Lyric Opera Of KC Presents THE PEARL FISHERS At Kauffman Center

Lyric Opera of Kansas City concludes the 2018-2019 season with Bizet's sensuous and exotic The Pearl Fishers, April 27, May 1, 3 and 5 at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. The opera will be sung in French with English subtitles. High res photos of artists, past production photos and more can be found here.

The Lyric Opera season concludes with a trip to the ancient island of Ceylon, where a forbidden love threatens both the prosperity of a civilization and a vow of eternal friendship, in The Pearl Fishers (Les pêcheurs de perles). Georges Bizet composed it 12 years before Carmen, but his brilliance was already evident in this early opera. The famous friendship duet "Au fond du temple saint" is the opera's most celebrated touchstone, although The Pearl Fishers also features a lush orchestral treatment and thrilling chorus and dance sequences. This wildly colorful production from San Diego Opera was designed by Zandra Rhodes, the iconic British designer who dressed Princess Diana and the musical artist Prince, among others.

The Pearl Fishers brings multiple Lyric Opera debuts, including Maeve Höglund as the priestess Leila, John Moore as Zurga, and Christian Zaremba in the role of Nourabad as well as the entire creative team including Conductor Antony Walker, Director Andrew Sinclair, Choreographer John Malashock and Set and Costume Designer Zandra Rhodes. Andrew Sinclair has directed this production several times; Antony Walker is Music Director of Pittsburgh Opera and Artistic Director of Washington Concert Opera. Höglund's roles include Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro and Musetta in La bohème; Moore has sung Zurga in several productions, and Zaremba recently debuted at The Metropolitan Opera as Angelotti in Tosca. Sean Panikkar (Silent Night, 2015), will return to sing Nadir.

General Director and CEO Deborah Sandler said "Bizet's other opera, The Pearl Fishers, is exotic and atmospheric. Composed by Bizet at age 24, his gift for melody was apparent at an early age. Our audiences will luxuriate in the music, surrounded by the singular vision of Zandra Rhodes, CBE, the brilliant designer of fashion and design. I am thrilled to bring this work to our audiences at Lyric Opera."

Tickets to The Pearl Fishers start at just $29 and availability varies by performance. To purchase tickets, call Ticketing & Patron Services (816) 471-7344 or visit kcopera.org. Patrons can select their own seats and print their tickets at home by visiting kcopera.org. Limited student rush tickets are available for $15 starting 90 minutes before the performances, with a valid student ID.

The Pearl Fishers is sponsored in part by the Lyric Opera Circle.

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