Opera Workshop: Carmen
Tues., Nov 13 & Wed., Nov 14 • 7:30 p.m.
Rowland-Taylor Recital Hall
Chico State’s Opera Workshop, under the direction of Department of Music professor Ying Yeh, presents an English-language, condensed version of Bizet’s beloved opera, “Carmen.”
Performances take place at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, November 13 and Wednesday, November 14 in the Performing Arts Center’s intimate Rowland-Taylor Recital Hall. Seating is limited and purchasing tickets in advance is recommended; call 898-4325 for more information.
Opera Workshop’s orchestra and cast of thirty singers will bring to life the familiar tunes you know and love, noted Yeh, including the “Toréador Song,” and “Habanera.” The production will feature costumes, dramatic lighting, and simple sets and props.
“There will be exquisite and passionate music as well as dramatic acting,” said Yeh. “And also spectacular scenes of seduction, dancing, knife fights, and murder.”
“Carmen” has bewitched audiences since its premiere in Paris in 1875 with its colorful, passionate score pulsating with Gypsy sensual rhythms, its shocking denouncements, and its sexuality powerful title character, opera’s ultimate femme fatale.
Composed by Bizet, the libretto was written by Meilhac and Halévy, and is based on the story of the same name title by Prosper Mérimée.
The story is set in the year 1820, in Seville, Spain. Carmen — gorgeous, passionate, temperamental and deliciously mysterious — is a flirtatious Gypsy girl who works at the local cigarette factory. One day she meets and seduces Don José, a corporal in the army. Later, Carmen rejects him for a life of love with the handsome and dashing bullfighter, Escamillo.
“Carmen” features talented Chico State voice students and also students from Pleasant Valley High School’s choir. Cast in the main roles are Molly Mahoney (Carmen) and Eric Seiler (Don Jose).
Advance tickets, at $15 adults, $13 senior citizens, and $6 students/children, are available at the University Box Office, 898-6333. For disability-related accommodations, please call 898-4325. Add $2 for tickets purchased at the door.