Atlanta Opera to Open Mainstage Season with LA BOHEME

The Atlanta Opera presents Puccini's classic, and possibly most famous opera, La bohème.

Based on Henri Murger's novel, Scènes de la vie de bohème, (Scenes from a bohemian life), La bohème is a grand story of love and sorrow told through a poetic libretto and tremendous score. This production will be directed by Tomer Zvulun, General and Artistic Director of The Atlanta Opera. Arthur Fagen, The Opera's Music Director, will conduct.

The Atlanta Opera will present La bohème on October 3rd, 6th, 9th and 11th at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. Single tickets will go on sale September 8th starting at $34 dollars (plus tax and venue fees) and can be purchased online at atlantaopera.org or by calling 404-881-8885. Season tickets are currently on sale. The opera will be performed in Italian with English supertitles.

"To me, the most important reason for La Bohème's staggering popularity is the direct connection that it makes with each member of the audience. La Bohème is an opera for those who are in love, or those who, having grown old, remember what it is like to be in love - which means it is an opera for almost everybody," Zvulun said. "It seems at times that Puccini's pen has direct access to our tear glands."

Zvulun directed the Seattle Opera's 2013 production of La bohème which was hailed by The Seattle Times as "one of the major triumphs in Speight Jenkins' three-decade tenure as general director of Seattle Opera."

This mainstage production will incorporate the French humanist school of photography, which was led by Henri Cartier-Bresson and Brassaï. The Atlanta Opera will integrate these renowned photos to authentically connect Parisian history with new projection technology being used in today's modern opera houses.

La bohème opens with Rodolfo and his roommates in their garret. After tricking their landlord to avoid paying their rent his friends go out to celebrate. Rodolfo stays behind. Mimi knocks on the door to ask for a light for her candle. She faints into his arms - a sign of her illness - and the two immediately fall in love. The second act opens at Café Momus on the bustling streets of Paris, where Musetta takes center stage with a performance to gain Marcello's attention.

Mimi's growing sickness and impoverished state takes a toll on her and Rodolfo's relationship. In Act 3, they decide to stay together just until the springtime, when it will be easier to separate. In the final act, we return to the garret where Mimi is dying. Each friend does their best to ease her pain, but to no avail.

"Puccini's score presents memorable opera moments on the grandest of scales," said Fagen. "La bohème has reached audiences around the world for over a century. We welcome the opportunity to once again thrill our wonderful audiences in Atlanta."

Maria Luigia Borsi will sing the role of Mimi, the seamstress who falls for Rodolfo. Originally from Rome, Italy, Borsi is an acclaimed soprano who has performed with Teatro alla Scalla, Zurich Opernhaus, Royal Danish Opera, La Fenice, and at Salzburg Festival. Borsi previously performed the role of Mimi at Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona (2012) and Teatro Goldoni (2012).

The role of Rodolfo, a poet, will be sung by Gianluca Terranova. Also from Italy, Terranova is an accomplished tenor who has sung throughout Europe, as well as with Opera Australia and the Los Angeles Opera. Terranova has previously performed the role of Rodolfo at Teatro di San Carlo (2015), Grange Park Opera (2015), Opera Australia (2012-13), La Fenice (2012), Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (2011), and Opera di Firenze (2011). This is Terranova's debut with The Atlanta Opera.

Soprano Leah Partridge, a Georgia native, will sing the role of Musetta. Partridge is a favorite among local audiences. She sang the roles of Rosina in The Barber of Seville in 2006 and Adina in The Elixir of Love in 2009. Leah received her bachelor's degree from Mercer and is currently an Assistant Professor of Voice at Kennesaw State University. She has previously sung with the Metropolitan Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, and the Florida Grand Opera.

Baritone Trevor Scheunemann makes his Atlanta debut as Marcello. Scheunemann recently sang the same role with the Washington National Opera, in which the Washington Post described him as "rich" and "gleaming."

Making their Atlanta debuts are Theo Hoffman as Shaunard and Nicholas Brownlee as Colline. Baritone Brownlee is a 2015 winner of the prestigious Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. In the 2015/16 season, he will return as a Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist at LA Opera and for a second summer at Santa Fe Opera.

Alan Higgs will sing the roles of Benoit and Alcindoro.

La bohème librettist Luigi Illica frequently collaborated with Puccini. He also penned the librettos for Tosca, Madama Butterfly and Andrea Chénier.