New Production Of CARMEN Closes Academy Season

Mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack, who opened Opera Philadelphia's 2017-2018 season with a "vocally formidable" (The Philadelphia Inquirer) and "brilliant" performance (Opera News) in the title role of the new opera Elizabeth Cree, returns this spring to close out the season in the title role of one of the world's most popular operas, Bizet's masterpiece, Carmen. Directed by Paul Curran, who led 2015's acclaimed La traviata, this new production of Carmen will enliven the Academy of Music for five performances, April 27-May 6.

"Carmen is among the world's most popular operas for so many reasons, beginning, of course, with Bizet's intoxicating score," said David B. Devan, General Director & President of Opera Philadelphia. "It's a masterpiece filled with unforgettable characters, edge-of-your-seat drama, and thrilling dance. Paul Curran's production and Gary McCann's designs bring freshness to the opera while also honoring all that is great about this beloved masterwork. I cannot think of a better way to close the 2017-2018 season at the Academy of Music and to prepare our loyal audience for a 2018-2019 season that presents three beloved classics at the Academy."

Carmen is an unforgettable story of runaway passions and dire consequences. Everyone is drawn to Carmen, an irresistible Spanish gypsy - except Corporal Don José. But even he soon succumbs to her seduction, fleeing a life in the military to join the gypsy world, all in Carmen's name. When the famous bullfighter Escamillo begins to win her affection, however, a dangerous love triangle grows. Micaëla, Don José's hometown sweetheart, attempts to wrest him from Carmen's grasp, but to no avail - fate has already dealt its hand.

"Carmen has become such a beloved and enduring opera because of its great tunes, great story, and fascinating characters," said director Paul Curran, whose production is set in the late 1950s in a non-specific locale reminiscent of Havana, Miami, or even Seville. "The musical numbers have been incorporated into every area of life since the 1875 premiere - from gondoliers on canals to advertisements for pretty much anything, and also dozens of pop tunes. That has to say something for its impact and staying power. Plus, Carmen is a story all of us can relate to: An outsider to society against whom circumstance is working harshly but who does everything in her power to build herself a better life."

Heading a stellar cast is Daniela Mack, the "rich yet agile mezzo" (Opera News), as the iconic Carmen. Recent Curtis Institute of Music graduate Evan LeRoy Johnson brings his "fervent tenor" (Philadelphia Magazine) to the role of Don José, alongside baritone Adrian Timpau, in his company debut, lending his "dramatic and stylistic authority" (Opera News), to the role of the bullfighter, Escamillo. Soprano Kirsten MacKinnon, who impressed Opera UK with her "poise, expressive singing and excellent vocalism," sings the role of Micaëla. Johnathan McCullough, "a baritone of solid accomplishment" (Opera Today) who performed multiple roles in Elizabeth Cree, returns as Moralès, with South African bass-baritone Musa Ngqungwana, praised by The New York Times for his "rich, glowing voice and elegant legato," as Zuniga. Curtis soprano Emily Pogorelc, winner of the Ginette Theano prize for most promising talent at the 2018 Glyndbourne Opera Cup, sings the role of Frasquita, with Opera Philadelphia Emerging Artist Anastasiia Sodorova as Mercédès. Daniel Taylor (Le Remendado) and Do?ukan Kuran (Le Dancai?re) round out the cast led by director Paul Curran (La traviata) and conductor Yves Abel, in his company debut leading the Opera Philadelphia Orchestra.

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