10 Reasons to see HOT Carmen

10 Reasons To See Carmen

Still looking for some reasons to see HOT’s production of Bizet’s Carmen? Here’s 10!

Mezzo-Soprano Kate Aldrich stars in her HOT Debut as Carmen! Kate was called “the Carmen of our generation” by the San Francisco Sentinel. Kate has performed around the world, including roles with the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, the Hamburg State Opera, Teatro Regio (Turin), Rossini Opera Festival, Los Angeles Opera, Opéra de Montréal, the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf, Teatro Nacional de São Carlos in Lisbon, National Theatre in Prague, and the New York City Opera.

Guest conductor Derrick Inouye is also debuting with HOT in this production! Derrick is an Assistant Conductor with the Metropolitan Opera. He has performed with orchestras and opera companies including Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, Nurnberg Opera, Opera Nice Cote D’Azur, the New Japan Philharmonic, the Monte Carlo Philharmonic, the Philharmonia of London, and the Orchestra of St. Lukes in New York. Hawaii’s premier youth chorus, the Hawai’i Youth Opera Chorus (HYOC) performs ensemble numbers in Act I and Act III! Since 1961, HYOC has been partnering with the Hawaii Opera Theater to provide children for the grand opera stage in singing or non singing roles. HYOC will have 15 students in the cast of Carmen.

This production showcases fantastic new costumes! Many of the production’s cast members have up to three different looks. The costume sets include intricately embellished toreador suits and lavish ball gowns.

Trevigne, last seen at HOT in 2015 as Pamina in “The Magic Flute,” will be singing the role of Micaëla in this production of Carmen. Talise Trevigne received a Grammy nomination in 2015 for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album.The singers in Carmen dance and move often while singing. Flamenco dancing, gypsy snaps, and ensemble movement accompany the beautiful music of this production!
A blog called “BARIHUNKS” names certain singers the “sexiest baritone hunks from opera,” and this HOT production has three! Darren Stokes will be singing the role of Escamillo in Bizet’s Carmen at the Hawaii Opera Theatre, joined by fellow barihunks Matthew Treviño as Zuniga and Brian James Myer as El Dancaïro. 

Tensions rise between several characters in Bizet’s Carmen! There are fist fights, knife fights, girl fights, and more. When Bizet originally debuted the opera in 1875, audiences found the subject matter too risqué.

Many local singers and Mae Z. Orvis Opera Studio Members star in this production of Carmen, including Leon Williams as Moralès, Leslie Goldman McInerny as Frasquita, and Sarah Lambert Connelly as Mercédès – not to mention the entirely local and volunteer adult and youth chorus!

Lastly, of course, there’s the music. Carmen is one of the most-performed operas in North America, and audiences are sure to recognize the music. Even those unfamiliar with classical music will recognize the “Habanera” and “Toreador Song”, which are among the best known of all operatic arias.

See Carmen live at the Blaisdell Concert Hall: