Opera in the Heights Presents THE PEARL FISHERS

Opera in the Heights (Oh!) presents Georges Bizet's Les Pêcheurs de Perles (The Pearl Fishers) as the third offering of its 21st season, opening Friday, Feb. 3. This beguiling story of friendship and betrayal is set in the Far East, with a lush, powerful score that could only have come from the composer of Carmen.

Few operas can match the sheer lyric beauty of Bizet's youthful The Pearl Fishers, which premiered in Paris in 1863, sweeping audiences up in its ravishing score, tinged with the allure of a mythical South Asian setting. A love triangle caught between the binds of friendship and duty inspired some of Bizet's most enchanting music, including arguably the most celebrated duet in all of opera, "Au fond du temple saint."

The Pearl Fishers has recently enjoyed a renaissance emerging from its hidden-gem status with an increasing number of companies mounting the piece to great acclaim, including Opera in the Heights' previous production in 2011. Director John De Los Santos, who staged Fort Worth Opera's 2014 production to rave reviews, makes his Opera in the Heights staging this upcoming production in Lambert Hall.

"John De Los Santos is raising the stakes of the storytelling, leaving zero doubt that our protagonists are truly risking their lives by pursuing their impulses, says Eiki Isomura, Artistic Director for Opera in the Heights. "Every word and every note becomes charged with desperation, and this otherwise compact piece finds its grandest expression."

The cast features as its romantic leads Nadir and Leïla, a real-life husband and wife pairing between tenor, Eric Bowden, and soprano Lindsay Russell. They will be performing only their second opera together having just starred in La Fille du Regiment at Intermountain Opera last fall. Baritone Octavio Moreno, known to Houston audiences from his numerous productions at HGO and OH, sings the role of Zurga. Bass-baritone Christopher Besch makes his return to OH! (Alidoro in La Cenerentola, 2016) to play Nourabad, the village's head priest.

"Our cast is loaded with phenomenal voices who sound as though Bizet wrote the opera with them in mind. And with the wonderful OH Chorus and Orchestra featured so beautifully, this is going to be a real treat."

Performance dates are Feb. 3, 9 and 11 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 5 at 2 p.m. Tickets are on sale online now at operaintheheights.org. Single tickets prices are $35 - $67 for regular tickets, $32 - $58 for seniors and $15 - $17 for student tickets in limited seating areas. Parents of children 16 and under can purchase premier seats with a special ticket price just for kids during checkout. All performances take place at Lambert Hall, 1703 Heights Boulevard.

Join Opera in the Heights after the Sunday matinee for a Post-Performance "Talk-Back" with the cast. Following the Thursday evening performance, members of the Young Opera Lovers Organization (YOLO) for young professionals will gather for a Post-Performance YOLO Cocktail Hour at Harold's in the Heights.

Opera in the Heights is a professional opera company that exists to provide a stage for emerging performers and to bring affordable opera to the Greater Houston Area. All operas are fully staged with orchestra and presented in the original language with English translation (where applicable) projected above the stage.

Photo by Kinjo Yonemoto.

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