Rylee Worstell is an award-winning mezzo-soprano known for her compelling performances in contemporary opera and dedication to premiering new works. She has performed roles in four world premieres at the Operation Opera Festival in Sacramento, including Shuying Li’s When the Purple Mountains Burn. She debuted the title role in Aaron Hunt’s Pinocchio with the University of Tennessee’s VolOpera and sang Mars in Michael Polo’s Pluto at the Vienna Summer Music Festival. Rylee has performed with opera companies and symphonies across the U.S., including Knoxville Opera, Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, Lincoln Symphony Orchestra, Great Lakes Operetta, and Nightingale Opera Theatre. She holds a Master’s in Vocal Performance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and is currently based in Chicago.