LA Opera to Present Puccini's LA BOHEME

La Bohème, one of the world's most beloved operas, will be the final mainstage production in LA Opera's 30th Anniversary Season. Giacomo Puccini's heartbreaking tragedy will have eight performances at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (135 N. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, 90012) from May 14 through June 12, 2016.

With La Bohème, LA Opera has partnered with TodayTix, Inc., the free mobile app that provides on-demand access to the best last-minute theater performance, to offer a mobile rush ticketing program, a brand new feature on the west coast. Leveraging mobile app-based technology to mimic traditional ticket rush programs, the TodayTix program will make a limited number of tickets available at $39 at every performance going forward.

In the beloved masterpiece that inspired the hit musical Rent, six lively bohemians experience exhilarating joy and irretrievable loss among the evocative rooftops, cafés and garrets of Paris. "La Bohème shines brightest when the leading singers are appropriately youthful," noted Plácido Domingo, LA Opera's General Director, "and our cast includes some of the most exciting young singers from around the world. I am also delighted to welcome two notable conductors in their first LA Opera appearances: Speranza Scappucci, who leads the first six performances, as well as Gustavo Dudamel, music and artistic director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, who will conduct the final two performances."

Georgian soprano Nino Machaidze, a favorite with LA Opera audiences, will make her role debut as Mimi, appearing in six performances. Italian baritone Giorgio Caoduro, who made his LA Opera debut opposite Ms. Machaidze in The Elixir of Love in 2009, returns as Marcello.

The cast also includes no less than five artists discovered through Mr. Domingo's international Operalia competition. On May 19 and 25, Moldavian soprano Olga Busuioc will appear as Mimi, making her company debut. The role of Rodolfo will be shared by Guatemalan tenor Mario Chang (May 14, June 5, 10, 12) and Moroccan tenor Abdellah Lasri (May 19, 22, 25, 28), both in their first appearances with LA Opera. Two alumna of LA Opera's Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program will share the role of Musetta: soprano Janai Brugger (May 14, 28, June 5, 10, 12) and soprano Amanda Woodbury (May 19, 22, 25).

Bass-baritone Nicholas Brownlee and baritone Kihun Yoon, two members of the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program, will appear respectively as Colline and Schaunard. Bass-baritone Philip Cokorinos returns in the dual role of Benoit and Alcindoro.

For complete casting and additional information, visit LAOpera.org/Boheme.

The Creative Team
The heartbreaking story of opera's most famous young lovers returns in one of LA Opera's signature productions, originally created by the late filmmaker Herbert Ross (Footloose, Steel Magnolias, The Turning Point). This season's performances will be staged by director Peter Kazaras in his company debut. The production team also includes Gerard Howland (scenery), Peter J. Hall (costumes), Duane Schuler (lighting designer) and Grant Gershon (chorus director). The production will feature the Los Angeles Children's Chorus, under the artistic direction of Anne Tomlinson.

Speranza Scappucci, who conducts the first six performances from May 14 through June 5, recently conducted Attila at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg and La Cenerentola at the Teatro Regio di Torino. Gustavo Dudamel, the music and artistic director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducts the final two performances on June 10 and 12.

Performance Dates and Times
There will be eight performances of La Bohème at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion:

• Saturday, May 14, 2016, at 7:30pm
• Thursday, May 19, 2016, at 7:30pm
• Sunday, May 22, 2016, at 2pm
• Wednesday, May 25, 2016, at 7:30pm
• Saturday, May 28, 2016, at 7:30pm
• Sunday, June 5, 2016, at 2pm
• Friday, June 10, 2016, at 7:30pm
• Sunday, June 12, 2016, at 2pm

Tickets are on sale now. Tickets begin at $20 and can be purchased in person at the LA Opera Box Office at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, by phone at 213.972.8001 or online at LAOpera.org. For disability access, call 213.972.0777 or email LAOpera@LAOpera.org.

Dedicated to offering a variety of pricing options at all of its productions, LA Opera now offers a new way for potential audience members to explore opera. A limited number of $39 rush tickets for orchestra seats will be available for every performance through TodayTix, a new mobile app for last-minute theater tickets. Tickets can be purchased beginning at 10am on the day of each performance; tickets will be available until inventory has sold out or until 2.5 hours before the performance begins. For more information about TodayTix or to download the app, please visit TodayTix.com.

"We are thrilled to partner with the innovative team at LA Opera to broaden access for new audiences to La Bohème through last-minute, affordable orchestra seats," said Brian Fenty, co-founder and executive chairman of TodayTix. "It now only takes a few taps on a mobile phone to connect theatergoers to a memorable experience at LA Opera."

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