"Tragedy of Carmen"
At Tsai Performance Center

Boston Midsummer Opera is advising audiences to expect a "Carmen" unlike any they've seen before -- intense, intimate and bitingly tragic -- when BMO presents its summer 2008 production of Peter Brook’s "The Tragedy of Carmen."

The production will be presented at the Tsai Performance Center at Boston University for three performances only, July 30, August 1 and 3. The fully staged and costumed opera will be conducted by the nationally acclaimed Susan Davenny-Wyner. With an English translation by Sheldon Harnick ("Fiddler on the Roof," "She Loves Me"), "The Tragedy of Carmen" marks BMO’s first full opera.

All of Bizet’s wonderful music is retained in this new version of the famous 19th century opera, to be performed with four singers, three actors, and an orchestra of fifteen players.

Under the direction of BMO Artistic Director Drew Minter, the production is a shorter, highly dramatic interpretation developed by internationally acclaimed Opera Director Sir Peter Brook. The show maintains the music of the original but replaces the chorus with a number of plot elements that infuse the show with greater passion, emotion and drama.

Instead of the grand entertainment of the original, Brook’s "Carmen" is an intimate form of sung theater that brings the core elements of the characters to life for opera newcomers, while offering a bold new interpretation to listeners already familiar with the work. This version of "Carmen" is condensed to 80 minutes, sung in English, without intermission.

The cast includes a quartet of vital, young opera singers including soprano Leslie Ann Bradley, mezzo-soprano Stephanie Chigas, tenor Darren Anderson, and baritone Lee Gregory.

Soprano Leslie Anne Bradley (Micaela) holds a Diploma from the University of Toronto’s Opera Division and is an alumna of the Orford Festival. Now living in Montreal, she attended the Académie International de musique Maurice Ravel in France, studying with the renowned Françoise Pollet and was winner of the Academy’s voice competition. She has recently performed with Victoria Symphony in British Columbia and was a winner in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, New England Region.

Mezzo-soprano Stephanie Chigas (Carmen) has sung with the Santa Fe Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Boston Lyric Opera and the Olney Theatre Center. She was a 2003 Grand National Semi-Finalist for the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and the Second Place Winner in the New England Region Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 2005. In the summer of 2007, she sang with the BMO in their second season production, "The Tales of Offenbach."

Darren T. Anderson (Don José) has sung lead tenor roles throughout the United States and Canada. He has made debuts with Syracuse Opera, Connecticut Concert Opera, the Chicago Cultural Center, the Glimmerglass Opera, and Boston Lyric Opera. He has also performed with Granite State Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, the Opera Institute at BU, and the Olney Theater in Maryland. In addition, he joined the roster of New York City Opera to cover roles in "Il viaggio a Reims" and "The Little Prince."

The 2006 Joy in Singing competition winner, baritone Lee Gregory (Escamillo) made his New York City Opera debut in "Carmen" and counts Trinity Repertory’s "The Pirates of Penzance" among his credits. With BMO, he sang multiple roles in "The Marriages of Mozart" in 2006 and "The Tales of Offenbach" in 2007. Recent highlights include appearances with Toledo Opera, Nashville Opera, Bard's SummerScape Festival, Dayton Opera, and the Opera Company of Brooklyn.

For information, call 617-227-0442 or visit www.bostonmidsummeropera.org.

-- OnStage Boston