Deinós

Yoandy Cabrera
Levi Hernandez

The American baritone Levi Hernandez, who is also a Ryan Opera Center alumnus, is back at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, this time performing two roles—Benoit and Alcindoro—in the new production of La Bohème, presented from March 15 to April 12, 2025. Hernandez, who has performed eleven roles at the Lyric Opera since 2003, kindly spoke with Deinós about his life in El Paso, Texas, in a bilingual context, his interest in Greek culture, his two characters in this new opera at the Lyric, and his educational and professional experience in Chicago.

Yoandy Cabrera: You were born in El Paso, Texas, a bilingual and even multilingual city where Spanish and Spanglish are used every day. What was it like growing up in a place where Spanish is a lingua franca? Was Spanish spoken in your family? Has being raised in a multilingual environment helped you in any way during your artistic career?

Levi Hernandez: I consider myself very lucky to have been born in a border town. El Paso is very unique in that we are El Paso/Juarez. There might be a border between them, but the sister cities are pretty intertwined. Spanish is/was my first language and it was spoken at home by my family. I think everybody that grows up in EP picks up Spanish/Spanglish pretty quickly as a kid—even non-Latinos.

I learned to read in Spanish before I started to read in English. Growing up bilingual is a huge blessing as it has facilitated learning other languages in school. It definitely helped when studying other languages and learning operatic roles in different languages.

YC: How would you describe your first experiences with singing? Did you begin in childhood? When did you realize you wanted to be an opera singer?

LH: As far as I can remember, I have been singing. As a small child, my grandma and other older ladies at church would bribe me with a dollar to sing at church. I started piano lessons and then when I got to middle school, I started to take choir and band and stayed with it through high school. I know I wanted to do music but was not sure in what direction I would end up—a band or choir teacher?

I decided that singing was always the driving force and went to one of the best schools for choral education and choral singing. While attending Westminster Choir College, I was offered more scholarship money to do voice performance. After being in my first opera as a chorus member, I knew that being on the stage was the thing I wanted to do. I had observed my first opera while a high school student in El Paso and was fascinated by the theatrical aspect of it, but it wasn’t until I was on the stage that my path and passion were confirmed.

YC: In addition to classics like Madama Butterfly and The Magic Flute, you have performed operas in Spanish, including El milagro del recuerdo (Houston Grand Opera), considered a “mariachi opera,” and Florencia en el Amazonas (Lyric Opera of Chicago). What has your experience been like singing opera in Spanish?

LH: Also, La Hija de Rappaccini and El último sueño de Frida y Diego. I consider every opera in Spanish that I’ve been a part of to be such a gift! I think that several of these pieces should become part of the “normal canon” in opera companies around the world! Actually, singing in your native tongue is the real gift. I guess there is that immediate connection when reading the libretto/text.

YC: You have mentioned that your favorite food is “anything Greek.” Do you have any other interests in Greek culture or mythology, including operas based on classical myths? How was your experience performing in Ariadne auf Naxos at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis?

LH: How can one not be drawn to all that the Greeks contributed to the world? I have not made it to Greece, but it is a goal to visit their beautiful country and their food. So many operas are based on Greek mythology and/or historical events and characters. Ariadne… is such a great opera and I’m grateful to OTSL for giving me my first go at such a great piece.

YC: In October 2007, you played Schaunard in La Bohème at the Lyric Opera, and now, in 2025, you are performing Benoît and Alcindoro. How do you remember that time at the Lyric Opera, and how is this new experience going? Do you prefer Schaunard, the musician, or Benoît, the landlord?

LH: Schaunard is such a great character. His music is always lively, much like his persona. Lyric offered me the role/contract after my 3-year stint as a young artist. It was exciting to work with such great artists coming out of the program and to be directed by such an icon like Renata Scotto. It was a special time to be at Lyric at that age. Coming back to this piece as two separate characters has had its challenges. Benoît’s scene interacts with the two other roles that I’ve done, and it’s hard to shut part of your brain off and not come in on the other characters’ lines. It’s such a fast scene with small interjections that it does take some getting used to. It’s been fun to explore both Benoît and Alcindoro, two different characters in the same opera. Oddly, I’ve actually done more Marcello’s throughout my career and continue to sing him, hopefully until they stop hiring me for it.

YC: You have performed eleven roles at the Lyric Opera since 2003. Do Chicago and the Lyric feel like home to you?

LH: It definitely feels like home. We had such a great support system, coaches, and leaders that helped us navigate our next move to what was to be our professional career.

I learned so much as a young artist. It was a chance to watch artists that I grew up idolizing and learn from these giants. Sam Ramey, Neil Shicoff, Aprile Millo, to name a few… it was like watching a masterclass every day.