March 27 – 29, 2026
San Diego Civic Theatre
Music by Georges Bizet
Libretto by Ludovic Halévy and Henri Meilhac
The most fearless and indomitable heroine in all opera is back! When Carmen tosses a flower to the soldier Don José, he becomes obsessed, leaving his post to join her band of smugglers. But when she loses interest and sets her sights on a bullfighter, Don José may not be able to handle the rejection.
With a score packed with opera classics, including the “Habanera,” the “Toreador Song,” and one of the greatest overtures ever written, you’ll be joining Don José as you fall under the spell of Carmen.
Melody Wilson
Carmen (Fri & Sun)
“An opera singer to watch!”
~Classical Singer Magazine
Melody Wilson
Carmen (Fri & Sun)
San Diego Opera debut.
Recent and Upcoming: Mercedes in Carmen (Seattle Opera, Cincinnati Opera); Gaea in Daphne in Concert (Seattle Opera); Musiel Byrd Jeter in Loving v. Virginia (Virginia Opera); Amneris in Aida (Union Avenue Opera); Rossweisse in Die Walküre (Dallas Symphony Orchestra); Mary in Der fliegende Holländer (Lyric Opera of Chicago); Fricka in Das Rheingold (Seattle Opera); Fenena in Nabucco (Washington Concert Opera, Union Avenue Opera); Meg Page in Falstaff (Union Avenue Opera); Olga in Eugene Onegin (Union Avenue Opera, Seattle Opera); Suzuki in Madama Butterfly (Indianapolis Opera).
Guadalupe Paz
Carmen (Sat)
“Paz presents a sound beautiful but with depth.”
~San Diego Reader
Guadalupe Paz
Carmen (Sat)
San Diego Opera highlights: Mercedes in Carmen; Frida Kahlo in El ultimó sueño de Frida y Diego; La Maestra Dele Novizie in Suor Angelica; La Mujer in El milagro del recuerdo.
Recent and Upcoming: Maddalena in Rigoletto (Ópera de Bellas Artes); Carlotta de Obragón in Zorro (Opera San José, Fort Worth Opera); Theresa Alvarez in The Listeners (Opera Philadelphia); Zerlina in La traviata (Opera Laguna); Paula in Florencia en el Amazonas (Opera San Jose); La Marchesa Melibea in Il viaggio a Reims (Ópera de Bellas Artes); Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus (Ópera de Bellas Artes); Isabella in L’italiana in Algeri (Ópera de Bellas Artes).
Thomas Kinch
Don José (Fri & Sun)
“Fully in command of his music with energy throughout.”
~Parterre Box
Thomas Kinch
Don Jose (Fri & Sun)
San Diego Opera debut.
Recent and Upcoming: Don Jose in Carmen (San Francisco Opera); Melot in Tristan und Isolde (San Francisco Opera); Licinius in La vestale (Teatro Grattacielo); Man in armour in Die Zauberflöte (Welsh National Opera); B.F. Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly (Opera Bohemia, OperaUpClose); Canio in Pagliacci (If Opera); Father Grenville in Dead Man Walking (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland); Gherardo in Gianni Schicchi (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland); Sam Kaplan in Street Scene (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland); Nadir in Les Pêcheurs de Perles (Opera Bohemia).
Jonny Kaufman
Don José (Sat)
“Reminiscent of Pavarotti. Magnificent voice and
more than enough power!”
~St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Jonny Kaufman
Don Jose (Sat)
San Diego Opera debut.
Recent and Upcoming: Steersman in Der fliegende Holländer (Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra); Samson in Samson et Dalila (St. Pete Opera); Rodolfo in La bohème (Opera Grand Rapids, Northern Lights Music Festival, Opera Wilmington); B.F. Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly (Opera Carolina, New Orleans Opera); Don Jose in Carmen (Opera Western Reserve); Turiddu in Cavalleria rusticana (Opera Carolina); Malcolm in Macbeth (Opera Carolina, Toledo Opera).
Aleksey Bogdanov
Escamillo
“Bogdanov’s voice rumbles rivetingly
from top to bottom.”
~Opera News
Aleksey Bogdanov
Escamillo
San Diego Opera debut.
Recent and Upcoming: Count Monterone in Rigoletto (San Francisco Opera); Donner in Das Rheingold (Pacific Symphony); Count Capulet in Roméo et Juliette (Palm Beach Opera); Baron Scarpia in Tosca (Palm Beach Opera, Livermore Valley Opera, Arizona Opera, Austin Opera); Platon Kuzmich Kovalev in The Nose (Chicago Opera Theater); Renato in Un ballo in Maschera (Maryland Lyric Opera); Bass in Messa da Requiem (San Diego Symphony); Title role in Aleko (Odyssey Opera); Jack Rance in La fanciulla del West (Royal Swedish Opera); Title role in Rigoletto (Nashville Opera, Central City Opera); Andrey Tchelkalov in Boris Godunov (The Metropolitan Opera).
Lydia Grindatto
Micaëla
“A lovely and distinctive soprano, with a gorgeous
sheen in the upper octave.”
~Parterre Box
Lydia Grindatto
Micaëla
San Diego Opera debut.
Recent and Upcoming: Violetta Valéry in La traviata (Utah Opera, The Academy of Vocal Arts); Anne Trulove in The Rake’s Progress (The Glimmerglass Festival); Leonora in Il trovatore (Wexford Festival Opera); Nedda in Pagliacci (Utah Opera); Juliette in Roméo et Juliette (Palm Beach Opera); Marguerite in Faust (The Academy of Vocal Arts); Donna Anna in Don Giovanni (Merola Opera Program, Arizona Opera, The Academy of Vocal Arts); Tatiana in Eugene Onegin (Columbus Symphony, The Academy of Vocal Arts); Second Wood Sprite in Rusalka (Santa Fe Opera.
MORE CAST »
Felipe Prado
Gastone
Felipe Prado
Gastone
Tenor Felipe Prado made his Company debut as Remendado in 2019’s Carmen¸ and returned to sing the Second Villager in the world premiere of El último sueño de Frida y Diegoand Padre Matias in El milagro del recuerdo. Notable appearances include Spoletta in Tosca with Guild Opera, Borsa in Rigoletto and Gastone and Giuseppe in La traviata with Antelope Valley Symphony Orchestra and Master Chorale, Tamino in The Magic Flute with Ridgecrest Opera Guild, and Alfredo in La traviata with Pacific Lyric Association. He has been a featured soloist for the concert Opera Highlights with the California Philharmonic Orchestra. As an active member of multiple professional ensembles such as the California Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorale he has had the great honor to perform in great venues such as the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Warner Grand Theater, The Santa Anita Race Track, and the UCLA’s Royce Hall. In 2010 he joined the AVC Concert Choir and Master Chorale and took part in many concerts in a wide range of repertoire. In 2013 he started collaborating with several groups in Los Angeles area, such as the Pacific Palisades Symphony, Los Angeles Lawyers Philharmonic and Legal Voices among others. He also became part of the California Philharmonic Chorale as a chorister under the baton of Victor Vener and vocal direction of Marya Basaraba, and the Golden State Pops Orchestra.
Travis Sherwood
Baron Douphol
Travis Sherwood
Baron Douphol
San Diego Opera debut.
American Baritone, Travis Sherwood, has received praise for his powerful voice and emotionally poignant performances around the world as an opera singer, concert artist, and recitalist, performing a wide range of musical genres and styles.
On the operatic stage, Sherwood has sung for Amarillo Opera, Mississippi Opera, Aspen Opera Theater, Opera a la Carte, Princeton Festival, Bohème Opera, Spoleto Festival USA, and Opera New Jersey. On the concert stage, Sherwood has performed with the La Jolla Symphony, Southwest Symphony, Chatter Orchestra, Hunterdon Symphony, Symphony of the Vines, Canto Bello Chamber Orchestra, Monroe Symphony Orchestra, and La Sierra Symphony Orchestra. Sherwood has also enjoyed many collaborative recitals with distinguished pianists throughout the world.
Beyond performing, Sherwood enjoys teaching the next generation of singers. He currently serves as Associate Professor of Voice, Voice Area Coordinator, and Director of SDSU Opera Theatre on the faculty of San Diego State University.
DeAndre Simmons
Marchese D'Obigny
DeAndre Simmons
Marchese D’Obigny
Company appearances: Sciarrone in Tosca (2023), The Bonze in Madama Butterfly (2024)
American bass, DeAndre Simmons. Notable appearances: Amonasro, Aida (Portland Opera in the Park); Oroveso, Norma (NJ Verismo Opera); Padre Guardiano, La Forza del Destino (Atlantic Opera Festival); Alidoro, Cenerentola (Opera Philadelphia); Carbon, Cyrano (Opera Philadelphia); Soloist, Mozart Requiem (Santa Barbara Symphony); soloist, Beethoven Ninth (Santa Barbara Symphony); Boatman, Sunday in the park with George (CCAE Theatricals); soloist, Verdi Requiem (London Symphony); Caiaphas, Jesus Christ Superstar (Moonlight Theatre); soloist, World Childhood Fdn for HM Queens Silvia of Sweden; Recital, Die Winterreise (Chicago, NYC, LA, Berlin, Paris, London); soloist, Handel’s Messiah (Grand Junction Symphony); Ferrando, Il Trovatore (Astoria Music Festival); soloist, Haydn’s The Creation (Bar Choral Society & London Symphony); Grand Inquisitor, Candide (LA Philharmonic); Cal, Regina (Pacific Opera Victoria); Sarastro, Die Zauberflöte (Opera Panama); Recital, (Musée Jacquemart-André, Paris)
IG: @DeAndresVoice
Michael Sokol
Doctor Grenville
Michael Sokol
Doctor Grenville
Company appearances: Sergeant of Police in The Pirates of Penzance (2017), Ensemble, All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 (2018); soloist, When I See Your Face Again (2021); Maestro Spinelloccio in Gianni Schicchi (2023), A Sacristan in Tosca (2023), Mr. Costello in Ghosts (2023).
Notable appearances: Metropolitan Opera; Philadelphia Orchestra; Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago; Frank Lloyd Wright, Shining Brow (Madison Opera); director, San Diego Summer Gilbert and Sullivan Workshop.
Louis Lohraseb
Conductor
"Proves why he is one of the most promising young conductors of his generation, with Classical Music Daily describing the performance as ‘a triumph … at the end [the audience] erupted into almost ten minutes of ovations."
~Naxos Music Group
Louis Lohraseb
Conductor
San Diego Opera debut.
Recent and Upcoming: Conductor – The Barber of Seville (Central City Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago); Madama Butterfly (Colorado Springs Philharmonic); Le nozze di Figaro (Sarasota Opera); Alcina (The Shepherd School of Music Rice University); Faust (Merola Opera Program); Le nozze di Figaro (Staatsoper Hamburg); La traviata (LA Opera, Komische Opera Berlin); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (The Atlanta Opera); Thérèse (Sarasota Opera); Tosca (LA Opera); Don Giovanni (Jacobs School of Music-Indiana University); Carmen (Semperoper Dresden); La rondine (Jacobs School of Music-Indiana University); Roberto Devereux (LA Opera).
Set and Projection Design
Tim Wallace
Lighting Design
Abigail Hoke-Brady
Costume Design
Jess Goldstein
Hair and Makeup Design
Jenn Hill
Resident Conductor/Chorus Master
Bruce Stasyna
Assistant Director
Matthew Haney
Diction Coach
Emanuela Patroncini
Stage Manager
Carmen Catherine Alfaro
Supertitle Caller
Oxana Bulgakova
Assistant Stage Managers
Caitlynn Sandoval
Adrian Speth
Musical Preparation
Catherine Miller
Production Assistant
Holden Fox
Pre-Performance Talk
March 27, 28, and 29
Beat the traffic and get the most out of the performance at a free 25-minute talk in the auditorium 50 minutes prior to each opera performance. It’s a great way to learn about the opera and note what to listen for!
Post-Opera Talk-Back
March 28 and 29
Immediately following the performance on Saturday and Sunday, join us in the Dress Circle seating section for an informative Q&A with San Diego Opera staff and cast members.
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