The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago announces that applications are now open for singers for its 2027/28 Ensemble.
Artists from around the world are invited to submit an initial online application, which includes video recordings. Applications are free and must be submitted via YAP Tracker; free registration for a YAP Tracker account is available at yaptracker.com. Deadlines for submission range from March 1 through May 31, 2026, depending on audition dates and locations. For complete information, visit lyricopera.org/ryanoperacenter/auditions.
Select applicants will be invited to live preliminary auditions in New York or Chicago. Final Auditions in October 2026 will include a hosted experience in Chicago with coachings, interviews, and auditions on Lyric’s mainstage.
The full-time contract dates for the 2027/28 Ryan Opera Center Ensemble Singers are approximately May 17, 2027, through April 1, 2028 (subject to change), with an option for renewal, as the positions are expected to have a two-year residency.
Recognized as one of the premier training programs for emerging operatic professionals, the Ryan Opera Center offers a comprehensive approach to artist development for advanced, post-collegiate-level singers. Ensemble members participate in rigorous training that includes voice lessons, language coaching, acting classes, and master classes with world-renowned artists. Through access to Lyric’s mainstage productions, participants understudy and perform alongside leading opera singers, conductors, directors, orchestra, and chorus.
The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center is committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, parental status, socio-economic status, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws. We strongly encourage individuals of all backgrounds to apply.
For questions about Ryan Opera Center auditions, please contact Logan Skirm, at lskirm@lyricopera.org. To learn more about the Ryan Opera Center, visit lyricopera.org/ryanoperacenter.
Lyric’s 2025/26 Season is presented by the Robert and Penelope Steiner Family Foundation.
Ryan Opera Center Final Auditions are generously made possible by Philip G. Lumpkin.
Lyric Opera of Chicago thanks its Official Airline, United Airlines, and acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council.
About Lyric
Lyric Opera of Chicago is committed to redefining what it means to experience great opera. The company is driven to deliver consistently excellent artistry through innovative, relevant, celebratory programming that engages and energizes new and traditional audiences.
Under the leadership of General Director, President & CEO John Mangum and Music Director Enrique Mazzola, Lyric is dedicated to reflecting, and drawing strength from, the diversity of Chicago. Lyric offers, through innovation, collaboration, and evolving learning opportunities, ever-more exciting, accessible, and thought-provoking audience and community experiences. We also stand committed to training the artists of the future, through The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center; and to becoming increasingly diverse across our audiences, staff, programming, and artists — magnifying the welcoming pull of our art form, our company, and our city.
Through the timeless power of voice, the splendor of a great orchestra and chorus, theater, dance, design, and truly magnificent stagecraft, Lyric is devoted to immersing audiences in worlds both familiar and unexpected, creating shared experiences that resonate long after the curtain comes down.
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For more information, visit lyricopera.org.
About Ryan Opera Center
The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center is Lyric’s preeminent artist-development program that nurtures the talents of some of the most promising operatic artists of each generation. The program’s Ensemble members earn their coveted spot by successfully auditioning among more than 500 artists worldwide. Its alumni are among the dominant names in opera today. Donor generosity ensures continued unparalleled training, performance experience, and professional readiness of Ensemble members. This highly competitive program, established in 1974, is led by Director Dan Novak, Music Director Craig Terry, and Director of Vocal Studies Julia Faulkner.
For more information, visit lyricopera.org/ryanoperacenter.