Roosevelt University and the Chicago College of the Performing Arts are proud to announce that alumna Lucia Lucas ‘07 '09 has been recognized as one of the “Top 11 Singers of 2023” by OperaWire. Lucia made history in October of 2023 by, “premiering ‘Lili Elbe,’ the first grand opera written about a historical person of trans experience for a singer of trans experience.” The piece tells the story of Danish painter Lili Elbe, the first person to receive gender confirmation surgery in 1930. Lucia describes the opera as, “a beautiful story of Lili and her wife discovering who they are as artists and people.” Lucia continued, saying, “It’s special to me because I have had so many of those same feelings and there’s so many parallels in Lili’s journey and my journey.” The work was created specifically for Lucia Lucas by composer Tobias Picker. ‘Lili Elbe’ debuted at the Theater St. Gallen in Switzerland to rave reviews, including one that stated, “Lucas not only makes Lili’s fate her own but allows her own fate to shine through.”
Lucia Lucas graduated from the Chicago College of Performing Arts with a Master of Music in Voice in 2007, as well as a Professional Diploma in Opera in 2009. She has been singing opera her entire adult life.
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