Pittsburgh Opera presents Carmen

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Pittsburgh, PA…
January 22, 2020
Chris Cox, Director of Marketing and Communications
Office: 412.281.0912 ext. 217
Mobile: 412.427.7088 or
Contact via email
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Pittsburgh Opera presents the irresistible Carmen, March 28 - April 5 at the Benedum Center

Set in 1830 Seville, Spain, Carmen is a roller-coaster of lust, deception, and murder. Fiery gypsy Carmen, who lives her life to the fullest, can have any man she wants. But when she seduces naïve Corporal Don José, she gets more than she bargains for.

Carmen works in a cigarette factory. When a knife fight with another employee leads to her arrest, she charms Corporal Don José into letting her escape. Like a moth drawn to a flame, Don José forsakes his military career and the innocent peasant girl Micaëla for a life on the lam with Carmen and a band of smugglers.

Never one to settle down, the passionate Carmen gets bored with Don José and becomes involved with the glamourous, testosterone-filled bullfighter Escamillo. Left with nothing, Don José decides that if he can’t have Carmen, no one can.

Full of magnetic melodies, colorful costumes, and tragic twists, you’ll fall in love with Georges Bizet’s one-and-only Carmen.

The opera is sung in French with English supertitles projected above the stage.

Single tickets for adults start at $14; kids and teens ages 6-18 are half-price. For tickets call 412-456-6666, visit the Box Office at Theater Square, or go online at pittsburghopera.org/tickets or CulturalDistrict.org. Group discounts, including student discounts, are available.

In addition, Pittsburgh Opera’s annual Student Matinee will introduce 2,500+ school students grades 3-12 to this lively, colorful opera on Thursday, April 2nd at the Benedum Center. Pittsburgh Opera’s Resident Artists take lead roles in the Student Matinee, and are accompanied by the Pittsburgh Opera Orchestra. Tickets are $11, and are reserved through Pittsburgh Opera’s Education Department. For more information, please contact Marilyn Michalka Egan, Ph.D., Director of Education, at 412-281-0912, ext. 242.

A Message to Our Patrons Regarding COVID-19

Pittsburgh Opera continues to learn about the coronavirus (COVID-19) and its potential impact on our performances and events. We continue to follow the advice of public health and government officials as we implement measures as necessary, with the understanding that the safety of our staff and guests is of paramount importance.

This is an evolving situation and at this time, all Pittsburgh Opera performances and events are set to proceed as scheduled.

We have informed our staff and artists of best practices to minimizing risk and have implemented enhanced environmental cleaning in our building. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, who operates the Benedum theater where our performances of Carmen will take place, has implemented best health and safety practices in their venues throughout the Cultural District. Here is what The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is doing to minimize risk, and how you can help.

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has:

Intensified cleaning of all frequently touched surfaces (i.e. doorknobs, armrests, handrails, etc.)
Installed 200 sanitizing stations throughout their venues for guest, staff, and artist use
Transitioned all solvents to a disinfectant version, used according to directions provided by the manufacturer
Deployed Clorox 360 touch-free sanitation in large spaces, a cleaning product specifically manufactured to disinfect spaces during flu outbreaks or for other environmental concerns
Dedicated staff resources to monitoring the global situation and implementing new procedures as they become necessary

We ask that you remain vigilant and follow hygiene practices recommended by the CDC:

Avoid close contact with those who are sick and/or exhibiting symptoms

Cover your cough or sneeze with a fixed elbow or tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands
Wash your hands frequently with hot water and soap for 20 seconds
Utilize the disposable wipes and hand sanitizer provided at the sanitizing stations throughout Trust venues

Please contact the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust at 412-456-6666 with any questions.

Performance Dates/Times/Location/Length/Language

Where: Benedum Center, downtown Pittsburgh

When:

Sat., March 28, 2020 * 8:00 PM
Tues., March 31, 2020 * 7:00 PM
Thurs., April 2, 2020 * 10:00 AM – Student Matinee
Fri., April 3, 2020 * 7:30 PM
Sun., April 5, 2020 * 2:00 PM

Run Time: 2 hours and 50 minutes with two intermissions

Language: Sung in French with English supertitles projected above the stage

Fun Facts

As NPR says, “Carmen may have more hit tunes than any opera ever composed. People who say they've never listened to a note of opera in their lives have probably heard something from Carmen.”
Carmen features two of the best-known of all operatic arias - the celebrated “Habanera” from Act 1 and the “Toreador Song” from Act 2.

Seattle Opera compiled a list of some of the many movies, TV shows, and TV commercials with music from Carmen. In one Sesame Street segment, Denyce Graves (who sang the role of Grace in Pittsburgh Opera’s world premiere of The Summer King – the Josh Gibson Story) sings Elmo a bedtime lullaby to the tune of the Habanera.
Carmen is one of the most popular operas in the standard repertoire, but Bizet did not live long enough to see it gain acceptance. Sadly, Bizet died just three months after Carmen had its world premiere at the Opéra-Comique in Paris on March 3, 1875. Johannes Brahms saw the opera 20 times and said that he would have "gone to the ends of the earth to embrace Bizet."

Tickets and Group Discounts

Single tickets for adults start at $14; tickets for kids and teens ages 6-18 are half-price. Call 412-456-6666 or visit pittsburghopera.org/tickets.
Group discounts, including student discounts, are available. For more information about group ticket services and discounts for groups of six or more people, contact Regina Connolly at 412-281-0912, ext. 213 or groups@pittsburghopera.org.

The Story, in brief

See the Carmen show page for a complete synopsis of the opera.

Cast and Artistic Team

See the Carmen show page for a complete list of the cast and artistic team.

Media Events

Please contact Chris Cox for reservations.

Photo Call (Mon., March 16, 12:30 PM) - location TBA
Full Dress Rehearsal (Thurs., March 26, 7:00 PM) - Benedum Center

Related Events

March Brown Bag concert (3/7)
Roses & Thorns fashion show (3/9
Opera Up Close (3/15)
WQED Preview (3/21 & 3/27)
Pittsburgh Opera mobile app (real-time during all performances)
New Guard Opening Night Lounge (3/28)
Audio Commentary (3/31)
Meet the Artists (3/31)