The Consul

Described as an “intelligent and natural performer possessing a clear, flexible, warm tone”,

soprano Grace Ellen Thompson enjoys an eclectic career as a soloist and ensemble performer. She is currently pursuing her Post-master’s Certificate in Voice Performance from DePaul University where she studies with Dr. Linda Di Fiore, and is the 2023 winner of the graduate division of DePaul’s Kleinman Vocal Competition. This season, she appeared as Anna Maurrant in Kurt Weill’s Street Scene with DePaul Opera Theatre. Other recent operatic roles include Musetta in Puccini’s La Bohème (Lyric Theatre @ Illinois) and Pamina in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (Bay View Music Festival). Performance highlights of the past season include appearances as soloist for Willcocks’s Magnificat with DePaul Community Chorus, Honegger’s King David with DePaul Choirs, and Mendelssohn’s Lobgesang with Berkshire Choral International under the direction of Grant Gershon at the world-famous Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona. Other past solo concert engagements include Respighi’s Lauda per la Natività del Signore, Beethoven’s Mass in C Major, and Handel’s Messiah, all under the direction of Dr. Andrew Megill. Grace earned her B.A. in Voice Performance from Ohio Wesleyan University and her M.M. in Voice Performance & Literature from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Lara Lignitz is a Soprano and citizen of the Cherokee Nation. It is her belief that opera uniquely expresses the most human of experiences and it is her job to bring those to life on stage. Currently based out of Dallas, Texas she graduated with a Masters of Vocal Performance from Loyola University of New Orleans where she explored the roles of Suor Angelica and the First Lady in Mozart’s The Magic Flute. She is thrilled to return to Chicago Summer Opera after performing the role of The Governess in Britten’s The Turn of the Screw last year, a production which received the Best Production of an Opera for BroadwayWorld-Chicago. Even more exciting is the opportunity to sing one of her favorite soprano roles-Magda in The Consul. Menotti’s beautiful libretto and score move and inspire so many, and Lara is honored to be a part of the tradition of this great work.

Mariah Moran is a young lyric soprano from Miami, Florida. She is currently pursuing her B.M in Vocal Performance at Florida State University. In 2022, she won the Artistic Merit Award at the FCSAA Artist competition and attended Red River Lyric Opera in which she played mermaid in Rinaldo and was a part of the Sweeney Todd chorus. During her time at Florida State, she has been a finalist in SERNATS and a winner in the Beaulieu competition. She has played various roles in opera scenes such as Fiordiligi from Così fan tutte, Mere Marie from Dialogues des Carmelites and Zerlina from Don Giovanni. This year, she starred in Florida State’s Spring Opera as Chocholka in The Cunning Little Vixen.

Jennifer Watson is a proud alumn of Boston Conservatory at Berklee and Oklahoma Baptist University. She is currently working towards her doctorate at the University of North Texas, studying with Dr. Stephen Morscheck. Her most recent role was the Gertrude, the mother in Hansel and Gretel. Ms. Watson has performed Miss Jessel (Turn of the Screw) with the Chicago Summer Opera and covered the Governess (Turn of the Screw) with Painted Sky Opera in Oklahoma City. She has also performed as a soloist with the OKC philharmonic and ballet in Lady of the Camellias and with the UNT Wind Orchestra’s Aspen Jubilee by Ron Nelson.

Canadian soprano Rachel Pépin has recently dazzled audiences with her compelling portrayal of Elle in Poulenc’s "La voix humaine", directed by Marie-Nathalie Lacoursière.

Having graduated from McGill University with distinction, Rachel was honored with the esteemed Graduate Excellence Fellowship. Under the tutelage of renowned professor Brett Polegato, she refined her craft, distinguished by a rich vocal palette, commanding stage presence, and an authentic portrayal of complex characters.

In the previous season, Rachel demonstrated her versatility with notable performances, including a recital of impressionistic classics such as Ravel's "Shéhérazade" and songs by Debussy. Additionally, she portrayed Gertrude in "Hänsel und Gretel" at the Monument National with Opera McGill.

Beyond her performances, Rachel actively supports emerging composers and engages in a range of musical endeavors, from opera productions to collaborations with chamber orchestras and recitals, showcasing her commitment to a diverse and vibrant repertoire.

Soprano Flynn Allen has a B.M. in Music Performance from Berry College and is currently a graduate vocal performance major at Georgia State University under the tutelage of Professor Talise Trevigne. Most recently, they have appeared on stage as La Prima Cercatrice in Puccini’s Suor Angelica (GSU 2023), Lauretta in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi (GSU 2023), and Frasquita in Bizet’s Carmen (GSU 2024). Flynn made their opera debut as The Plaintiff (Angelina) in Gilbert & Sullivan’s Trial by Jury (Berry College 2022) and returned to the stage as Rosalinda in Johann Strauss II’s Die Fledermaus (Berry College 2023). In the Spring of 2023, they won the Rome Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition and consequently performed two solo arias with the RSO in April 2024. Flynn has also been invited to perform as a finalist in the Opera Guild of Atlanta’s scholarship competition in 2022, 2023, and 2024. At Berry, they performed solo in many recitals including the auditioned 2022 Pi Kappa Lambda Honors recital, where they were inducted into Berry College’s chapter of the Pi Kappa Lambda Honors Society. Flynn was also selected to sing soprano solos in the Berry Singers’ performances of Fauré’s Requiem (“Pie Jesu” 2021) and Handel’s Messiah (“Rejoice Greatly” 2023) under the direction Dr. Paul Neal.

Description goes hereSoprano Marissa Fieland is an alumn of the New England Conservatory of Music and is currently attending Boston Conservatory for her Masters. She attended her undergraduate at the New England Conservatory on the Andy Anselmo Scholarship and studied under dramatic soprano, Jane Eaglen. While there, she performed the roles of Countess Almaviva in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro (2019), Alicé in Verdi’s Falstaff (2017), Clorinda in Rossini’s La Cenerentola (2017), and Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte (2020) —scenes. At her time at the New England Conservatory, she also won 2nd place in the International Art of Artsong Competition (2018) and performed the world premiere of Ian Weiss’s “No, Superman was not the only one” (2019) and Lila Quillin’s “The Marble” (2017). She graduated in 2021 from the New England Conservatory and took two years off of school, where she made her debut as Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi with Miami Music Fest (2023). During her hiatus from school, she taught voice and piano lessons at Virtuoso Music Academy, Merry Melody Music Academy and Amy Dancz Voice Studio in Boston. Recently, Marissa has finished her first year of her masters, attending on scholarship at the Boston Conservatory of Music studying Vocal Pedagogy under the tutelage of Doctor Kathryn Wright. She was chosen to perform for John Nix, Warren Jones, and the UIA Talent Agency in several Masterclasses. She also performed the role of Zdenka in Strauss’ Arabella during scenes. Marissa is currently making her role debut as Anna Gomez in Menotti’s The Consul here at Chicago Summer Opera.

Soprano Ayla Dhar is a rising junior working towards a B.M. in Music Performance as well as a B.A. in Anthropology at Barnard College of Columbia University. Born in New York City, Dhar has since lived in New Delhi, London, and now back to Manhattan, where she has studied with the Theme Music Institute, Christ Church Greenwich, and the London Singers Studio. She often performs as a soloist with the Columbia Bach Society and is currently the president of Columbia Classical Performers, where she organizes concerts for chamber and solo musicians affiliated with Columbia. At Barnard and beyond, Dhar hopes to cultivate her technique further in opera performance with lyric soprano Coralie Gallet. She is honored to be singing with Chicago Summer Opera in Menotti’s The Consul, where she will be portraying her first complete role, Anna Gomez.

Mezzo-soprano Natalie Creel is a student at Louisiana State University, having just finished her third year studying with Dennis Jesse. She is completing degrees in both Vocal Performance, B.M., and History, B.A. In her time at LSU, she has performed several roles, including Baba in Menotti’s “The Medium,” La Poncia in “La Casa de Bernarda Alba,” L’Hôtesse de la Maison in “Paris, à Nous Deux,” and covering Nettie in “Carousel.” In addition to performing, Natalie enjoys working with LSU’s Opera Production Office, having stage-managed LSU’s productions of “Carousel” and “A Little Night Music.” In the fall, Natalie will be portraying Prince Orlofsky in Strauss’ “Die Fledermaus.”

Julie would describe herself as a late bloomer who is terrible at writing bios! She took a long break from Western Classical repertoire and experimented with cabaret, stand up, one woman shows, and blogging--which she quit doing once she realized the only person reading it was her mom. Julie has been studying applied pedagogy at Northeastern Illinois University with fabulous lyric soprano Katherine Petersen, and by the time one reads this program, she will have completed her Masters degree. During her time at Northeastern, she sang the role of Juno in Handel's Semele, Duchess Christine in Offenbach's The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein, and presented her thesis on Kurt Weill's underperformed European works at her Masters recital and the Graduate Symposium. When she is not obsessing over music she loves reading fiction, drinking beer and failing at trivia with her fiancee Rick, and sharing pictures of her cat.

Bethany Brewer is a native of the Chicagoland area and holds a B.M. in Vocal Performance from the Wheaton College Conservatory of Music, where she sang in the Wheaton College Concert Choir and performed roles such as the 2nd Witch (Dido and Aeneas) and 3rd Lady (Die Zauberflöte). In 2017, she made her way to Denver, Colorado to pursue her Master’s at the University of Colorado Boulder, where she studied with Abigail Nims. Before graduating in 2020 from the University of Colorado Boulder, Bethany explored a variety of opportunities, performing with CU Boulder’s Early Music Ensemble, the Boulder Bach Festival, and singing Filippyevna (Eugene Onegin) with Ecklund Opera.

Most recently, Bethany appeared as Cherubino (Le Nozze di Figaro) with the Miami Beach Classic Music Festival and Hippolyta (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) with Chicago Summer Opera. She is an active performer in the Chicago area, singing with Music of the Baroque, Chicago Choral Artists, St. Charles Singers, and Cor Cantiamo. She also has enjoyed collaborating on several recitals and concerts around Chicago.

Bethany lives in Palos Heights, IL with her husband Henry and their two dogs, Shenzi and Zelda. Outside of music, Bethany loves hiking, traveling, running, and experiencing all that Chicago has to offer!

Mezzo-soprano Leah Gray, from Cincinnati, Ohio, is pursuing a Master of Music degree at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. At Jacobs, she performed in the chorus of Eugene Onegin and in scenes of Hansel and Gretel as Hansel in the Graduate Opera Workshop. She earned her Bachelor of Music in Voice and Opera Studies at the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College, State University of New York. While there, Leah performed several roles such as Madame de la Haltiére in Cendrillon, Die Dritte Dame in Die Zauberflöte, and Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors. She also sang in the chorus for productions of Dialogues of the Carmelites, Dido and Aeneas, and Le Nozze di Figaro.

Qing Liu, 23 years old. First-year graduate student at Manhattan scool of Music.

Triss Wright is a light lyric tenor vocalist who holds an AA in Music from Lake Michigan College and a BM in Voice Performance from Roosevelt University: Chicago College of Performing Arts. Mx. Wright studies with Metropolitan Opera star: Allan Glassman. Mx. Wright has performed in operas such as Dido and Aeneas, as well as musical productions like Hairspray, Guys and Dolls, and RENT. Mx. Wright has trained in London at the British Opera Academy and plans on training in other parts of the world after completing various musical projects in their home state.

Matthew Hilberts (baritone) is currently an opera Masters student studying with Dr Simon Lobelson at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Matthew completed his Bachelors of Music performance in 2022, also ath the Sydney Conservatorium.

Performing arts have always been a part of Matthew’s life. Learning piano from his mother, and studying ballet, tap, jazz, and contemporary dance throughout most of his school years. He began studying voice formally in 2012 with Patricia Woods, and completed his A.mus.A. in 2022.

Matthew will be performing John Sorel (The Consul, Menotti), and Don Giovanni (Mozart) with Chicago Summer Opera program, and will be premiering new roles in Sydney Conservatorium’s collaboration with NIDA to create four new miniature operas.

Ethan Nott is a baritone from La Crosse, WI. He is a recent graduate from the Catholic University of America. Recent performance credits include Belcore (L'elisir d'amore), Papageno (Die Zauberflöte [abridged]), Arsamene (Serse), and The Servant (The Boor).

Chicagoland area Bass-Baritone Jack W. Ellis leads a double life as both an opera singer, and as a chanteuse in the Chicago cabaret scene. Jack is currently studying at Chicago College of Performing Arts, pursuing a bachelors in vocal performance. Previous operatic repertoire has included roles in Arthur Sullivan’s The Gondoliers, Claudio Monteverdi’s L'incoronazione di Poppea, and in Kurt Weill’s Der Zar lässt sich photographieren as the titular role. Mx. Ellis has received 3 awards from Chicago Chapter NATS, in both musical theatre and classical categories.

Outside of the operatic scene, Jack has made cabaret appearances at Chicago’s Symphony Center, Uncommon Grounds, Venus Cabaret Theatre, and at Davenport’s Piano Bar, where they are premiering two new shows this summer. Jack has also been in local productions of musicals such as The Sound of Music, Hello Dolly, Urinetown, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Annie. Mx. Ellis is honored and excited to debut with Chicago Summer Opera this year as Mr. Kofner in Menotti’s The Consul.