An audience watching a performance on the Pritzker stage and Millennium Park as the background.

Harris Theater Presents

Beyond the Aria: Gabriella Reyes, Matthew Cairns, Sihao Hu

Beyond the Aria

Performances

Apr 15 Thu 7:30PM

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A limited number of table seating with dining options are also available. To reserve a table seat, please contact Madison Jones, Manager of Events and Communications, at mjones@harristheaterchicago.org or by calling 872.245.3753.

Performance Run Time: Approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes, no intermission.

Presented in partnership with Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Harris Theater’s Beyond the Aria series pairs some of the most celebrated voices in opera today with developing artists from the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center. Each concert is enjoyed cabaret-style with special one-night-only programs performed on the iconic Pritzker Pavilion stage.

Praised for her “pure soprano voice, and yet one of real power” (Opera Today), Gabriella Reyes joins forces with Matthew Cairns and Sihao Hu for an unforgettable finale to the 2026–27 BTA season.

Artist Lineup
Gabriella Reyes, soprano
Matthew Cairns, tenor
Sihao Hu, baritone
Craig Terry, piano

About Lyric Opera of Chicago

Lyric Opera of Chicago is where the world sings — and where Chicago comes alive.

Under the leadership of General Director, President & CEO John Mangum and Music Director Enrique Mazzola, Lyric stands at the intersection of artistic excellence and civic purpose, harnessing the full power of opera — voice, orchestra, stagecraft, and story — to illuminate the questions, emotions, and experiences that define us as human beings. Nearly 75 seasons of world-class performances have made Lyric one of the greatest opera companies in the world. What drives us now is what has always driven us: the belief that this art form, at its best, can move people in ways nothing else can.

Lyric is also Chicago’s partner — in its neighborhoods, its schools, and its communities — through education, engagement, and a relentless commitment to making opera accessible, relevant, and irresistible to everyone. At the heart of that commitment is The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center, which trains the artists who will carry this art form into its future. Every night when the curtain rises, Lyric reminds this city — and the world — why live performance still matters.

Lyric Opera of Chicago doesn’t just present opera, it redefines what opera can be. It’s where Chicago comes to be moved, inspired, and connected.

Join us @LyricOpera on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Threads, and Facebook. #WhereChicagoSings

For more information, visit lyricopera.org.

About The Patrick G. and Shirley W. 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 600 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

With a voice described as “radiant” by The New York Times and chosen as one of the Sphinx Organization’s 2025 Medal of Excellence honorees, Nicaraguan-American soprano Gabriella Reyes is one of the most exciting and dynamic artists in music today.

This season, she returns to Lyric Opera of Chicago starring in the title role of Susannah, conducted by Daniela Candillari and directed by Patricia Racette, and makes her debut at the Bastille with Opéra national de Paris and a house debut with The Dallas Opera as Liù in Turandot. She also returns to Lyric Opera of Kansas City as Mimì in La bohème. In concert, she performs De Falla’s Siete canciones populares españolas with Teatro Real in their United States tour.

In the 2025–26 season, Reyes made her house debut as Mimì in La bohème at the Bayerische Staatsoper with Maestro Luisotti and a role debut as Catrina in a new production of El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego with Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin on the podium. She also made house and role debuts at the Los Angeles Opera as Maria in Francesca Zambello’s production of West Side Story with conductor James Conlon, and at Opera North as Contessa in a new production of Le nozze di Figaro. She returned to the Lyric Opera of Chicago to reprise the role of Nedda in Pagliacci.

In the 2024–25 season, She returned to the Metropolitan Opera to perform the roles of Margarita Xirgu in a new production of Osvaldo Golijov’s first opera Ainadamar, and both Mimì and Musetta in Franco Zeffirelli’s classic production of La bohème. She also returned to the Lyric Opera of Chicago as Musetta and made her role debut as Violetta in La traviata with Palm Beach Opera. She also made her eagerly awaited recital debut at Carnegie Hall with pianist Andrés Sarre for the series “Nuestros sonidos: Celebrating Latin Culture in the US” before appearing in concert with the Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center for Golijov’s Three Songs for Soprano and Orchestra and Britten’s Les Illuminations with Karen Kamensek.

The 2023–24 season saw Reyes’s return to the Metropolitan Opera to perform the roles of Rosalba in a new production of Daniel Catán’s Florencia en el Amazonas with Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and Liù in Turandot. She also made her role debut as Nedda in Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City and revisited the role of Mimì in La bohème with the Atlanta Opera. Concert highlights included Musetta in La bohème with the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Bravo Vail Festival, the world premiere of The Joyful Mysteries with the Houston Chamber Choir & Orchestra, and a return to the role of Marzelline in Fidelio with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel, both in Los Angeles, and on tour in Europe with stops including at the Liceu in Barcelona, the Philharmonie de Paris, and to the Barbican in London.

Operatic highlights of previous seasons include Mimì in La bohème for Reyes’s debuts at the Glyndebourne Festival and Washington National Opera, Nedda in Pagliacci for the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, First Lady in The Magic Flute and Nella in Gianni Schicchi at the Metropolitan Opera, and Rosalba in Florencia en el Amazonas at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Further appearances in Europe include Reyes’s recent debut at the Dresden Semperoper as Musetta and at the Paris Opera as soloist in the Seven Deaths of Maria Callas, a house she will return to in future seasons.

In concert, Reyes appears frequently with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel in roles including Marzelline in Fidelio, Bachianas Brasileiras, and excerpts from Die Zauberflöte, alongside appearances as a soloist with the San Francisco Symphony, New York Choral Society, and New Haven Symphony Orchestra in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. She also appeared with the Callan Coughlan, Jacksonville Symphony as Musetta in La bohème, the Montclair Orchestra and David Chan in Behzad Ranjbaran’s Songs of Eternity, and with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra in a program of Mozart.

Named a 2019 Lincoln Center Emerging Artist by the Metropolitan Opera, Reyes is a former member of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at the Metropolitan Opera. She’s a recipient of a Sara Tucker Study Grant from the Richard Tucker Foundation in 2018 as well as a grand finalist in the 2017 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. She is a graduate of the Boston Conservatory.

Canadian tenor Matthew Cairns is earning international recognition for his performances across the Italian, French, and German repertories, with acclaimed portrayals ranging from Don José and Froh to Cavaradossi in Tosca.

In the 2026–27 season, Cairns makes his Lyric Opera of Chicago debut as Sam Polk in Susannah under Daniela Candillari, his Opéra de Québec debut as Cavaradossi in Tosca conducted by Jean-Marie Zeitouni, and his Opéra Dijon debut in Das Lied von der Erde with the Orchestre Français des Jeunes under Kristiina Poska. He also returns to Opéra national de Paris as Froh in Das Rheingold under Pablo Heras-Casado. On the concert stage, he appears as Macduff in Macbeth at the Festival International de Lanaudière with Yannick Nézet-Séguin, sings Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with the Canadian Opera Company under Johannes Debus and with Pacific Symphony under Alexander Shelley, and joins Victoria Symphony for its New Year's Day Celebration concert conducted by Giuseppe Pietraroia.

Recent highlights include his role debut as Cavaradossi in Tosca with the National Arts Centre Orchestra under Alexander Shelley; his Seattle Opera debut as Don José in Carmen conducted by Ludovic Morlot; returns to the Canadian Opera Company as Ismaele in Nabucco and the Tambourmajor in Wozzeck; and his Opéra national de Paris debut as Froh in Das Rheingold. He has also appeared as the Messenger in Aida and the Shepherd/Sailor in Tristan und Isolde at the Festival International de Lanaudière; covered Leonard in The Hours at the Metropolitan Opera; performed in the Canadian Opera Company's Bravissimo! Concert; made his French debut as Nicias in Thaïs with Opéra de Toulon; and sung Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with both Orchestre Métropolitain under Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

During his first season as a member of the Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, Cairns made his Metropolitan Opera debut as the Messenger in Aida and covered Bob Boles in Peter Grimes. That season also included appearances as Macduff in Macbeth with the Canadian Opera Company and Don José in Carmen with Des Moines Metro Opera.

Previously, as a member of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio, Cairns appeared as the Prince of Persia in Turandot, the Witch in Hansel and Gretel, and the Gamekeeper in Rusalka, as well as covering Alfredo in La traviata. Other notable performances include Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni and Gherardo in Gianni Schicchi with the Centre for Opera Studies in Italy, Liberto in The Coronation of Poppea with Opera Theatre of St. Louis, and Detlef in The Student Prince at Chautauqua Institution, where he won the Sigma Alpha Iota Competition. His repertoire also includes Count Belfiore in La finta giardiniera, Sam Kaplan in Street Scene, and Sam Sharkey/Lumberjack in Paul Bunyan.

A Grand Finals Winner of the 2022 Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition, Cairns was also a finalist in the 2022 Neue Stimmen competition. He won First Prize in the 2018 Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio Competition, received the CBC Music Young Artist Development Prize, and was named one of CBC's "30 Hot Classical Musicians Under 30" in 2019. He holds a Master of Music in Opera Performance from the University of Toronto.

A second-year Ryan Opera Center baritone from Shenzhen, China, Sihao Hu studied at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in Cardiff.

In the 2025–26 Lyric Season he appeared in Salome and Madama Butterfly. Highlights of his operatic experience include creating the title role of Tang Xian Zu for its world premiere in 2017 and reprising it at the Sydney Opera House, the Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, and the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Brno, Czech Republic. Other roles in his repertoire include Ping in Turandot, Silvio in Pagliacci, Barmann in Falscher Verrat, Figaroin Il barbiere di Siviglia, Chorèbe in Les Troyens, Germont in La traviata, the title role in Don Giovanni, Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, and Conte Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro.

Formerly an artist at Theater Kiel in Germany, Hu participated in the 2024 Merola Opera Program in San Francisco. In 2019, he won the Chinese Golden Bell Award for Music, the only standing music-related comprehensive award in China.

In Lyric’s 2026–27 Season, Hu will sing Vitellius in Hérodiade, the Wigmaker in Ariadne auf Naxos, and the Baron in La traviata.