Carmen at Union Avenue Opera

Set your passions alight with this steamy opera full of love, seduction, and betrayal.

Follow the fate of Don José, a naïve soldier who falls under the spell of the fiery gypsy Carmen, and abandons his duty and his love for Micaëla, a sweet country girl. But Carmen's free spirit and seductive charms lead her to another man, the handsome bullfighter Escamillo, and drive Don José to jealousy and violence. With unforgettable melodies like the 'Habanera' and the 'Toreador Song', Carmen is a thrilling spectacle of love, lust, and betrayal. Come see why Bizet’s masterpiece of operatic romance and drama is one of history’s most popular operas ever written.

Elise Quagliata leads a powerhouse quartet of singers in the complex and volatile title role of Carmen in her return to UAO having previously appeared as Sister James in Doubt and Sister Helen in Dead Man Walking. Joining her are Brendan Tuohy as Carmen’s troubled lover Don José, and Joel Balzun as the swaggering Escamillo in their UAO debuts. Meroë Khalia Adeeb returns as the loyal Micaëla, following last summer’s triumphant UAO debut as the Governess in The Turn of the Screw. Gina Galati and Holly Janz return as Frasquita and Mercédès respectively while Xavier Joseph makes his UAO debut as Dancaïre. Rounding out the cast are Marc Schapman as Remendado, Jacob Lassetter as Zuniga, and Joel Rogier as Moralès and a chorus of sixteen along with a youth chorus of ten. Carmen will be directed by Mark Freiman (Falstaff, La bohemè) and Founding Artistic Director Scott Schoonover will conduct the UAO Orchestra (all members of the AFM-Local 2) with lighting and scenic design by Patrick Huber and costumes by Teresa Doggett.