Opera San José Announces Casting Changes for La bohème, Opens April 23

Opera San José General Manager, Larry Hancock has announced that Christopher Bengochea and Sandra Bengochea (Rubacalva) will join the cast of Opera San José's La bohème opening April 23 at the California Theatre in downtown San José.

The husband and wife team will reprise the roles they played in Opera San José's 2006 production of La bohème. Mrs. Bengochea (Rubacalva) will perform the role of the flirtatious Musetta on April 23, 28, May 1, and 3. Mr. Bengochea will assume the role of Rodolfo, the young Parisian poet for the April 24, 30, May 6, and 8 performances. Due to personal health reasons, resident artists Betany Coffland and Michael Dailey will be unable to perform as originally scheduled.

"It is fortunate for Opera San José that several of its former principal artists have chosen to reside in the Bay Area while they pursue national and international careers." says General Manager, Larry Hancock. Two of these able and richly experienced artists, Christopher and Sandra Bengochea, have often performed the roles of Rodolfo and Musetta, and were able to clear their schedules to step in. Many local opera goers will recall with delight Christopher and Sandra in these very roles and will look forward to seeing them again in La bohème.

Praised for her stage direction of Opera San José's recent production of Tosca, Sandra Bengochea (Rubalcava) is well known to Opera San José audiences as a principal artist with the resident company from 2000 to 2004. The Mexican soprano has performed over thirty operatic roles ranging from the comic, Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro, Norina in Don Pasquale, Rosina in The Barber of Seville, and Adina in The Elixir of Love; to the dramatic, Gilda in Rigoletto, Mimi in La bohème, Marguerite in Faust, and Leila in The Pearl Fishers with companies including Opera San José, Bayshore Lyric Opera, Israeli Vocal Arts Institute, Opera Idaho, The Lewis and Clark Society and Rimrock Opera.

An Opera San José favorite, tenor Christopher Bengochea returned to Opera San José earlier this season as Mario Cavaradossi in Tosca and Stiva Oblonsky in the West Coast premiere of Anna Karenina. He was a member of the Opera San José resident company from 2005 to 2008 appearing in numerous roles including the title role in Roméo et Juliette, Alfredo in La traviata, and Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly. In addition to Opera San José, Bengochea has appeared with Opera Idaho, Atlanta Opera, and Opera Saskatoon, to name a few, and was a featured soloist with the San Juan Symphony and Modesto Symphony.

La bohème, Puccini's most beloved opera, is a story of young love set against the impoverished but joyous lifestyle of 19th-century Paris. Eight performances are scheduled from April 23 through May 8 at the California Theatre, 345 South First Street in downtown San José. Tickets are on sale at the Opera San José Box Office, by phone at (408) 437-4450 or online at www.operasj.org. This production of La bohème is sponsored by the Applied Materials Foundation, and made possible, in part, by a Cultural Affairs Grant from the City of San José.

About Opera San José
Opera San José, performing at the historic California Theatre in downtown San José, is a professional, regional opera company that is unique in the United States. Maintaining a resident company of principal artists, Opera San José specializes in showcasing the finest young professional singers in the nation. In addition to mainstage performances, Opera San José maintains extensive educational programs in schools and in the community at large, and offers Preview lectures and Introduction to Opera talks for all mainstage productions.

La bohème
Opera San José presents Puccini's poignant love story

In Italian with English Supertitles

Cast: April 23, 28, May 1, 3 April 24, 30, May 6, 8
Rodolfo Alexander Boyer• Christopher Bengochea†
Mimi Jasmina Halimic• Jouvanca Jean-Baptiste•
Marcello Torlef Borsting• Krassen Karagiozov•
Schaunard Daniel Cilli Daniel Cilli
Colline Isaiah Musik-Ayala• Silas Elash•
Musetta Sandra Bengochea† Jillian Boye
Benoit Paul Murray Paul Murray
Alcindoro Stephen Boisvert Stephen Boisvert
Parpignol Lee Steward Lee Steward

• Resident Company † Casting Change

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