Biography
“Captivating with [her] vocal power and lush sound” (W. Kromash, Evanston Roundtable), young mezzo soprano Grace Ryan is a national award winning artist, hailing originally from Chicago. She is pursuing her Masters of Music in Voice Performance at the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, studying with acclaimed tenor Stanford Olsen. She most recently sung the role of Dorabella in Così fan tutte (Mozart) , after performing as Hänsel in Hänsel und Gretel (Humperdink), both at the University of Michigan. She received her degrees in Vocal Performance and Music Education at DePaul University in Chicago in 2024, where she studied with tenor Scott Ramsay. Within her undergraduate career, she performed extensively with DePaul Opera Theatre, as Nancy in Albert Herring (Britten), Presendia in Dark Sisters (Muhly), and Emma Jones in Street Scene (Weill).
Most recently, Grace was the first place recipient of the Charlotte Ruppel Memorial Voice Awards, the first place recipient of Opera Grand Rapids’ Vanderlaan Prize and the first place recipient of Fox Valley Orchestra Voice Competition. She also was honored to receive an Encouragement Award in the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition in the Illinois district in 2023. Grace is thrilled to be a Summer Studio Artist with Florentine Opera this summer in Milwaukee, singing the role of Justice Ruth Bader-Ginsburg in Scalia/Ginsburg (Wang).
Outside of the world of opera, Grace has a strong background in musical theatre and dance, and has a passion for education and sharing the fine arts with the next generation.
When she is not singing, she’s caring for her puppy Cannoli, dancing to ABBA music, or fighting to keep her almost 1,000 day Duolingo streak alive.
