Photos: First Look At The Cast of LA BOHÈME At Opera San José

 Snow will fall in San José when one of opera’s greatest love stories, Puccini’s La Bohème, returns to Opera San José in a production set in Paris at Christmastime, following the aftermath of the Great War. Opera San José Artist-in-Residence tenor WooYoung Yoon stars as the poet Rodolfo, with sopranos Kearstin Piper Brown and Mikayla Sager alternating as Mimì, in this tantalizing tale of young artists living on the edge. Check out photos of the cast.

Set in bustling Parisian cafés, raucous parties, and chilly garrets, La Bohème follows the pair of doomed lovers and their coterie of artist friends chasing happiness against impossible odds. Audiences will experience this production in the beautifully gilded historic California Theatre, one of the world’s most elegant and intimate opera houses. Opera San José Resident Stage Director Michelle Ainna Cuizon will make her mainstage directorial debut with Opera San José Music Director Joseph Marcheso set to conduct this masterpiece, performed in Italian with English and Spanish supertitles.

“With a backdrop of Christmastime in Paris, this production of La Bohème will usher audiences into the holidays,” said Opera San José General Director/CEO Shawna Lucey. “Puccini’s brilliant score and heart-rending arias bring to life one of opera’s most exquisite works, making it a great favorite of longtime operagoers and a perfect introduction for those new to this art form.”   

Opera San José has assembled a top-flight cast featuring tenor WooYoung Yoon as Rodolfo, recently seen as the prince Tamino in OSJ’s The Magic Flute. Making their company debuts are sopranos Kearstin Piper Brown and Mikayla Sager, alternating as Mimì. Baritone Kidon Choi, who made a vivid impression as Baron Scarpia in OSJ’s Tosca returns as Marcello. Inaugural Wadhwani Chair soprano Melissa Sondhi will play Musetta, and bass-baritone OSJ Artist-in-Residence Jesús Vincente Murillo will play Schaunard. Three Opera San José fan favorites, bass Younggwang Park, bass-baritone Philip Skinner, and tenor Eric Mellum, featured as Sarastro, Speaker, and First Priest in The Magic Flute, return in this production as Colline, Benoît/Alcindoro, and Parpignol. 

The chorus ensemble is comprised of Leonardo Capistrano, Carter Dougherty, Danielle Imai, Julia Johnson, Brennah Kemmerly, Michael Kim, Ilhee Lee, Kyounghee Lee, Michael Jesse Kuo, Pravesh Mehra, Fallon Nunes, Alexandra Olsson-Anderson, Nathan Savant, and Jessica Williams.  

The creative team for La Bohème is Opera San José Music Director Joseph Marcheso (Conductor), Opera San José Resident Stage Director Michelle Ainna Cuizon (Director),  Kim A. Tolman (Scenic Designer), Eric Watkins (Lighting Designer), Alina Bokovikova (Costume Designer), Y. Sharon Peng (Hair and Makeup Designer), and Johannes Löhner (Assistant Conductor and Chorus Master).

La Bohème will be presented November 16 – December 1, 2024 (performance dates/times below) at the California Theatre, 345 South First Street, San José.  For more information or to purchase tickets ($58–$215), the public can visit operasj.org or call 408-437-4450 (open Monday through Friday, 9:00am–5:00pm).