(Photo: @Vivien Gaumand) “Carmen” is one of the most perfect operas in the repertoire. It features an inspired setting, a marvelous orchestration, spirited vocal parts, and most of all, intense drama. It was highly admired by no less than Gustav Mahler, who championed the work while Director of the Vienna Court Opera. It’s thought of as an indestructible work, a {…}
Opera Arlington will present Georges Bizet’s “Carmen” on June 5 and 6 at Trinity United Methodist Church in Arlington, Texas. The production transplants the opera’s action to 1920s Spain in the wake of the Spanish national soccer team’s Olympic medal victory. The Mansfield Philharmonic joins the production under the baton of Dr. Eldred Marshall, with stage direction by Eliza Escalante. {…}
The UAE National Orchestra will present “Carmen in Concert” on May 18, 2026, at Dubai Opera. The performance is presented in partnership with Dubai Opera. The ensemble will be joined by the Dubai Singers and The Stage House Choir. Ahmed Farag conducts, with Howard Wong serving as choir master. The cast features Laeticia Goepfert as Carmen, George Wanis as Don {…}
(Ph. Rolando Paolo Guerzoni) An “immoral” woman who ends up stabbed by her lover was by no means the image that the Parisian audience attending the premiere of “Carmen” at the Opéra-Comique in 1875 had in mind as a proposal from a 37-year-old Georges Bizet. It is said that no one is a prophet in their own land: in France, {…}
Cape Town Opera (CTO) will present a new production of Bizet’s “Carmen” at the Artscape Opera House in Cape Town, with six performances running from May 19 to May 31, 2026. CTO House Soloist Nonhlanhla Yende sings the title role, with tenor Lukhanyo Moyake as Don José, baritone Conroy Scott as Escamillo, and guest artist Vuvu Mpofu as Micaëla. CTO {…}
The Virtuosi OPERA will present a fully-staged production of Bizet’s “Carmen” across four New England venues this May and June. The opera will be headlined by Brazilian mezzo-soprano Rebecca de Almeida in the title role, American tenor Jax Hassler as Don José, Polish-American baritone Wojciech Bonarowski as Escamillo, and American soprano Makaela Shade-Alexander as Micaëla. The cast also includes Laurentiu {…}
(Credit: © Rolando Paolo Guerzoni) Annalisa Stroppa is set to perform the title roel of Bizet’s “Carmen” at three of Italy’s Regional theaters. The mezzo-soprano will first perform the work at the Teatro Comunale di Modena April 10 and 12 April followed by the Teatro Municipale di Piacenza on April 17 and 19 and last at the Teatro Alighieri di {…}
Opera Hong Kong will present a new production of Bizet’s “Carmen” at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Grand Theatre from May 7 to 10, 2026, as part of the French May Arts Festival. The production is directed by Jia Ding, marking his second collaboration with Opera Hong Kong following the company’s 2024 staging of “Turandot.” Franck Colombier conducts the Opera {…}
(Credit: © Benoîte Fanton) “Carmen” is just about the last opera one would think of as homoerotic, yet this is the vibe of this Paris production; it’s haunted by the male body as object of desire. Other adjectives used to describe it would be bleak, vulgar, obscene, violent and most of all angry. Judging from the costumes, Calixto Bieito’s staging {…}
(Credit: Metropolitan Opera / Ken Howard) The Metropolitan Opera is set to revive Richard Eyre’s 2009 production of “Carmen.” The AP News confirmed the news in an article in which “A person familiar with the Met’s planning, speaking on condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made, said the company intends in a future year to bring back Richard {…}
The team behind the Metropolitan Opera’s 2023 “Carmen” production is asking the company to remove their names from programs. According to the Associated Press (AP), the dispute began after the company decided to restage certain elements of the production. When the production opened, Escamillo entered in a red Jaguar convertible and was accompanied by his entourage in three pickup trucks. All {…}