CHRISTINE LYONS, SOPRANO Christine Lyons has been hailed as a “potent soprano” by Opera Magazine, called a “true virtuosa” by Broadway World, and exclaimed a “revelation” by Gay City News. In the 2019-20 season, she sings Cio-Cio San in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly with Baltimore Concert Opera, sings Violetta in La Traviata, Leonora in Il Trovatore and Gilda in Rigoletto in “Viva Verdi” with Penn Square Music Festival, and returns to “The Me I Want to Sing,” bringing excerpts of the title role in Puccini’s Tosca and Leonora in Verdi’s Il Trovatore to the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C. She will appear in concert with Annapolis Opera, with Maryland Symphony Orchestra, and at the Tuscon Desert Song Festival with the Ravinia Festival’s Steans Music Institute on Tour. Quickly garnering attention for her interpretations of bel canto heroines, in the 2018-19 season, Lyons sung Bellini’s Norma with Winter Opera Saint Louis, followed by the title role in Bellini’s La Straniera with Teatro Nuovo at Lincoln Center. As well, she performed excerpts of the title role in Tosca and Leonora in Il Trovatore at The Kennedy Center in “The Me I Want to Sing.” Concert performances included Mozart’s Exsultate, jubilate with the Queens Symphony Orchestra, with the St. Veronica Orchestra of New York, and with the Spectrum Symphony of New York, as well as Rossini’s Stabat Mater with Teatro Nuovo. In the 2017-18 season, Lyons sung Amenaide in Rossini’s Tancredi rifatto in the inaugural season of Teatro Nuovo, as well as Giulietta in Bellini’s I Capuleti e I Montecchi with Saltworks Opera, Adina in L’Elisir d’amore with City Lyric Opera, excerpts of the title role in Donizetti’s Anna Bolena with Opera Naples, excerpts of Floyd’s Susannah in concert at Wolf Trap, and the title role in Puccini’s Suor Angelica. Role highlights of earlier seasons include performances as Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro at Lincoln Center, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni at Carnegie Hall, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Mimí in La Bohème, Micaëla in Carmen, the title role in Massenet’s Manon, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Konstanze in Die Entführung, the title role in Alcina, and Echo in Ariadne auf Naxos. In concert, she has been a soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Marin Alsop. Active as a recitalist, her art song repertoire includes works by Marx, Brahms, Strauss, Schubert, Debussy, Duparc, Poulenc, Liszt, Hoiby, Argento, Musto, Rorem, Bellini, Donizetti and Verdi. She has given recitals in Philadelphia with Lyric Fest, in New York with the Art Song Preservation Society of New York, at the Kennedy Center with Vocal Arts DC, and in Chicago with the Ravinia Festival’s Steans Music Institute. Ms. Lyons is an alumna of Peabody Conservatory and Carnegie Mellon University, and completed further studies at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. Lyons is the Grand Prize Winner of the Mary Trueman Art Song Vocal Competition (ASPSNY), a Grant Winner in the Gerda Lissner Foundation Competition, and has garnered top awards from the Vocal Arts DC Discovery Art Song Competition, the Opera Columbus Cooper-Bing International Vocal Competition, New York Lyric Opera National Vocal Competition, Rochester International Vocal Competition, The American Prize for Women in Opera Competition, and Washington International Competition. Lyons was a featured artist on WWFM Classical’s “Celebrating Our Musical Future” live radio program. 205 W. 88th St., Suite 13A*New York, NY*10024*646-620-1313*305-259-4398(fax)*Email: [email protected] www.mia-artists.com CHRISTINE LYONS, SOPRANO ROLES Norma Norma Winter Opera Saint Louis Alaide (La Straniera) La Straniera Teatro Nuovo at Lincoln Center Cio-Cio San Madama Butterfly Baltimore Concert Opera Leonora Il Trovatore~ Penn Square Music Festival ^ Violetta La Traviata~ Penn Square Music Festival ^ Gilda Rigoletto~ Penn Square Music Festival ^ Leonora Il Trovatore~ The Kennedy Center Tosca Tosca~ The Kennedy Center Anna Bolena Anna Bolena~ Opera Naples Countess Le Nozze di Figaro Lincoln Center Donna Anna Don Giovanni~ Carnegie Hall Donna Anna Don Giovanni Hawaii Performing Arts Festival Fiordiligi Cosí fan tutte Charleston Symphony Orchestra Mimí La Bohème New York Repertory Orchestra Amenaide Tancredi Teatro Nuovo Violetta La Traviata~ Inisfada Mansion Gran Sacerdotessa Aida~ Berkshire Opera Festival Suor Angelica Suor Angelica New York Lyric Opera Marschallin Der Rosenkavalier~ Waterford Foundation Susannah Susannah~ Wolf Trap Micaela Carmen Opera Ithaca Adina L’Elisir d’amore City Lyric Opera Giulietta I Capuleti e i Montecchi Saltworks Opera Manon Manon Martina Arroyo Foundation Alcina Alcina Carnegie Mellon University *PREPARED Bellini: Imogene Il Pirata Donizetti: Roberto Devereaux Rossini: Semiramide Verdi: Desdemona Otello Puccini: Liù Turandot CONCERT Mozart Exsultate, jubilate Queens Symphony Orchestra Spectrum Symphony of NY St. Veronica Orchestra Rossini Stabat Mater Teatro Nuovo Beethoven Symphony No. 9 Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Soloist Annapolis Opera ^ Maryland Symphony Orchestra ^ Recital Vocal Arts DC at The Kennedy Center Art Song Preservation Society of New York Lyric Fest Ravinia Tuscon Desert Song Festival^ ~partial ^upcoming 205 W. 88th St., Suite 13A*New York, NY*10024*646-620-1313*305-259-4398(fax)*Email: [email protected] www.mia-artists.com CHRISTINE LYONS, SOPRANO AWARDS Gerda Lissner Foundation Competition, Grant- 2018 Art Song Preservation Society of New York Vocal Competition, Grand Prize- 2018 Rochester International Vocal Competition, 2nd Prize- 2018 The American Prize for Women in Opera, 3rd Prize- 2018 Vocal Arts DC Discovery Art Song Competition, 2nd Prize- 2017 New York Lyric Opera Theater Vocal Competition, 2nd Prize- 2017 Opera Columbus Cooper-Bing International Vocal Competition, 4th Prize- 2017 Washington International Competition, Finalist Prize- 2016 TRAINING M.M. in Vocal Performance, Peabody Conservatory B.F.A. in Vocal Performance, Carnegie Mellon University Performance Certificates, Mozarteum Salzburg Fellow, Ravinia Steans Music Institute Teachers: Denyce Graves Coaches: Rachelle Jonck, Jennifer Ringo, Stephen Blier, Myra Huang, Joan Dornemann, Lucy Yates, Kevin Murphy Conductors: Will Crutchfield, Marin Alsop, Ken Lam, Robert Page, Michael Feldman, Brian Garman Directors: Jonathan Loy, Verónica Villarroel, Laura Alley, Scott Skiba, Adrianna Desier Durant, Garnett Bruce Masterclass: Marilyn Horne, Helen Donath, Martina Arroyo, Sherrill Milnes, Grace Bumbry 205 W. 88th St., Suite 13A*New York, NY*10024*646-620-1313*305-259-4398(fax)*Email: [email protected] www.mia-artists.com CHRISTINE LYONS, SOPRANO REVIEWS “Norma was Maria Callas's favorite showcase for her legendary voice. Renata Scotto once called the role of Norma ‘the Everest of opera.’ Well, Soprano Christine Lyons climbs that peak with banners flying. She's a true virtuosa, dazzling us with her mastery of all those Bel Canto coloratura fireworks-all the runs, trills and staccato arpeggios and cadenzas that decorate the long, free-ranging melody lines. Broadway World on Norma “One warmed to Christine Lyons’s potent soprano in the course of her dramatically charged portrayal of Alaide; Lyons excelled in her blistering final cabaletta in which she, like a Donizetti heroine headed for the block, curses fate and welcomes death.” Opera Magazine on La Straniera “In the lead role soprano, Christine Lyons delivered as Alaide…a sturdy performance full of great intensity. She possesses a very full sound with a fast vibrato that moves well from top to bottom with great agility in the coloratura scattered around the piece. She also often utilized a glorious portamento to connect higher note with those residing in lower registers. In some of her finest moments, her vocal qualities bore a striking similarity to that of Sondra Radvanovsky in not only its colors but the phrasing of the portamenti. She also has a strong lower range… Lyons was at her best during the closing arias, “Ah! Lo ravviso!” and “Or sei pago,” of Acts one and two, with both scenes allowing her to dig into the desperation and passion of Alaide as she loses both men in her life. Both passages require the soprano to sing over a massive chorus, something that she is also asked to do at several other intervals. This made the opera’s final moments, with its devilish vocal ascensions to a high D flat the most impressive moment of her vocal output. Here she let her voice soar to its maximum potential, expressing the fury and madness that Alaide feels in this moment. Where many sopranos simply wait for the few notes before the ascension to the high D flat, Lyons sang every single one… to end the opera with a spectacular wave of sound that capped a splendid evening for her.” Operawire on La Straniera “The mysterious Alaide was soprano Christine Lyons, with strength and a fearless attack at both ends of her voice…her final scene created an uproar.” Bachtrak on La Straniera “The soprano Christine Lyons, as Alaide, the melancholy stranger of the title of Bellini’s opera, dealt capably with the bursts of fury that end each act, her voice blossoming down into its depths.” New York Times on La Straniera “Cast standouts included soprano Christine Lyons, whose rich, ample voice sailed through the demanding title role with power and poise.” Classical Voice America on La Straniera “Christine Lyons was a magnificent Alaide, her warm, creamy soprano at its very best when challenged by Bellini’s seemingly endless melodies. Intense and soulful, this was a tragic “Straniera” from the start, her final aria “Sono all'ara” crowning a performance of real stature.” Musical America Worldwide on La Straniera “In the starring role we had a Teatro Nuovo regular--soprano Christine Lyons whose passion brought Alaide to life. Her innate musicality brought out the beauty of Bellini's vocal lines in the lyrical passages.