Ryan Lustgarten was born in Seattle, WA and concluded his two-year tenure at the Boston University Opera Institute this past May. He received his Bachelor of Music in Voice and Opera Performance from Washington State University in 2016, and his Master’s Degree in Voice & Opera from Northwestern University in 2020, during which he performed numerous operatic roles and was a soloist in several concert works ranging from classics like Mozart’s Requiem to more contemporary projects like David T. Little’s Am I Born. During his operatic training, Ryan developed a persisting passion for contemporary opera. At Northwestern University, he sang the role of Pat in the midwestern premiere of David T. Little’s Dog Days, and at the Boston University Opera Institute he portrayed Miles in Missy Mazzoli’s Proving Up.
Last season, Ryan performed with the Boston University Opera Institute, Symphony New Hampshire, Shreveport Opera, City Lyric Opera, and Des Moines Metro Opera. He is also a recent first prize winner of the Wilkinson Young Singers Award, and will be giving a recital in Boston this coming spring. Ryan, also a lover of early music, performs multiple concerts a year with Upper Valley Baroque, a New Hampshire-based professional choir.
This is Ryan’s first season as a young artist with Virginia Opera, and he couldn’t be more thrilled! Community engagement is one of Ryan’s favorite aspects of being an opera singer, and he is very much looking forward to getting to know Virginia’s committed opera lovers while also having the opportunity to introduce opera to groups of people that have maybe never seen one before!
Away from the stage, Ryan enjoys a rousing game of pick-up soccer on the weekends, a juicy book, and all things Star Wars.