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Carmen

"Opera's guilty pleasure" (The Seattle Times)

May 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 13, 16, & 17, 2026
McCaw Hall

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May 02

Sat. 9:30 PM

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May 03

Sun. 4:00 PM

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May 08

Fri. 9:30 PM

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May 09

Sat. 9:30 PM

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May 10

Sun. 4:00 PM

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May 13

Wed. 9:30 PM

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May 16

Sat. 9:30 PM

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May 17

Sun. 4:00 PM

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Overview

Three acts of exquisite earworms and engaging action”

– The Seattle Times

Music by Georges Bizet
Libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy

Love hurts. Lust kills. The irresistible Carmen captivates the eyes of every man she meets, including the lovesick soldier Don José. As he forsakes his military duty, his fiancée, and the law, his admiration becomes uncontrollable obsession and Carmen leaves him for prestige and freedom. Bizet's famous music accompanies a lethal dance of lust, love, and survival that only stops when the struggle for freedom ends.

One of the world's most popular operas ever! "Opera's guilty pleasure" (The Seattle Times) returns in a "gorgeous production" (Seattle Magazine) featuring Tacoma native, mezzo-soprano J'Nai Bridges, whose Carmen is "young, sexy, vibrant, and dangerous" (Opera Today), and the "bewitchingly lustrous" (The New Zealand Herald) voice of mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke.

Available now with 2025/26 season tickets.

Performance Information

McCaw Hall

In French with English subtitles

Evening performances at 7:30 PM. Sunday matinees at 2:00 PM.

Performance Time: 3 hours and 30 minutes including 2 intermissions

Sunday, May 10: Family Day. Learn more

Movie-Style Rating: PG-13

Read Content Advisory

Accessibility Offerings

Audio Described Performance: Sunday, May 10

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Praise for Carmen

Beautiful and exciting from start to finish.”

– Drama in the Hood

Some of the most seductive and adhesive music ever written for the stage . . . all hooks from first bar to last.”

– Seattle Magazine

Bright, colorful . . . a lot of fun.”

– Andy Nicastro

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Cast

Sasha Cooke

Carmen

Mezzo-soprano

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Carmen, Carmen (‘26)
Hometown: College Station, TX

Previously at Seattle Opera: Hansel, Hansel and Gretel (‘16)
Seattle Opera Debut: Meg Page, Falstaff (‘10)

Seattle Opera Young Artist: 2006/07

Engagements: Marguerite, La Damnation de Faust (Bard Festival); Emilie Ekdahl, Fanny and Alexander (La Monnaie de Munt); Venus, Tannhäuser (Houston Grand Opera); Soloist, Mahler’s Second Symphony (San Francisco Symphony); Recital Soloist, Shostakovich’s From Jewish Folk Poetry (Carnegie Hall); Recitalist, Love Letters (Wigmore Hall)

Last updated: January 2025

Sasha Cooke

Carmen

May 2, 8, 10, & 16

J'Nai Bridges

Carmen

Mezzo-soprano

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Carmen,Carmen (‘26)
Hometown: Tacoma, WA

Previously at Seattle Opera: Dido, Les Troyens in Concert (’25)
Seattle Opera Debut: Delilah, Samson and Delilah in Concert (’23)

Engagements: Lucinda, Intelligence (Houston Grand Opera); Soloist, Stabat Mater (New York Philharmonic); Mezzo-soprano, El Niño (Metropolitan Opera); Carmen, Carmen (Hamburg State Opera, Arena di Verona, Dutch National Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Teatro Lirico di Cagliari); Nefertiti, Akhnaten (Metropolitan Opera); Soloist, Still and Negrón with Gustavo Dudamel (Los Angeles Philharmonic)

Last Updated: January 2024

J'Nai Bridges

Carmen

May 3, 9, 13, & 17

Matthew Cairns

Don José

Tenor

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Don José, Carmen (‘26)
Seattle Opera Debut
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario

Engagements: Ismaele, Nabucco, Tambourmajor, Wozzeck (Canadian Opera Company); Froh, Das Rheingold (Opéra national de Paris); Soloist, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony (Orchestre Métropolitain, Vancouver Symphony); Leonard (cover), The Hours (Metropolitan Opera)

Last updated: January 2025

Matthew Cairns

Don José

Seattle Opera Debut
May 2, 8, 10, & 16

Ryan Capozzo

Don José

Tenor

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Don José, Carmen (‘26)
Seattle Opera Debut
Hometown: Huntington Station, NY

Engagements: Prince, Rusalka (Gran Teatre del Liceu); Don José, Carmen (Schauspiel Zürich); The Voice of a Young Man, Die Frau ohne Schatten (Lyric Opera of Chicago); Albert, The Makropulos Case (Scottish Opera)

Last updated: January 2025

Ryan Capozzo

Don José

Seattle Opera Debut
May 3, 9, 13, & 17

Christian Pursell

Escamillo

Baritone

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Escamillo, Carmen (‘26)
Seattle Opera Debut
Hometown: Santa Cruz, CA

Engagements: The Prosecutor, Blind Injustice (MASTERVOICES); Adjudicator, The Tongue & The Lash (The Town Hall); Aman, Ester (Haymarket Opera); Thomas, This House (Opera Theatre St. Louis); Sciarrone, Tosca (Metropolitan Opera); Leoporello, Don Giovanni (Cincinnati Opera)

Last updated: January 2025

Christian Pursell

Escamillo

Seattle Opera Debut
May 2, 8, 10, & 16

Benjamin Taylor

Escamillo

Baritone

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Escamillo, Carmen (‘26)
Seattle Opera Debut
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA

Engagements: Moralès, Carmen (Metropolitan Opera); Jake, Porgy and Bess (Washington National Opera); Jan, Breaking the Waves (Detroit Opera); Paolo, Simon Boccanegra (Opera Philadelphia); Marcello, La bohème (Arizona Opera); Figaro, The Barber of Seville (Madison Opera)

Last updated: January 2025

Benjamin Taylor

Escamillo

Seattle Opera Debut
May 3, 9, 13, & 17

Kathleen O'Mara

Micaëla

Soprano

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Micaëla, Carmen (‘26)
Seattle Opera Debut
Hometown: Fort Washington, PA

Engagements: Helmwige, Die Walküre (Teatro alla Scala); Berta, The Barber of Seville (Metropolitan Opera); Mimì, La bohème (San Diego Opera); Duchess Christina, Galileo Galilei (Opera Theatre of St. Louis); Soprano, Carmen and Carnival with Dudamel (LA Philharmonic)

Last updated: January 2025

Kathleen O'Mara

Micaëla

Seattle Opera Debut
May 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 13, 16, & 17

Darren Drone

Zuniga

Baritone

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Zuniga, Carmen (‘26)
Hometown: Sherwood, AR

Previously at Seattle Opera: Edmund Watkins, Jubilee (‘24)
Seattle Opera Debut: Baron Douphol, La traviata (‘23)

Engagements: Adult James/Foreman, Fire Shut Up in My Bones (Metropolitan Opera); Belcore, The Elixir of Love (Florentine Opera Company); Marcello, La bohème (Glimmerglass Festival); Falstaff, Falstaff (Portland Opera); Tonio, Pagliacci (Utah Opera); Germont, La traviata (Berkshire Opera Festival)

Last updated: August 2024

Darren Drone

Zuniga

May 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 13, 16, & 17

Navasard Hakobyan

El Dancairo

Baritone

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: El Dancairo, Carmen (‘26)

Hometown: Yerevan, Armenia
Seattle Opera Debut
Engagements: Marcello, La bohème (Houston Grand Opera, Dresden Semperoper); Sharpless, Madame Butterfly (Houston Grand Opera); Gregorio, Romeo and Juliet (Dallas Opera); Silvio, Pagliacci, Germone, La traviata (Yerevan Opera Theater); Antonio, Il viaggio a Reims (Armenian State Symphony); Escamillo, Carmen in Concert (Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestra)

Last updated: April 2025

Navasard Hakobyan

El Dancairo

Seattle Opera Debut
May 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 13, 16, & 17

Daniel O'Hearn

Remendado

Tenor
At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Remendado, Carmen

Hometown: Chicago, IL
Seattle Opera Debut
Engagements: Matteo, Arabella (Deutsche Oper Berlin); Ruiz, Il Trovatore, The Master of Ceremonies, The Queen of Spades (The Metropolitan Opera); Don José, Carmen (Wolf Trap Opera); Rodolfo, La bohème (Pittsburgh Opera); Nemorino, The Elixir of Love (Utah Opera)

Last Updated: July 2025

Daniel O'Hearn

Remendado

May 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 13, 16, & 17

Ilya Silchukou

Moralès

Baritone
At Seattle Opera in 2024/25: Sciarrone, Tosca
At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: First Shepherd, Daphne in Concert; Moralès, Carmen

Hometown: Minkus, Belarus
Seattle Opera Debut
Engagements: Jager, Rusalka (Teatro alla Scala); Prince Yeletzky, Queen of Spades (Sofia Opera); Dandini, La Cenerentola (Sofia Opera, Opéra National de Montpellier); Simeon, L’Enfant Prodigue (Tacoma Opera); Belcore, L’elisir d’amore (Théâtre du Capitole)

Last Updated: May 2024

Ilya Silchukou

Moralès

May 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 13, 16, & 17

Meredith Wohlgemuth

Frasquita

Soprano
At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Frasquita, Carmen

Hometown: Winter Haven, FL
Seattle Opera Debut
Engagements: Sophie, Der Rosenkavalier and Juliet, The Capulets and the Montagues (Staatsoper Hannover); Ilia, Idomeneo (Aspen Music Festival); Soprano Soloist, Bruckner’s Te Deum (Deutsche Radio Philharmonie); Marie (cover), La fille du régiment (Metropolitan Opera); Soprano Soloist, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 (Tiroler Festspiele Erl)

Last Updated: May 2025

Meredith Wohlgemuth

Frasquita

Seattle Opera Debut
May 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 13, 16, & 17

Melody Wilson

Mercédès

Mezzo-soprano

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Gaea, Daphne in Concert (‘26); Mercédès, Carmen (‘26)

Hometown: Newark, DE
Seattle Opera Debut: Olga, Eugene Onegin (‘20)
Previously at Seattle Opera: Fricka, Das Rheingold (‘23)

Engagements: Charmian (cover), Antony and Cleopatra, Olga (cover), Eugene Onegin (San Francisco Opera); Cousin Blanche (cover), Champion (Metropolitan Opera); Rossweisse, Die Walküre (Dallas Symphony); Mary, Flying Dutchman (Lyric Opera of Chicago); Hermia, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Atlanta Opera); Amneris, Aida (Union Avenue Opera)

Last updated: January 2025

Melody Wilson

Mercédès

May 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 13, 16, & 17

Creative Team

Ludovic Morlot

Conductor

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Conductor, Carmen
Hometown: Lyon, France

Judith Fong Conductor Emeritus of Seattle Symphony

Previously at Seattle Opera: Conductor, Les Troyens in Concert (‘25); Das Rheingold (’23); Samson and Delilah in Concert ('23); Welcome Back Concert: Die Walküre (’21)
Seattle Opera Debut: Beatrice and Benedict (’18)

Engagements: Music Director (Barcelona Symphony Orchestra); Conductor Emeritus (Seattle Symphony); Associate Artist (BBC Philharmonic); Guest Conductor (Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Danish National Symphony)

Last Updated: January 2024

Ludovic Morlot

Conductor

Paul Curran

Stage Director & Choreographer

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Stage Director, Carmen (‘26)
Hometown: Glasgow, Scotland

Seattle Opera Debut: Director, Carmen (‘19)
Engagements: Stage Director, Tristan und Isolde (San Francisco Opera); Die Fledermaus (The Grange Festival); La fanciulla del West (Teatro Comunale di Bologna); La Clemenza di Tito, Ariadne auf Naxos (Teatro la Fenice)

Last updated: February 2025

Paul Curran

Stage Director & Choreographer

Gary McCann

Set & Costume Designer

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Set & Costume Designer, Carmen (‘26)

Hometown: County Armagh, Ireland
Seattle Opera Debut: Set & Costume Designer, Carmen (‘19)
Engagements: Set & Costume Designer, The Merry Widow (Glyndebourne Opera House); Fedra (The National Institute of Ancient Drama); The Great Gatsby (Royal Danish Ballet); Der Rosenkavalier (Santa Fe Opera); La Clemenza di Tito (Teatro La Fenice); End (National Theatre of Great Britain)

Last Updated: March 2025

Gary McCann

Set & Costume Designer

Paul Hackenmueller

Lighting Designer

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Carmen

Hometown: Chaska, MN
Seattle Opera Debut: Carmen ('19)
Engagements: Lighting Designer, Baden Baden 1927 (Gotham Chamber Opera); Werther, I puritani, Tosca (Boston Lyric Opera); Rodelinda (Pittsburgh Opera); Roméo et Juliette (Opera Colorado)

Last updated: June 2025

Paul Hackenmueller

Lighting Designer

Connie Yun

Associate Lighting Designer

Lighting Designer
At Seattle Opera in 2024/25: Freddie Ballentine and Kunal Lahiry in Concert; Tosca

Hometown: East Lansing, MI
Seattle Opera Debut: Die Fledermaus (’06)
Previously at Seattle Opera: Samson and Delilah in Concert (’23); The Marriage of Figaro (’22); Welcome Back Concert: Die Walküre (’21); Don Giovanni (’21);The Elixir of Love (’20); The Turn of the Screw (’18); Beatrice and Benedict (’18); An American Dream (’17 and ’15)

Engagements: Lighting Designer, La bohème (Opera Colorado); The Barber of Seville (Madison Opera); Salome, Pelléas & Mélisande (Des Moines Metro Opera); María de Buenos Aires (The Florentine Opera); Madame Butterfly (Opera Philadelphia)

Last updated: March 2025

Connie Yun

Associate Lighting Designer

Geoffrey Alm

Fight Director

Fight Director
At Seattle Opera in 2024/25: Pagliacci;Jubilee; Tosca

Hometown: Seattle, WA
Seattle Opera Debut: War and Peace (’90)
Previously at Seattle Opera: A Thousand Splendid Suns (’23); Rigoletto (’19); Carmen (’19); Il trovatore (’19); The Ring (’13, ’00)
Engagements: Fat Ham (Seattle Rep); The Skin of Our Teeth (Seattle Rep); Sweat (ACT Theatre); Macbeth (Seattle Shakespeare Company); Camelot (Village Theatre)

Last Updated: September 2024

Geoffrey Alm

Fight Director

Ashlee Naegle

Wigs, Hair, and Makeup Manager & Designer

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Wigs, Hair, and Makeup Manager & Designer, The Pirates of Penzance; Fellow Travelers; Carmen; Hair and Makeup Manager & Designer, Daphne in Concert

Hometown: Las Vegas, NV
Seattle Opera Debut: Hair and Makeup Intern, Giulio Cesare (2007)
Previously at Seattle Opera: Wigs, Hair, and Makeup Designer, Pagliacci ('24); Jubilee ('24); Lucidity ('24); Les Troyens in Concert ('25); The Magic Flute ('25); Tosca ('25); Supplemental Wigs, Hair and Makeup Designer, Das Rheingold ('23); Alcina ('23); X: The Life & Times of Malcolm X ('24); The Barber of Seville ('24)

Ashlee Naegle made a name for herself early on in her career by mastering the dying art of wig building. She created and designed for several companies around town until the Seattle Opera created an in-house Hair and Makeup Designer position for her in 2017. During her time as the in-house Hair and Makeup Designer, she has built a sizable wig collection, built a department, and set high standards for wigs, hair and makeup. With each production, her designs are custom built for the performers and their characters to create a believable façade for the audience as well as complement the costumes and production as a whole.

Last Updated: July 2025

Ashlee Naegle

Wigs, Hair, and Makeup Manager & Designer

Michaella Calzaretta

Chorus Master

Chorus Master

Hometown: Muscatine, IA
Seattle Opera debut: The Elixir of Love (’22)
Michaella Calzaretta made her Seattle Opera debut in 2022 as the company’s new chorus master and head of music staff. Acclaimed for her high standards and superb preparation skills, Calzaretta oversees all musical activities at the company and prepares the chorus for main stage productions. In January, the chorus embarked on their immensely successful first-ever tour to Mt. Vernon and Vashon Island. Recent praise includes “Her chorus was one of the stars... the voices were radiant” (Bachtrack) and “... the singers are both zesty and accurate (they’re also extremely nimble)” (The Seattle Times). Calzaretta is a doctoral candidate in choral conducting at Indiana University.

Last Updated: July 2024

Michaella Calzaretta

Chorus Master

Staging Staff

Anderson Nunnelley

Assistant Stage Director

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Assistant Stage Director, Carmen

Hometown: Traverse City, MI
Seattle Opera Debut: Assistant Director, Charlie Parker’s Yardbird (’20)
Previously at Seattle Opera: Director, Les Troyens in Concert (’25); Assistant Director, Alcina (’23); Associate Director, A Thousand Splendid Suns (‘23); Assistant Director, Blue (‘22)
Engagements: Madame Butterfly (LA Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Opera Pittsburgh, Opera Utah); Pelléas et Mélisande, Rigoletto (Santa Fe Opera); El Relicario de los Animales (Long Beach Opera); Nacht Ohne Morgen (Staatsoper Berlin, Opéra Comique); LA Opera Staging Staff 2025/26

Last Updated: January 2025

Anderson Nunnelley

Assistant Stage Director

Jonathan Moore

Production Stage Manager

Production Stage Manager

Hometown: Houston, TX
Seattle Opera Mainstage Debut: Les Troyens in Concert (’25)
Jonathan Moore (he/him) is thrilled to be a part of the Seattle Opera Production Team as Production Stage Manager. He has primarily worked in opera and ballet, including, most recently, a 4-season stint at the Houston Ballet. He has also stage managed for plays, musicals, a Fringe Festival, concerts, and a drag show. Favorite projects include a tour to Tokyo, an opera in a hot spring, and several operas in barns. He has worked across the country, including in New York, San Diego, San Antonio, Steamboat Springs, and Logan, UT.

Last Updated: February 2025

Jonathan Moore

Production Stage Manager

Quinn Chase

Assistant Stage Manager

Assistant Stage Manager
At Seattle Opera in 2024/25: Pagliacci, Jubilee, The Magic Flute, Tosca

Hometown: Coventry, RI
Seattle Opera Debut: Il trovatore ('19)
Previously at Seattle Opera: Jubilee (‘24); Pagliacci (‘24); X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X ('24); Das Rheingold ('23); A Thousand Splendid Suns ('23)
Engagements: Blithe Spirit, Sanctuary City, Selling Kabul, Teenage Dick (Seattle Repertory Theatre); A Christmas Carol (ACT Contemporary Theatre); Everything is Illuminated (Book-It Repertory Theatre)

Last Updated: January 2025

Quinn Chase

Assistant Stage Manager

Jamie Kranz

Assistant Stage Manager

Assistant Stage Manager
At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: The Pirates of Penzance (‘25); Carmen (‘26)

Hometown: Mason City, IA
Seattle Opera Debut: The Marriage of Figaro ('22)
Previously at Seattle Opera: Pagliacci (‘24); Das Rheingold (‘23); The Elixir of Love (‘22)
Engagements: After Midnight, Bye Bye Birdie, Waitress (5th Avenue Theatre); Legally Blonde (Village Theatre); Blithe Spirit (Seattle Rep); POTUS (ACT Contemporary Theatre)