opera Prize in 2021. Currently, she studies at Indiana University for her Master’s Degree under

the tutelage of Patricia Stiles. In the opera workshop class with Heidi Grant Murphy, she has

performed the role of Norina in the Quel guardo il cavaliere aria, recitative, and duet scene from

the opera Don Pasquale by Gaetano Donizetti. She is currently covering for the role of Adina in

L’elisir d’amore by Gaetano Donizetti for the Bloomington Chamber Opera. She will make an

appearance singing the role of Adina in Helen Haddad Hall on May 1 st , 2022. Upcoming

performance roles include La Fée in Jules Massenet’s Cendrillon in July 2022 with the Chicago

Summer Program. With all of the upcoming performances, Jessica is thrilled to be able to make

music with the inspiring colleagues around her under the mentorship of deeply impactful

teachers and artists.

Washington D.C.-based soprano, Tara Kitchelt is a growing artist who loves exploring both new roles and music to sing. Her favorite roles include Despina from Cosi fan tutte, Bastienne from Bastien und Bastienne, and Adele from Die Fledermaus. Tara was last seen as Zweiter Knabe in Prague Summer Night’s production of Die Zauberflöte and as Mrs. Fiorentino in Young Artists of America’s online production of Street Scene. She recently completed two role study programs with MiOpera, learning the roles of Musetta from La Bohème and Barbarina from Le Nozze di Figaro. Tara has completed her Masters of Music in Vocal Performance at the University of Maryland, College Park and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Vocal Performance at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She is very grateful for her singing experiences and is looking forward to her career in opera.

Xulei Zhao is a teaching assistant in voice department at the Michigan State University College of Music. She is the second prize winner of The North International Vocal Competition. She has enjoyed an active performing career and has been praised for her extraordinary versatility and profound artistry on the singing.

Zhao has performed several opera roles including The Child in Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges, Nancy in Britten’s Albert Herring, Dorabella in Mozart’s Così fan tutte, Antonia in Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Angelica in Puccini’s Suor Angelica. As a recitalist, she has been frequently invited to give performances for concerts in the United States and China. In the summer of 2022, Zhao will be singing Dorothée in Massenet’s Cendrillon of Chicago Summer Opera, Marcellina in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro of Vienna Summer Music Festival.

She has worked with great artists and coaches such as: Kenneth Merrill, Thomas Muraco, Rachelle Jonck, Mary Dibbern, Diana Allan, David Mayfield, Miriam Charney, Melanie Helton, Steve Mosteller, Ashley Putnam, Neil Rosenshein, Heasook Rhee, Elden Little, Glenn Morton, Kathryn LaBouff, Raymond Beegle, Andy Gale, Katherine Kilburn, Nils Neubert, Shane Schag, Cristina Stanescu, David Stech, Derrick Goff.

As a native of Nanchang, China. Zhao attended Shanghai Conservatory and later received her Master of Music degree from Manhattan School of Music, she is pursuing her DMA degree from the Michigan State University College of Music as a full scholarship student of Jane Bunnell.

Mezzo-soprano, Erica Timmerman, recently received her Master of Music with concentrations in Vocal Performance and Vocal Pedagogy from East Carolina University. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Loras College. Her most recent role is La Suora Zelatrice (The Monitor) in Puccini's Suor Angelica. Previous roles include Ruth from Pirates of Penzance, Cherubino from Le Nozze di Figaro, and premiering the role of the Confidant in The Dreamer. Erica has also been an alto soloist in Buxtehude's, Membra Jesu Nostri for East Carolina University Chamber Singers. Erica is excited to make her debut with Chicago Summer Opera as Madame de la Haltière.

Canadian baritone Douglas Graham is a new face in the opera world. He started his musical journey at the King’s University (BMus), with his first opera experiences as a chorister with Edmonton Opera (Il barbiere di Seville, The Merry Widow, and Carmen). His first role experience came through Edmonton-based Opera NUOVA (Patience and Carousel). Douglas then studied at the University of Western Ontario (MMus). Here he was taught by Canadian baritone Ted Baerg and performed leading roles in three productions (Carmen, The Pirates of Penzance, and Le nozze di Figaro). During this time Douglas also performed in Italy with AEDO (Le nozze di Figaro).

Upon completing his Masters, Douglas returned to Edmonton to work on personal projects. This includes working in rural communities, such as performing in the musical Forever Plaid in Ponoka, Alberta and the opera E'lisir d'amore in Grande Prairie, Alberta. During COVID-19, Douglas performed online productions with COSA Canada (The Shop Girl, Endymion's Dream, and The Pirates of Penzance), and E'lisir d'amore with the University of Alberta Opera Workshop.

This year Douglas portrayed the title character in the Canadian premier of Jonathon Dove's opera The Enchanted Pig and is very excited for the opportunity to portray Pandolfe in Chicago Summer Opera's production of Cendrillon.

Yun-Jui is a second-year candidate of Master degree in Vocal Performance at New York University, studying classical voice in the studio of Professor David Baldwin. Yun-Jui has mainly been seen on stage in choral productions as a baritone singer with The Müller Chamber Choir and has performed in several renowned venues, including The Esplanade Theatres on the Bay and Kauffman Center. Yun-Jui made his first stage appearance in opera this spring in Orpheus in the Underworld as John Styx (NYU).

Samuel made his Baroque opera debut with the Chicago premiere production of Händel’s Faramondo as Teobaldo. He is also slated to make his recital debut at Carnegie Hall as part of its 2022-23 Season. He is a participant in the second season of Vincero Academy where he is studying the roles of Il Conte Almaviva from Le nozze di Figaro and Marcello in La Boheme. Initially a Broadway musical singer, his focus shifted to operatic repertoire during his undergraduate degree. At CHRIST (Deemed to be University) he has sung the roles of Don Giovanni, Eugene Onegin, Papageno and Escamillo in opera scenes concerts.

He is currently studying voice with David Govertsen at North Park University. He has had a colorful and varied pedigree of vocal training, having first studied voice with Dr Barbara Isely in Vellore, India, then with Andrey Morozov at CHRIST (Deemed to be University), and with Jonathan Beyer at Curtis Institute of Music. At Vincero Academy, Samuel has studied Italian diction with Stefano de Peppo and Stefano Baldasseroni. He has also worked with renowned coaches Abdiel Vasquez, Irina Meachem, and Teresa Rodriguez.

Apart from solo work, Samuel has also been a member of several choruses and ensembles, most notably in the Bel Canto Choir in Vellore, India, where he performed in the chorus of Elijah, the MPE Choir and opera chorus at CHRIST (Deemed to be University), where he performed in the chorus of Nabucco. He has also held the position of Choir Director of the Bel Canto choir in 2020.

He has performed in masterclasses for baritone Lucas Meachem at CHRIST (Deemed to be University), and for Dana Brown at North Park University. As part of Vincero Academy, Samuel has had the opportunity to do masterclasses with leading baritones Christian Van Horn, Adam Plachetka, Lucas Meachem and Luis Ledesma.

Olivia Brice is a recent graduate of Ithaca College and studied under Elisabeth Marshall and Rachel Schutz. She graduated with a Bachelor of Music and an outside field in theatre. Olivia recently performed in the Ithaca College Mainstage production of “The Magic Flute” as Pamina. She is thrilled to join Chicago Summer Opera to work on her music and skills with such talented fellow artists!

Arlecia Ebert is a rising senior at DePaul University studying vocal performance. The soprano started singing classical music as a freshman in high school. Throughout high school, she performed in many shows including Hairspray, CHICAGO, Into the Woods, and The Happy Prince. This past year, she sang the role of Il Destino in DePaul Opera Theater’s production of Cavalli’s “La Calisto” and she was also the Baroness in Bernstein’s “Candide”.

Kylie Buckham will be a senior this fall at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where she studies Vocal Performance under Kendra Colton. While at Oberlin, she has sung in many ensembles including the Oberlin College Choir, the Musical Union ensemble, and Opera Chorus ("Acis and Galatea," Handel). She has performed as a soloist in Poulenc’s “Gloria,” as well as the Oratorios "Elijah," Mendelssohn, and "The Messiah," Handel. She has also participated in several solo and group performances, including celebrating the 250th anniversary of Beethoven, as well a concert dedicated to Russian and Czech art songs. Last spring, she was asked to participate in an Oberlin Masterclass and had the opportunity to perform for mezzo-soprano, Jamie Barton. She also recently sang for Lydia Brown, who is head of Collaborative Piano at Juilliard. This spring, she sang the role of Elisetta in "Il Matrimonio Segreto," Cimarosa, and made her opera debut in Oberlin. Outside of Oberlin, Kylie has performed as a chorus member in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with both the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Kylie has also participated and placed 1st in several district and regional NATS competitions, as well as the ENKOR international vocal competition.

Olivia Brice is a recent graduate of Ithaca College and studied under Elisabeth Marshall and Rachel Schutz. She graduated with a Bachelor of Music and an outside field in theatre. Olivia recently performed in the Ithaca College Mainstage production of “The Magic Flute” as Pamina. She is thrilled to join Chicago Summer Opera to work on her music and skills with such talented fellow artists!

Lauren Shafer is a mezzo-soprano from central Illinois. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Music from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois and is currently studying under Dr. Hugo Vera while obtaining her Master’s degree in Vocal Performance at California State University Northridge. Lauren has participated in many choruses including the Bradley Chorale and Bradley Chamber Singers. At CSUN she has performed as Mrs. Olsen in Kurt Weill’s Street Scene, and as Dorabella in Mozart’s Così fan Tutte. She is very excited to further her stage experience with Chicago Summer Opera’s wonderful faculty.

Yui Sanghyuk Lee, a Korean-born soprano,

As a Korean soprano, she recently finished successfully as Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro at the Ernst C. Stiefel Concert hall in New York. She got the 3rd prize at LISMA International Music Competition.

She has stood out in Korea since early on. From an early age, she won first place in the Korea Herald Competition, received award the Sungjeong Competition, the Suri Competition, and received awards at the famous Korean competition.

She entered Yonsei University as the top student, receiving a master class of Hong Hye-kyung, a soprano representing Korea from the soprano Met opera. She also won first place in the music journal competition, and the judges commented that it was a soprano that was rich in sound, warm and attractive. Through an interview with the Music Journal newspaper, she said she wants to be a soprano that gives warm music and impressions to people.

She is currently attending a Master's degree in Mannes and is studying under Professor Amy Burton and Coach Joshua Green.

Savannah Hegyi, soprano, graduated from Michigan State University with a bachelor’s in Vocal Performance in 2021, and will be pursuing an MM in Vocal Performance at CCPA at Roosevelt University this fall. In their time at MSU Savannah enjoyed roles such as Servilia in Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito, Cupid in Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld, and Lucilla in Rossini’s La scala di seta. The role of Le Prince Charmant will mark Savannah’s first live performance in an opera since November of 2019.

Soprano, Hyunseon Kang was born in Seoul, South Korea. In 2011, she began her bachelor's degree in at Ewha Womans University. She won many music competitions in South Korea and received additional teachings at masterclasses with h.c. Daniel Fueter, Prof. Anne le Bozec and David Selig, Christoph Prégardien among others. In 2016, she began her master’s degree at the Hochschule für Musik in Karlsruhe, in the Liedklasse of Prof. Hartmut Höll and Prof. Mitsuko Shirai and from 2018 she continued to study her doctor’s degree. In 2017 she participated in the Steingräber concert in Bayreuth. From 2018 she takes lessons for aria by Prof. Julia Varady. In 2018 she was selected for the project "Arthur Honegger - King David" in 2019 at the Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe. In April 2019, she participated at the Concours Internationaux de Musique in Lyon and came to the semifinal. She was invited to the Seiji Ozawa Festival in Japan in 2019. In 2019, she won first prizes at the Karlsruhe International Competition for the song of the 20th and 21st centuries. As a recent success in December 2019 she received the award for the best interpretation of the commissioned at the 10th Concours International Chant-Piano Nadia et Lili Boulanger. In 2021, she won first prizes at the International Robert- Schumann-Wettbewerb in Zwickau. In 2021, she began her master’s degree at Mannes School of Music with Prof. William Burden and Joshua Greene. She performed Susanna, Barbarina at the Opera<Le Nozze di Figaro>, 1st Niece at the Opera<Peter Grimes>. She will be performing La Fée at the Opera<Cendrillon> at Chicago Summer Opera, 2022 and participating in SongFest Professional Program with full scholarship, 2022. She is currently performing in Germany, United States and South Korea.

Margaux Frohlich is a Franco-American soprano originally from Paris, France where she lived for the first four years of her life. She is now based in New York and is fluent in French and English.

This summer, Margaux will be returning Chicago to make her Chicago Summer Opera debut as “Noémie” in Massenet’s Cendrillon. This past November, Margaux performed the role of “Clorinda” in the opening scene of La Cenerentola by Rossini as well as “Suor Dolcina” in the opening of Suor Angelica in the Peabody Institute’s “Opera Scenes” performance. In the summer of 2021, Margaux covered the role of “Metella” in Händel’s Silla with Chicago Summer Opera under the direction of Josh Miller. In 2020, Margaux made her Peabody Opera Theatre debut as “Flora” in Benjamin Britten’s Turn of the Screw. In the summer of 2020, she performed her first opera role as “Dew Fairy/Sandman” in Humperdink’s Hänsel und Gretel through LAHSOW-Bloomington. She was a chorus member in Peabody’s production of Bernstein’s Mass and was able to participate in the chorus of Die Zauberflöte during the summer of 2019 in Mark Oswald’s Summer Program.

She completed her Bachelor of Music degree under the tutelage of Randall Scarlata in May 2022 and will be pursuing her Master of Music degree at the Manhattan School of Music under the tutelage of Ruth Golden.

Caroline is a graduate of the prestigious Booker T Washington School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas, and she is currently studying at Oberlin Conservatory of Music with Dr. Katherine Jolly. Before Covid hit, Caroline sang the roles of Ma Moss in The Tender Land and Sally in A Hand of Bridge. While the world was locked down, Caroline continued to work on her craft through competitions. She was given the Silver Award in Voice at the 2021 YoungArts competition and had several first place and finalist placings through the National Association of Teachers of Singing, Schmidt Vocal Institute, and CS Music. She was also recognized with the 2020 Richard Miller Award for Fine Singing by Ohio NATS and with the 2021 Jon Vickers Award for Most Promising First- or Second-Year Voice by the Great Lakes Region NATS.

Cydney is a versatile singer with a passion for music and performing. Some of her recent credits include: ‘Marcellina’ in Le Nozze di Figaro (Baldwin Wallace Uni.), ‘Frances in ‘The Men I am not Married to’ (new work), Ruth in "The Pirates of Penzance" (Millikin Uni.) Ensemble in the world premiere of “The Flower of Hawaii” (Folks Operetta), Ronny in “Hair” (Millikin Uni.), a Participant of the Young artists program at "Hawaii Performing arts festival”, Little Inez in "Hairspray" (Brightside Theater). She is currently pursuing a Vocal Performance degree with an Emphasis in Vocal Pedagogy at Baldwin Wallace University.While not performing or studying, she teaches voice lessons in her voice studio CMW Sounds.

Polish-American bass Alex Kolyszko is a native of Minnesota who is delighted to be featured as Le Roi in Chicago Summer Opera’s upcoming production of Massenet’s Cendrillon. Additionally, he will enjoy performing the role of Grandpa Moss in Aaron Copland’s, The Tender Land, also with CSO this Summer 2022. Last year, he studied the role of Bartolo in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro within CCPA’s opera program as well as Le Baron de Pictordu in Pauline Viardot’s Cendrillon for Roosevelt University’s Operafest. Opera is his passion, and some of his previous roles include roles include He/Grimbald/Frost Genius in Henry Purcell’s King Arthur and The Bonze/Commissioner/Madama Butterfly. His musical theatre credits include Courfeyrac/Les Misérables, Clifford Bradshaw/Cabaret, King Maximus/Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, and Daddy Warbucks/Annie. He has sung in the masterclasses of David Jones on several occasions, as well as the Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago’s Polish Art Song masterclass.

Mr. Kolyszko studies under Mark Crayton through Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts, where he completed his Master’s in Vocal Performance in 2021. With his voice and career, he hopes to help underrepresented groups flourish in the operatic community and believes that young professionals should encourage inclusivity in opera throughout their careers.

Devon Desmond is a young professional singer who has a Bachelors of Music from The University of Toledo. Devon has been in many UT opera productions, appearing as Toby from Menotti's The Medium, Top from Copland's The Tender Land, Bob from Menotti's The Old Maid and the Thief, Tom/John from Mollicone's The Face on the Barroom Floor, Gianni Schicchi in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi, Danilo Danilovich in Leher’s The Merry Widow and Bottom from Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.. Additionally, Devon performed a junior and senior recital and in many opera galas and choir concerts at The University of Toledo. Devon made his first professional appearance in Toledo Opera’s production of Madame Butterfly as Prince Yamadori and performed a solo chorus role as L’Ufficiale in Il Barbiere di Siviglia. In 2015 he was accepted into Toledo Opera’s Young Artists Program and their outreach program. Through the outreach program Devon performed as Figaro in a condensed version of Il Barbiere di Siviglia for thousands of children in the NW Ohio region. During his residency at Toledo Opera he performed as Marullo in Rigoletto. He also participated in the Toledo Opera Chorus from 2015 until 2019. He just moved to Chicago in Fall 2021 to pursue a career in singing and loves living in such a vibrant city. Since moving here he has started working in an all professional church choir at Fourth Presbyterian and was cast as the Sargent of Poilice in the Gilbert and Sullivan Company’s production of The Pirates of Penzance. In his free time he likes to work on other musical projects including learning banjo, guitar, ukulele, and piano. However, Devon considers himself a vocalist through and through and is very excited to be honing his craft with Chicago Summer Opera.

Currently a Senior at DePaul University School of Music studying Classical Vocal Performance under Dr. Samuel Handley. This is the 6th production of his operatic career, and he is ecstatic to be able to have a performing opportunity this Summer in the city.

Lauren Shafer is a mezzo-soprano from central Illinois. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Music from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois and is currently studying under Dr. Hugo Vera while obtaining her Master’s degree in Vocal Performance at California State University Northridge. Lauren has participated in many choruses including the Bradley Chorale and Bradley Chamber Singers. At CSUN she has performed as Mrs. Olsen in Kurt Weill’s Street Scene, and as Dorabella in Mozart’s Così fan Tutte. She is very excited to further her stage experience with Chicago Summer Opera’s wonderful faculty.

Jennifer Watson is a proud alum of Boston Conservatory at Berklee and Oklahoma Baptist University, where she premiered the role of Harmony Bridgman in Dr. James Vernon’s A Porcelain Doll. She was a soloist in the Peabody Square Choral Artists portrayal of Duruflé’s Requiem, and has joined the Tanglewood Festival Chorus and Boston Symphony Orchestra in their 2019 concert of the Shostakovich Symphony No. 2 “October” and Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé. Ms. Watson has actively participated in recitals at Oklahoma Baptist University and Rose State College, where she is an adjunct professor of voice, and where she is planning a solo recital for this fall. Her voice teachers have been Monique Phinney and Louima Lilite.

Jennifer Watson is a proud alum of Boston Conservatory at Berklee and Oklahoma Baptist University, where she premiered the role of Harmony Bridgman in Dr. James Vernon’s A Porcelain Doll. She was a soloist in the Peabody Square Choral Artists portrayal of Duruflé’s Requiem, and has joined the Tanglewood Festival Chorus and Boston Symphony Orchestra in their 2019 concert of the Shostakovich Symphony No. 2 “October” and Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé. Ms. Watson has actively participated in recitals at Oklahoma Baptist University and Rose State College, where she is an adjunct professor of voice, and where she is planning a solo recital for this fall. Her voice teachers have been Monique Phinney and Louima Lilite.

Arlecia Ebert is a rising senior at DePaul University studying vocal performance. The soprano started singing classical music as a freshman in high school. Throughout high school, she performed in many shows including Hairspray, CHICAGO, Into the Woods, and The Happy Prince. This past year, she sang the role of Il Destino in DePaul Opera Theater’s production of Cavalli’s “La Calisto” and she was also the Baroness in Bernstein’s “Candide”.

Yun-Jui is a second-year candidate of Master degree in Vocal Performance at New York University, studying classical voice in the studio of Professor David Baldwin. Yun-Jui has mainly been seen on stage in choral productions as a baritone singer with The Müller Chamber Choir and has performed in several renowned venues, including The Esplanade Theatres on the Bay and Kauffman Center. Yun-Jui made his first stage appearance in opera this spring in Orpheus in the Underworld as John Styx (NYU).