Dallas Opera Announces Chris Alexander to Stage CARMEN Starring Clementine Margaine in Debut

The Dallas Opera is pleased to announce that "theatrically masterly" (Seattle Times) German/American stage director Chris Alexander, has agreed to stage our season-opening production of Georges Bizet's CARMEN, starring French mezzo-soprano Clémentine Margaine in her American debut. Born in Provo, Utah but a life-long resident of Germany, Alexander recently received critical acclaim for his staging of Seattle Opera's production of Beethoven's Fidelio (Mr. Alexander is a favorite of opera audiences in the Pacific Northwest), as well as Cincinnati Opera's presentation of Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss earlier this summer.

Closer to home, Chris Alexander dazzled in his 2005 Dallas Opera debut with his staging of Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann, starring Mary Dunleavy and Marcus Haddock; returning in the spring of 2009 to direct the company's final performances in the Music Hall at Fair Park: a delightful and daffy rendering of Rossini's The Italian Girl in Algiers(L'italiana in Algeri).

Stage director Bliss Hebert, originally scheduled to direct CARMEN, withdrew in July for personal reasons.

"Ever since Chris burst onto the American Opera scene with his brilliantly staged Boris Godunov in 2000," explainsDallas Opera General Director and CEO Keith Cerny, "demand for his services has been growing exponentially. I've lost count of how many times he has directed for Seattle Opera in the years since, and he was honored with that company's 2003-2004 "Artist of the Year" Award even before going on to stage universally acclaimed productions of Mozart's Don Giovanni and The Magic Flute.

"He also has a very distinguished career in Europe where, in addition to serving as founder of the Bremen Shakespeare Company, Chris has written, translated, and directed dozens of plays and operas-including CARMEN-in cultural destinations from Bern to Berlin."

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There has also been a cast change for the Dallas Opera's CARMEN, opening in late October for six performances in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center.

William Ferguson, "a mellifluous, charismatic tenor," (Steve Smith, The New York Times) will make his company debut in the role of the smuggler Remendado, replacing Victor Ryan Robertson ("Sportin' Life" in TDO's 2008 production of Porgy and Bess). Mr. Robertson asked to be released in order to sing the title role in Leonard Bernstein's Candide in France.

Mr. Ferguson, currently portraying "George" in a brand-new production of Ned Rorem's Our Town for Central City Opera, has performed in many important American opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera and Sante Fe Opera. He has also garnered praise for his work with symphony orchestras on two continents. Most recently, he sang one of the leading roles in the New York City Opera's highly acclaimed 2013 production of Powder Her Face by Thomas Adès.

All performances are in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center. Subscriptions are now on sale to the general public, starting at just $76. Single Tickets starting at $19 and Flex Subscriptions are also on sale. Family performances are $5 (Family Performance Subs are $12 for three family performances) and are on sale now. For more information or to make your purchase, contact The Dallas Opera Ticket Services Office at 214.443.1000 or visit us online, 24/7, at www.dallasopera.org.

The Dallas Opera celebrates its Fifty-Seventh International Season in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in the Dallas Arts District. Evening performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees will begin at 2:00 p.m. unless otherwise stated. English translations will be projected above the stage at every performance and assistance is available for the hearing impaired.