On March 8, 2022, the Orchestre classique de Montreal will present a concert staging of Bizet’s “Carmen.” Held at the Pierre-Mercure Hall, the production will feature Julie Nesrallah in the title role, joined by Ernesto Ramirez as Don Jose, Suzanne Taffot as Micaëla, and Hugo Laporte as Escamillo. Centaur Theatre’s artistic director Eda Holmes will direct, with Boris Brott conducting. {…}
When she was a child, Lillian Groag’s family treated opera as if it were pop music. So it’s no surprise that by the time she was but five, she was already attending her first opera and falling in love with the art form. “By 10 I knew the words of all the big 10 which I wailed around the house {…}
Pacific Opera in Victoria, British Columbia has announced the postponement of its February production of “Carmen.” The company will announce new dates at a later time. “The February performances of ‘Carmen’ were sold out with subscriptions and pre-sales, and a waiting list taken should capacity limits be eased. Instead, B.C. Provincial Health has urged vigilance and caution for the next few weeks, {…}
The cast of the now-canceled production of “Carmen” at La Monnaie has written an open letter to the Prime Minister of Belgium. The letter, penned by tenor Michael Fabiano and co-signed by other cast members, placed the blame for La Monnaie’s closure on the government and noted that the decision to limit theaters to just 200 people at a time {…}
The Teatro Regio di Parma has unveiled a new production of Bizet’s “Carmen” for the first time in 19 years. The opera, which opened on Jan. 12, is directed by Silvia Paoli and conducted by Jordi Bernàcer. The company is showcasing two casts led by Martina Belli and Ramona Zaharia sharing the title role. They will be joined by Arturo {…}
La Monnaie / de Munt has announced the cancelation of its 12 performances of “Carmen.” The company noted that the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 forced the company to only be able to perform for 200 people. Unfortunately, as per an official statement, that would result in the loss of 900,000€. “Add to this the fact that we {…}
(Credit: Opera Online) The Oper Frankfurt has announced an immediate cancelation of all performances until Jan. 2, 2021, due to growing number of sick cases in the opera house. Among canceled works is Bizet’s “Carmen” scheduled for the New Year’s eve. The opera was set to star Rodrigo Porras Garulo as Don José, Adriana Gonzalez in the role of Micaëla, {…}
(Credit: Johan Jacobs) The government of Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo has officially reopened theaters following a decision by the Council of State. Using an emergency procedure, the Council of State ruled that the government’s closure measures were not proportionate, and didn’t provide enough motives to understand why attending cultural performances was particularly dangerous for public health. Per the {…}
(Credit: © Felix Grünschloss) The Oper Frankfurt has announced that tenor Jean-François Borras will not be appearing in the role of Don José in Bizet’s “Carmen” for the performance on Dec. 31, 2021 due to illness. The tenor previously tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the premiere of Charles Gounod’s “Roméo et Juliette” at the Opéra Comique on Dec. 13, {…}
(Credit: Staatsoper Hannover official website) The Staatsoper Hannover has announced that it has been forced to reschedule its performances in January 2022. The opera house has canceled the performances of Bizet’s “Carmen” on Dec. 18 & 28, 2021, and Jan. 7 & 27, 2022. The opera was set to star Rodrigo Porras Garulo, Barno Ismatullaeva, Kiandra Howarth, Germán Olvera, Daniel {…}
(Credit: Visit Alsace official website) The Opéra National du Rhin in Strasbourg has announced the cancelation of a performance of Bizet’s “Carmen” on Dec. 15, 2021. “The health situation has deteriorated in the last few days among the teams participating in our production of ‘Carmen’,” said the opera house in an official statement. The opera was set to star Edgaras {…}