Opera Columbus to Stage New Production of LA BOHEME

Puccini's most popular opera, this immortal tale depicts the tragic love affair between penniless poet Rodolfo and his equally impoverished seamstress neighbor Mimi, living in a community of young, bohemian artists. In this modern, new production by Opera Columbus, its cast of emerging, young artists, including soprano Talya Lieberman, winner of Opera Columbus' 2014 Cooper-Bing Vocal Competition, find themselves navigating the wreckage of post-Katrina New Orleans.

La Bohéme was also the inspiration for the Broadway musical Rent, winner of the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 1996 Tony Award for Best Musical.

Opera Columbus presents La Bohéme at the Southern Theatre (21 E. Main St.). There will be a dress rehearsal preview performance on Wednesday, March 2, at 7:30 pm with additional performances on Friday, March 4, at 7:30 pm, and Sunday, March 6, at 2 pm. Performed with the Columbus Symphony. Sung in Italian with English surtitles.

Tickets are $25-$88 (preview tickets are $15-40) at the CAPA Ticket Center (39 E. State St.), all Ticketmaster outlets, and www.ticketmaster.com. To purchase by phone, call (614) 469-0939 or (800) 745-3000. Young people aged 13-25 may purchase $5 All Access tickets while available. For more information, visit www.GoFor5.com.

Amanda Kingston (Mimi)

Praised for her "soaring soprano voice" and "impressive dramatic versatility," Kingston made her professional debut as Josephine in HMS Pinafore with the Nevada Opera. She has performed roles with Opera in the Heights, Candid Concert Opera, The Ohio Light Opera, The Brevard Music Center, and Lone Star Lyric Theater Festival. This season, Amanda will perform Mimì in La Bohème with both Opera Columbus and the Lakes Area Music Festival. www.AmandaKingston.com

Noah Stewart (Rodolfo)

Stewart's is regarded as one of the leading tenors in the US. The Washington Post has praised his "white hot talent and conviction" while Opera Britannia stated, "Stewart is built like a dancer and sings like an angel! The voice has a dark, lustrous Italianate quality with effortless, gleaming top notes." A 2007-08 Adler Fellow, Stewart is a graduate of the Juilliard School and the Academy of Vocal Arts. www.NoahStewart.com

Eric McKeever (Marcello)

An American baritone and Columbus native, Eric McKeever has been lauded for his "voice of darkness and clarity" (Opera-UK) and "good timbre, considerable flexibility and a communicative presence enhanced by expressive, crystalline diction" (Opera News). He returns to Opera Columbus having recently performed the Manadrin in Turandot and Marcello in the Opera on the Edge production of La Bohème. www.EricMcKeeverBaritone.com

Talya Lieberman (Musetta)

Recently described by Opera News as "poetically compelling," "delectably stylish," and "technically refined," soprano Talya Lieberman is equally at home with operatic, art song, and musical theater repertoire. Her upcoming 2016 season includes debuts with Cincinnati Opera and Opera Columbus, as well as the title role in Janá?ek's The Cunning Little Vixen at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where she is currently pursuing an Artist Diploma. She returned to Cincinnati this fall after completing a summer as a Filene Young Artist with Wolf Trap Opera, where her ability to "make a point with the merest flick of a finger" (Washington Post) shined in a highly lauded run as Susanna in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro.

www.TalyaLieberman.com.

Calvin Griffin (Colline)

Bass-baritone Columbus-native Calvin Griffin is a third year Studio Artist with Arizona Opera making his Opera Columbus debut in La Bohème. This season, he will perform Captain in Florencia en el Amazones, Zuniga and cover Escamillo in Carmen, and Pistola in Falstaff. Griffin was a Santa Fe Opera apprentice for the past two summers, where he sang the roles of the Notary in Don Pasquale, Count Ceprano in Rigoletto, as well as Hortensius in La fille du régiment. Griffin was the winner of the 2015 Igor Gorin Memorial Award and was awarded a Special Encouragement Award in the 2014 MONCA Western Region. www.CalvinGriffinBassBariton.com

Jeff MacMullen (Schaunard)

Baritone Jeff MacMullen performed with Opera Columbus as Prince Yamadori in Madama Butterfly, and in the Opera on the Edge series as Marcello in La Bohème and Silvio in Pagliacci. MacMullen has also appeared in leading and supporting roles with companies such as Ohio Light Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, Light Opera Works Chicago, and Casa Mañana Theatre.