CARMEN is widely accepted as the most famous opera of all time and Opera San Luis Obispo’s grand production of the timeless work promises to land far above expectations with an internationally acclaimed cast of opera stars, expansive ballet, spectacular two-story sets, vivid costumes: all accompanied by the fantastic OperaSLO Grand Orchestra! A countywide arts collaboration, this epic production will unify artists and other non-profits throughout San Luis Obispo County including Civic Ballet San Luis Obispo, Applause Children’s Theater, several collaborating choruses, and others. Carmen will be directed by Joshua Wentz (OSLO Debut), choreographed by Drew Silvaggio, and conducted by Brian Asher Alhadeff.

The opera will be sung in French with English supertitles. Experience opera in grand proportions! Carmen is the perfect first opera just as sure as it's a “homerun” for seasoned opera lovers to revisit.

LISTEN TO THE OPERASLO GRAND ORCHESTRA PERFORM THE OVERTURE TO CARMEN FROM OUR 2021 NEW YEARS EVE GALA

About Carmen

Set in Spain in the 1820s, Carmen is a dramatic tale of love, jealousy and tragedy. The story follows the naïve soldier Don José, who is seduced by Carmen, a fiery gypsy woman with an appetite for smuggling. The hopeless José abandons his childhood sweetheart, turns his back on his military career, joins Carmen’s band of thugs, and eventually confronts Carmen’s new love Escamillo, the glamorous prize bull fighter of Seville! French composer Georges Bizet’s Spanish-inflected score presents one cascading unmistakable tune after the other: from the first seconds of the famous overture, to Carmen’s seductive ‘Habanera,’ Escamillo’s ‘Toreador Song,’ the Seguidilla, the rollicking quintet, melodies of the bullfight, and so much more!