FEATURE

Scene two begins as Don José, who has recently been released from prison, returns to see Carmen at The Threepenny Tavern, where they reconcile (“Je vais danser en votre honneur” or “Now I shall dance for your reward”). Don José’s mind begins to wander toward his sick mother while Carmen attempts to keep his attention through song, “La fleur que tu m’avais jetée” (“The flower you threw at me”), which is interrupted by Micaëla’s “Je dis que rien ne m’épouvante” (“I say that nothing shall deter me”).

Scene three introduces Escamillo, a toreador, who serenades Carmen with his song, “Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre” (The Toreador Song: “For a toast, your own will avail me”). Don José’s jealousy prompts him to confront Escamillo, who leaves instead of engaging. Don José and Carmen argue, but Micaëla ultimately interrupts and finally convinces Don José to return to his mother.

The final scene reveals that Don José was too late to see his mother before her death. Defeated, Don José again heads to The Threepenny Tavern, where Carmen and her friends sing “Mêlons! Coupons!” (The Card Trio: “Shuffle! Cut them!”). Carmen sees her death as she reads her fortune in the cards. Fulfilling this fortune, Don José kills her, and the curtain closes.

Carmen’s freedom—as a woman and as an artist— empowers and inspires passion. She maintains her right to perform amidst a pandemic, not allowing mere circumstances to prevent her self-expression. Her art inspires passion—sometimes so much passion that it leads to the downfall of those who deem themselves above her. Not even those who claim to have control over her—law enforcement, cops—can rob her of her freedom. Instead, her freedom overpowers them. Carmen is liberty.

While Padmé Amidila condemns those who applaud the death of liberty, in our case perhaps there is good reason for applause at the end of Carmen. We do not applaud the death of liberty because we are glad to see

it go and be replaced by something else. Instead, we applaud because we recognize what Carmen represents: a free woman and a free artist who cannot be held back. We applaud because we see the importance of what this opera can tell us: —freedom in artistic creation empowers and impassions, whether that passion looks like scathing remarks in the press or jealous outbursts. We applaud the liberty that allowed for the creation of the work and the liberty that lives within the work. Therefore, while the death of liberty may be met with thunderous applause, it be met with thunderous applause, it is not for its death that we applaud, its death that we applaud, but for the life of that liberty in but for the life of that liberty in Carmen.

Costume sketches by Costume Designer, Joanna Schmink for Don Jose, Carmen, and Escamillo.

Internationally acclaimed conductor, Jorge Parodi, has worked extensively in the Americas and Asia and has led several productions at The Atlanta Opera, Opera Tampa, Savannah Opera, Buenos Aires Lírica (Argentina), the Castleton Festival, The Banff Centre (Canada) and The Juilliard School. Recent credits include his debut at New York City Opera, Chautauqua Opera and Opera Orlando. He has led the World Premiéres of Anton Coppola’s Lady Swanwhite for Opera Tampa, and John Musto’s Rhoda and the Fossil Hunt in a coproduction of On Site Opera, JORGE PARODI Lyric Opera of Chicago Lyric’s Unlimited and Pittsburgh CONDUCTOR Opera. Reviewed as having “the most expressive conducting hands since Stokowski” by the New York Daily ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT News, Argentinean born Jorge Parodi has worked with MARIA DE BUENOS AIRES, such companies as the Teatro Colón in Argentina, the 2017 Volgograd Opera in Russia, the Encuentros Internacionales de Opera in Mexico, and the International Vocal Arts Institute in Israel. He has collaborated with such artists as Isabel Leonard, Eglise Gutiérrez, Tito Capobianco, Sherrill Milnes, Aprile Millo and Rufus Wainwright and has assisted conductors Lorin Maazel and Julius Rudel, among others. Maestro Parodi is the Music Director of the Senior Opera Theatre at the Manhattan School of Music, where he has led its productions to critical acclaim. He was appointed General and Artistic Director of Opera Hispánica. Among many performances during his tenure as Artistic Director of Opera Hispánica, maestro Parodi performed with such artists as Eglise Gutiérrez and Metropolitan Opera star, Isabel Leonard. He conducted OH Festival’s production of Piazzolla’s María de Buenos Aires which The New York Times described as “excellent.” Upcoming performances with Opera Hispánica include a recital with tenor Ricky Garcia and a coproduction with Teatro Grattacielo. Mr. Parodi is the Founder and Music Director of the Tokyo International Vocal Arts Academy Summer Workshop. He has been a faculty member at The Juilliard School for over a decade and he is Vocal Coach of the prestigious Juilliard School’s PreCollege Division. He has offered master classes at the Instituto Superior de Arte del Teatro Colón (Buenos Aires), the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the Manhattan School of Music (as coteacher with opera legend Martina Arroyo), the Escuela Superior de Canto (Madrid) and the Kunitachi Music College (Tokyo).

Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. General & Artistic Director of The Atlanta Opera since 2013, Israeli born Tomer Zvulun is one of the leading stage directors of his generation, earning consistent praise for his creative vision and innovative interpretations. His work has been presented by prestigious opera houses in Europe, South and Central America, Israel and the US, including The Metropolitan Opera, Washington National Opera, Seattle, Houston, Dallas, San Diego, Boston, Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Montreal, Buenos Aires, and the festivals of Wexford, Glimmerglass and Wolf Trap, TOMER ZVULUN as well as leading educational institutes and universities CARL W. KNOBLOCH, JR. such as The Juilliard School, Indiana University, and Boston GENERAL & ARTISTIC University. He spent seven seasons on the directing staff at The Metropolitan Opera, where he directed revivals of DIRECTOR Carmen and Tosca and was involved with more than a PRODUCTION DIRECTOR dozen new productions. He is a frequent guest director at companies such as Seattle Opera (Semele, La bohème, ATLANTA OPERA DEBUT Eugene Onegin, Lucia di Lammermoor), The Dallas Opera THE FLYING DUTCHMAN, (Die Fledermaus, La bohème), Houston Grand Opera 2009 (Flying Dutchman, Rigoletto), Wexford Festival (Silent Night, Dinner at Eight), Cincinnati Opera (Magic Flute, Don Giovanni, Flying Dutchman), Wolf Trap (Falstaff, Don Giovanni), Israeli Opera (Dead Man Walking, Giulio Cesare) among others. His European premiere of Silent Night at the Wexford Festival received two Irish Times Awards and traveled from Ireland to Washington National Opera, The Glimmerglass Festival, and the opera companies of Atlanta, Austin, and Salt Lake City. He directed over 15 new productions at his home company in Atlanta, including Dead Man Walking, The Flying Dutchman, Soldier Songs, Silent Night, Maria de Buenos Aires, La bohème, Madama Butterfly, Lucia di Lammermoor, The Magic Flute, and Eugene Onegin. During Tomer’s tenure, the company’s fundraising has tripled, resulting in twice the number of productions presented annually. His focus on innovation has garnered national attention and resulted in a Harvard Business School case study chronicling The Atlanta Opera’s turnaround, an International Opera Awards nomination, an ArtsATL Luminary Award, and an invitation to deliver a TEDx Talk about innovation in opera.