An Interview with Ryan Opera Center Ensemble Member Anthony Reed

The road to The Patrick G. And Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center looks different for each artist who is fortunate enough to be selected as one of approximately 12 Ensemble members in residence at Lyric every season. Some enter the program immediately after finishing undergraduate or master's degrees in voice, and some find their way here after having already started down a different career path. But all of them have distinguished themselves as promising emerging artists with something meaningful to contribute to the art form.

For Anthony Reed, first year bass from Alexandria, MN, the road was indeed winding, although it always pointed toward a promising singing career. "I had completed my undergraduate and graduate studies," Anthony says, "and had also spent three years as an Adler Fellow at San Francisco Opera, when I took my first lesson with Julia [Faulkner, director of vocal studies for the Ryan Opera Center]. I knew I had more to learn, and Julia just made me feel so comfortable."

A graduate of the esteemed Curtis Institute of Music, Anthony also spent summers at the Merola Opera Program and Wolf Trap Opera on either side of his years as an Adler Fellow, as well as some time studying and auditioning in Germany. One might have thought that he was already poised for a successful career, but something told him he needed a little more time to grow into his voice before fully entering the field. "I was debating whether I wanted to do another artist-development program," he says, "but I was honored to be granted an invitation for the Ryan Opera Center’s Final Auditions, so I decided I would take the audition and see if it was meant to be."

This year's Ryan Opera Center Final Auditions will be held on Sunday, September 15, 2019 at the Lyric Opera House. The audition onstage in front of an invited audience of Lyric donors and subscribers follows an intensive weekend of lessons, coachings, and interviews with program leadership for each of the 20-25 auditionees, as well as time spent getting to know one another.

To be invited to the Finals is an honor in itself—the singers are selected from a pool of nearly 400 applicants for preliminary live auditions in New York City or Chicago. Each of the artists you will hear on September 15th, no matter the outcome, has a promising career ahead.

"The Ryan Opera Center is a very supportive environment for artistic growth. It's much different than most other workplaces. Our job requires us to be vulnerable and take risks that are associated with our identities in a unique way. I'm really glad I have these two years to polish what I need to polish so I can be the best artist I can be."