CARMEN Returns To The Metropolitan Opera, Today

The Metropolitan Opera presents one of the most beloved operas in the repertory, Georges Bizet's Carmen, with performances October 30 to November 15 and again from January 9 to February 8. Starring in all performances in the title role is Clémentine Margaine, who made her celebrated Met debut in this role in 2017. Yonghoon Lee and Roberto Alagna share the role of Carmen's lover, Don José. Guanqun Yu, Aleksandra Kurzak, and Susanna Phillips sing the role of Micaëla, and Kyle Ketelsen, Alexander Vinogradov, and Michael Todd Simpson portray the toreador Escamillo. Conductor Omer Meir Wellber makes his Met debut leading the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in interpreting Bizet's famous score; winter performances are conducted by Louis Langrée.

The February 2 matinee performance of Sir Richard Eyre's renowned production will be transmitted live to more than 2,200 movie theaters in more than 70 countries as part of the Met's Live in HD series. The transmission will be hosted by soprano Ailyn Pérez.

The October 30, November 15, January 17, and February 2 performances of Carmen will be broadcast live on Metropolitan Opera Radio on SIRIUS XM Channel 75, and the October 30 performance will also be streamed live on the Met's web site, metopera.org.

French mezzo-soprano Clémentine Margaine reprises her portrayal of Carmen, the role in which she made her Met debut in 2017 and has previously sung with Deutsche Oper Berlin, Bavarian State Opera, Opéra National de Paris, Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Opera Australia, Washington National Opera, and Canadian Opera Company. Other notable roles include Amneris in Verdi's Aida at Opera Australia, Sara in Donizetti's Roberto Devereux at Bavarian State Opera, Marguerite in Berlioz's La Damnation de Faust at Deutsche Oper Berlin, Dulcinée in Massenet's Don Quichotte at Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Charlotte in Werther at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. Later this season, she will reprise the title role in Carmen at Vienna State Opera and Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, as well as sing Dulcinée in Massenet's Don Quichotte at Deutsche Oper Berlin.

Chinese soprano Guanqun Yu makes her Met role debut as Micaëla, a role she has sung at Opernhaus Zürich and Oper Frankfurt. She made her Met debut in 2012 as Leonora in Verdi's Il Trovatore and since then has sung Fiordiligi in Mozart's Così fan tutte and Liù in Puccini's Turandot. Later this season at the Met, she will sing Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni. Other upcoming performances include Vitellia in Mozart's La Clemenza di Tito at LA Opera and Desdemona in Verdi's Otello at Deutsche Oper Berlin.

American soprano Susanna Phillips, who has sung more than 100 Met performances, returns in the role of Micaëla. She made her company debut as Musetta in Puccini's La Bohème in 2008, a role she has sung 45 times at the Met. A recipient of the Met's Beverly Sills Award, her other roles with the company include Clémence in the Met premiere of Kaija Saariaho's L'Amour de Loin, Stella and Antonia in Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann, Pamina in Mozart's The Magic Flute, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, and Rosalinde in Strauss's Die Fledermaus. Later this season at the Met, she will sing Donna Elvira in Mozart's Don Giovanni.

Polish soprano Aleksandra Kurzak adds a new role to her Met repertory as Micaëla, a role she has previously sung at Opéra National de Paris. She made her Met debut in 2004 as Olympia in Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann and has also sung Nedda in Leoncavallo's Pagliacci, Blondchen in Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto, and Gretel in Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel with the company.

South Korean tenor Yonghoon Lee reprises his performance as Don José, a role he has previously sung at the Met as well as at Bavarian State Opera, Opera Australia, and Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. He made his Met debut in the title role of Verdi's Don Carlo in 2010, and other Met roles include Ismaele in Verdi's Nabucco, Manrico in Verdi's Il Trovatore, and Turiddu in Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana. He recently stepped in on short notice to sing Radamès in the October 15 performance of the Verdi's Aida, and he will return to that role later this season.

French tenor Roberto Alagna first sang Don José at the Met in 2000. He made his Met debut as Rodolfo in Puccini's La Bohème in 1996, and his many other roles with the company include his role debut as des Grieux in a new production of Puccini's Manon Lescaut, the title role in Alfano's Cyrano de Bergerac, Cavaradossi in Puccini's Tosca, Radamès in Verdi's Aida, and Turiddu and Canio in the double bill of Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci. Earlier this season, he was seen as Samson in a new production of Saint-Saëns's Samson et Dalila, which was part of the Met's Live in HD series.

American bass-baritone Kyle Ketelsen previously sang Escamillo at the Met in 2012 and 2017. He made his Met debut as Angelotti in Puccini's Tosca, followed by performances as Leporello in Mozart's Don Giovanni and Mr. Flint in Britten's Billy Budd. Other notable roles include Leporello in Mozart's Don Giovanni at the Opéra National de Lyon and the Dallas Opera; Golaud in Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, and Nick Shadow in Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress at Dutch National Opera. Following his performances in Carmen, he will star at the Met as Golaud in Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande.

Russian bass Alexander Vinogradov makes his Met role debut as Escamillo, a role he has performed at La Scala, Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, and Opernhaus Zürich. He made his Met debut in the 2017-2018 season as Walter in Verdi's Luisa Miller, followed by performances as Raimondo in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. Other performances this season include Philip II in Verdi's Don Carlo at LA Opera, Escamillo at Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and Staatsoper Hamburg, and Raimondo in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor at Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia in Valencia, Spain.

American baritone Michael Todd Simpson reprises the role of Escamillo. He made his Met debut in 2009 as Hermann and Schlémil in Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann. His other roles with the company have been Lescaut in Massenet's Manon, Marcello in La Bohème, Carbon in Alfano's Cyrano de Bergerac, Demetrius in Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Moralès in Carmen, a Flemish Deputy in Verdi's Don Carlo, and Streshnev in Khovanshchina. He is currently appearing as Sonora in Puccini's La Fancuilla del West.

Israeli conductor Omer Meir Wellber makes his Met debut leading Carmen. In September 2018 he began his tenure as principal conductor at the Semperoper Dresden. In July 2019 he will take up the position of chief conductor of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, and in January 2020 he begins as music director of the Teatro Massimo in Palermo. Previously, he served from 2010 to 2014 as the music director at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia in Valencia, Spain. He has worked with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de Lyon, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Staatskapelle Dresden, RAI Torino, and Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich. Following his Met debut, he will lead Tannhäuser, Der Rosenkavalier, Don Giovanni, and Nabucco at Semperoper Dresden.

French conductor Louis Langrée made his Met debut in 2007, leading the new production premiere of Gluck's Iphigénie en Tauride. His subsequent company performances include the 2010 new production premiere of Thomas's Hamlet and revivals of La Bohème, Don Giovanni, Dialogues des Carmélites, and Carmen. He has conducted at opera houses around the world, including the Bavarian State Opera, La Scala, Dresden State Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. From 1998 to 2000 he was the music director at Opéra National de Lyon and the Glyndebourne Touring Opera from 1998 to 2003. He is currently the music director of the Mostly Mozart Festival and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

For further details on Carmen, including casting by date, please click here.

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