Alumni Spotlight: Ilanah Lobel-Torres ’17, Vocal Performance

Originally from New York City, Ilanah received her bachelor’s and master's degrees from New England Conservatory and Mannes School of Music. In 2019, she was invited to join the Young Artist Program known as L’Académie de l’Opéra National de Paris at the Opéra National de Paris. As a Young Artist, Ilanah sang on the mainstages of Opéra Bastille and Palais Garnier, as well as on tour in Beirut, Lebanon, at La Grange au Lac in Évian, France, and on the mainstage of Opéra de Dijon. She made her debut at Palais Garnier in January 2020 in L’Enfant et les sortilèges as La Bergère and La Chauve-Souris. 

In September of 2020, Ilanah was diagnosed with Primary Mediastinal B-cell lymphoma. After completing six months of chemotherapy, she happily returned to Paris for the 2021-2022 season at Opéra National de Paris. Ilanah made role debuts on the stages of La Grange au Lac as Ozia in Scarlatti’s La Giuditta under the baton of Thibault Noally, at Opéra de Dijon as Costanza in Haydn’s L’isola disabitata under the baton of Fayçal Karoui, at Opéra Bastille as Javotte in Manon under the baton of James Gaffigan, and at Palais Garnier as one of the Due Donne in Le nozze di Figaro under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel. Ilanah performed in several concerts with the Young Artist Program as well as performing as the sole soprano soloist in two chamber orchestra concert series with the Orchestre de l’Opéra National de Paris on the mainstage of Palais Garnier and in the Amphitheater at Opéra Bastille.

In the 2022/2023 season, Ilanah revived the role of Ozia in Scarlatti’s La Giuditta at Festival Chaise-Dieu and Festival Sinfonia en Périgord with Les Accents and Thibault Noally. She also made her role debuts of Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro under the baton of Louis Langrée and as the Second Niece in Peter Grimes under the baton of Alexander Soddy at Opéra National de Paris. At the Santa Fe Opera, she made her house and role debuts as the First Wood Sprite in Rusalka under the baton of Lidiya Yankovskaya and covered the role of Proserpina in L’Orfeo conducted by Harry Bicket. 

For the 2023/2024 season, Ilanah has joined the Troupe Lyrique at Opéra National de Paris, making her role debuts as Krista in L’Affaire Makropoulos under Susanna Mälkki, Madamigella Jouvenot in Adriana Lecouvreur under Jader Bignamini, and Meni in The Exterminating Angel under Gustavo Dudamel. 

This story originally appeared on NEC's Alumni Network.

 

Why did you choose to study at NEC? 

I ultimately chose NEC because of Carole Haber. As a young singer, having someone who believes in you and can push you while also giving you the utmost support is extremely vital. Carole Haber ’83 has always been a caring vocal teacher, while holding you to a high standard, which ignites the fire under you to work hard and achieve your dreams. She is an incredible technician whose main goal is to help students sing in a healthy and inspired way. Our lessons were focused purely on technique - connection to the body and singing with your authentic voice and color without manipulation. We worked on purity of vowels, then slowly worked on the vowels of my text, and eventually sang full sentences with consonants. Carole has a knack for helping singers eliminate bad habits while also reminding them how far they've come. I cannot walk into a practice room to warm up without hearing her voice in my ear, and I credit much of my success to what she taught me during my time at NEC. 

What have you been up to since graduating from NEC? What projects have you been working on? Do you have any goals you are looking to accomplish?

Since graduating from NEC, I earned my master's degree in opera from Mannes School of Music and was invited to be a Young Artist at Opéra National de Paris. After my first season as a Young Artist, I was diagnosed with a rare form of Lymphoma and had to return to the states to undergo six rounds of chemotherapy. I was declared in remission in February 2021, and six months later, I returned to Paris to resume my position as a Young Artist. I debuted at Opéra Bastille and Opéra de Dijon as well as Palais Garnier. I was then contracted in the 2022/2023 season to sing Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro and the Second Niece in Peter Grimes, both at Opéra National de Paris. I will also be debuting at Santa Fe Opera this summer as the First Nymph in Rusalka. This 2023/2024 season I returned to Opéra National de Paris to begin my position as a Resident Artist in their new "troupe lyrique," where I am debuting several roles at Opéra Bastille.

Some goals I have for myself are to work more in the states as I continue to grow my career in Europe. It is really special to perform in your home country! 

How have your NEC experiences shaped your artistic approach?

Being in a close knit community like NEC really helped me be vulnerable as an artist with my fellow classmates in the opera program. Being constantly surrounded by young artists of all different backgrounds who are so immensely talented really pushed me to be the best I could be and made me feel very understood. 

What are some of your favorite memories from your time at NEC?

There are so many to pick from! Singing Zerlina in Don Giovanni in 2017; all of my diction classes with Tanya Blaich and Justin Williams; having the freedom to take classes across all majors; nights at UNO’s; and doing German homework at Panera with friends whom I am still close with today!  

Share any other stories about what has inspired you at NEC and beyond.

I felt most inspired by how vulnerable each and every musician was during my time as a student at NEC. We all wanted to make someone feel something through our musical performance. That was the key, and it's something I hold very close to me even six years after graduating. In my performances today, I always try to be as emotionally vulnerable as possible.

Do you have any advice for young musicians/current NEC students?

Never base your self-worth on your success! It sounds like common sense, but when you are “in the thick of it” and constantly surrounded by people also pursuing a career in this field, it can be easy to attribute your worth as a person to how successful you are. My advice is to work on who you are as a human being outside of your art and your job. Are you happy? Are you surrounded by people you love and who love you? Does your art inspire you? Those are the things that truly matter. When you have those things figured out, success will come.