Award-winning Stage Director Gregory Keller to bring the timeless, cherished opera to Jacoby Symphony Hall this April – The Jacksonville Symphony presents Georges Bizet’s timeless and cherished opera, Carmen, on Friday, April 12 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 14 at 3 p.m. Sung in French with English supertitle translations, a world-class cast and the orchestra share the stage for the largest production of the Jacksonville Symphony’s 2023/2024 Season, transforming Jacoby Symphony Hall into an opera house, complemented by vivid 30-foot projection screens serving as “sets.”
Bizet’s beloved Carmen is an opera about love, obsession, inescapable charisma, betrayal and revenge. It centers on its namesake, a beautiful gypsy woman who robs a soldier and convinces him to assist her escape from jail. From start to finish, the opera unfolds into a tale of love, jealousy and murder, with Carmen’s mysterious and elusive nature taking center stage. For centuries, the story has captivated audiences with its drama, allure and emotion – and unknowingly, Bizet created a character who turned into a cultural icon transcending time and boundaries.
“Carmen is a performance that represents female empowerment and sexuality, and incorporates society’s historical, yet arguably present, common fear toward it,” said Courtney Lewis, Music Director of the Jacksonville Symphony. “The thought-provoking, dramatic, emotional and powerful production will be heightened through our unique, ‘symphonically-staged’ opera, where the Symphony performs on an elevated playing space on the stage rather than traditionally in the pit, which is sure to convey an even more thrilling experience. We look forward to bringing this one-of-a-kind masterpiece to Jacksonville and our very own Jacoby Symphony Hall.”
Led by award-winning Stage Director Gregory Keller, who hails from the Metropolitan Opera, and Conductor Courtney Lewis, the opera will unfold before audiences as they experience a journey that’s sure to capture hearts with its fiery story and also features a world-class cast of vocalists, the Jacksonville Symphony Chorus and students from The Bolles School. Many of these operatic superstars have garnered top awards from across the globe and come from the Metropolitan Opera and other esteemed operatic houses.
Tickets start at $50 and are on sale now. For more information and to purchase tickets to see Carmen, visit JaxSymphony.org.
About the Jacksonville Symphony – The Jacksonville Symphony is North Florida’s leading music nonprofit offering live performances at Jacoby Symphony Hall in the Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts and other venues throughout the area. Led by President and CEO Steven Libman and Music Director Courtney Lewis, the Jacksonville Symphony reaches over 113,000 individuals through over 125 performances each season. In addition, the Symphony provides music instruction for youth and operates the Jacksonville Symphony Youth Orchestras. For more information about the Symphony, visit JaxSymphony.org.
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