CARMEN
by Georges Bizet
Press Release
Bay Shore Lyric Opera 2017 Opera Season
brings Bizet’s grand French opera:
CARMEN
FREE, FAMILY FRIENDLY OPERA IN THE PARKS:
September 10 Redwood City Town Square 5-7pm
September 17 Capitola Esplanade Stage 12noon
September 23 Saratoga’s Wildwood Park 3pm
RELEASE DATE: May 6, 2017:
Bizet’s grand French opera CARMEN will be presented by BSLO at three outdoor city locations as a free, family friendly production in beautiful outdoor venues. This production is fully-staged, sung in French with English spoken recitative and will feature BSLO’s artists accompanied by the members of the Winchester Orchestra under the baton of Michael Di Giacinto.
Cast members include: Pedro Ledesma, Gregory Spears, Liliane Cromer, Don Hoffman, Jennifer Der Torossian-Studley, Norman Espinoza, Kristin Genis-Lund, Rachel Warner, among others.
Carmen is an opera in four acts by French composer Georges Bizet. The opera was first performed at the Opéra-Comique in Paris on 3 March 1875, where its breaking of conventions shocked and scandalized its first audiences. However, Carmen has since become one of the most popular and frequently performed operas. The "Habanera" from act 1 and the "Toreador Song" from act 2 are among the best known of all operatic arias.
The opera is written in the genre of opéra comique with musical numbers separated by dialogue. Set in Seville, Spain, it tells the story of Don José, a naïve soldier who is seduced by the charms of the fiery gypsy Carmen. José abandons his childhood sweetheart and deserts from his military duties to follow Carmen, becoming a smuggler with Carmen’s band of gypsies. He quickly falls out of favor and loses Carmen's love to the outgoing toreador Escamillo. Don Jose in vain tries to convince her to come back to him to start a new life and forget the past. Carmen however has her eyes set on the Toreador and will remain true to herself: free she was born and free she will die. Jose, overcome with jealousy kills Carmen in a crime of passion before she is able to enter the bullring to be with Escamillo.
Please visit bslopera.com for more information and to add your name to the email mailing. For more production information as well as requests for interviews, quotes, photos, media please contact Jennifer Studley 408-391-5785, jdtdiva@gmail.com or bslopera@gmail.com
OPERA IN THE PARKS Sept. 2017- FREE, FAMILY FRIENDLY
Location and Directions below:
9/9 @ 7:30pm Episcopal Church of the Incarnation San Francisco
9/10 @ 5-7 at Redwood City Courthouse Square
9/17 @ 12 noon at Capitola Esplanade Stage
Saratoga 9/23 @ 3pm at Wildwood Park 20764 4th St., Saratoga
Photography by Steve Stubbs
2017 SPONSORS:
Robert Shiro Sr.
Tom and Larel Bondi
Charter Communications
Redwood City
City of Saratoga
City of Capitola
Peery-Arrillaga
CAST
Micaela, a Village maiden Jennifer Studley
Morales, Officer Kiril Havezov
Carmen, Gypsy Liliane Cromer
Don Jose, Corporal of dragoons Gregory Spear
Zuniga, Captain of dragoons Norman Espinoza
Frasquita, friend of Carmen Kristin Genis-Lund
Mercedes, friend of Carmen Michelle Lajeunesse
Manuelita, Gypsy dancer Lisa Castillo
El Dancairo, Smuggler Riley Saito and Kiril Havezov
El Remendado, Smuggler Zoltan Di Bartolo
Escamillo, Toreador Don Hoffman
Lillas Pastia, an innkeeper Scott Moughton
Children Annelise Cotta, Ethan Cotta, Samuel Cotta
Conductor Michael Di Giacinto
Repetituer Tamami Honma
