HISTORICALLY INSPIRED 'CARMEN' OPENS THE DALLAS OPERA'S 2025/2026 SEASON

TDO presents the U.S. Premiere of a reconstruction of Bizet's beloved opera's debut production 150 years ago.

DALLAS, Sept. 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Dallas Opera (TDO) opens its 2025/2026 Season with the U.S. premiere of a new production celebrating the 150th anniversary of Georges Bizet's iconic CARMEN opening on Friday, October 17, 2025. This production faithfully recreates the original Carmen from the 1875 premiere at the Opéra-Comique in Paris.

With executive producer Bru Zane France, a team of incredibly talented artists researched original staging through manuals, lithographs, and more to reconstruct what audiences saw in Paris 150 years ago. That team includes director Romain Gilbert, who also led TDO's 2024 Romeo and Juliet production, and famed French fashion designer Christian Lacroix.

Leading the cast is Grammy-winning mezzo-soprano Marina Viotti as Carmen and tenor Saimir Pirgu as Don José. Both singers, who sang these roles together last year in Zürich to much acclaim, make their TDO debuts in this production. Also making their TDO debuts are soprano Teresa Perrotta, lyric tenor Matthew Goodheart, baritone Kyle Miller, baritone Laureano Quant, and baritone Eleomar Cuello. Returning to the TDO stage are baritone Gihoon Kim, soprano Diana Newman, and mezzo-soprano Kristen Choi.

Mrs. Eugene McDermott Music Director Emmanuel Villaume conducts The Dallas Opera Orchestra and Chorus and the children's chorus, Greater Dallas Choral Society, in the original 1875 score with dialogue, which will be performed in French with English supertitles.

"Carmen is the ideal season opener," says Ian Derrer, TDO's Kern Wildenthal General Director and CEO. "We're thrilled to bring this historic production to U.S. audiences for the first time. It's truly unlike anything you've ever seen." 

This is a co-production with Bru Zane France, Opéra Royal – Château de Versailles Spectacles, Opéra de Rouen Normandie, and Palazzetto Bru Zane. This production premiered at Opéra de Rouen in 2023. The run time is approximately 3 hours & 25 minutes with one intermission. Tickets begin at $33 and are available on TDO's website or by calling 214-443-1000. 

Ancillary events include an Opening Night Celebration before the opera on October 17, 2025; the Joy and Ronald Mankoff Pre-Opera Talk before each following production, and a Post-Opera Talkback on Sunday, October 19.  

Performances:

• Friday, October 17, 2025, at 8 PM
• Sunday, October 19, 2025, at 2 PM
• Wednesday, October 22, 2025, at 7:30 PM
• Saturday, October 25, 2025, at 7:30 PM
• Sunday, October 26, 2025, at 2 PM

Location: Winspear Opera House, 2403 Flora St., Dallas, TX 75201

Sponsors:

• The Linda and Mitch Hart Season Opening Performance; The Eleanor Ford Penrose Mainstage Production
• Presenting: The Radford and Patricia Crocker Foundation, honoring Dr. Feyten and the TWU Occupational Therapy Department; Phyllis and Thomas H. McCasland Jr.; and Lisa Genecov
• Producing: The Enrico Foundation; Fanchon and Howard Hallam

Learn more about The Dallas Opera here.

Programs and artists subject to change.

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SOURCE The Dallas Opera