2018–19 Season

Carmen

Music by Georges Bizet

Limited inventory remains!

She swore to live free and die free. He made sure she got her wish.

Meet the hottest woman in all of Seville—a free spirit who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go get it. But what happens when the attention she attracts turns obsessive? Find out in this pulse-pounding, picturesque production.

Production New to San Francisco Opera

Meet the Cast

Libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy

Sung in French with English supertitles

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Hear the Music

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Reviews

Carmen enchants with zesty performances

— The San Francisco Examiner

a strong cast, smart staging, vibrant period costumes

– The San Francisco Examiner

Bridges smoldered from the outset with a seductive account of the Act 1 Habanera

– The San Francisco Examiner

Anita Hartig as Micaëla gave “a vocal performance of gleaming steel

– San Francisco Chronicle

Matthew Polenzani was both ardent and plush-voiced in his role debut

– The San Francisco Examiner

James Gaffigan drew taut, splendid playing from the Opera Orchestra

– San Francisco Chronicle

PROGRAM ARTICLES

THIEVES, GYPSIES, CIGAR-MAKERS

When Napoleon’s French army invaded Egypt in 1798 it eventually brought about an important change in French culture, one that was repeated (albeit on a smaller scale) by the Peninsular War (1807-14). Read more.

Director's Note: Carmen

Carmen is one of my favorite characters, even after all these years. I directed my first production of Bizet’s opera more than three decades ago, and it’s been fascinating to keep revisiting her character, especially as the larger cultural conversation around gender, sexuality, and power continues to evolve. Read more.

THE ART OF THE BULLFIGHT

If you want a more complete picture of Spanish culture, study bullfighting. Famous writers of various nationalities have eloquently expressed that sentiment from Federico García Lorca to Ernest Hemingway, most notably in the American author’s Death in the Afternoon. Read more.

Synopsis

A turbulent love affair between a cigar factory worker and a soldier ultimately ends with the pair's doom.

Read Complete Synopsis >

Cast and Creative

CAST

Carmen	J'Nai Bridges
Don José	Matthew Polenzani
Micaëla	Anita Hartig ^*
Escamillo	Kyle Ketelsen
Zuniga	David Leigh ^*
El Dancairo	Christopher Oglesby*
El Remendado	Zhengyi Bai*
Moralès	SeokJong Baek*
Frasquita	Natalie Image*
Mercédès	Ashley Dixon
Manuelita	Blanche Hampton
Lillas Pastia	Valentina Simi

PERFORMANCES

June 5, 11, 14, 20, 23, 26, 29, 2019

CREATIVE

Conductor	James Gaffigan ^*
Conductor	Michelle Merrill ^*1
Production	Francesca Zambello
Associate Stage Director & Movement Director	Denni Sayers
Production Designer	Tanya McCallin
Original Lighting Designer	Paule Constable
Revival Lighting Designer	Justin A. Partier
Fight Director	Dave Maier
Chorus Director	Ian Robertson

* San Francisco Opera debut

¹ June 20

A San Francisco Opera production, originally created by Opera Australia based on the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and Norwegian National Opera co-production.

Previous performances of Carmen can be found in our Archive.

MADE POSSIBLE BY

Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem, through the Conductors Fund; Joan & David Traitel, through the Great Singers Fund; and United Airlines.

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