Orchestra Kentucky and Kentucky Opera are teaming up to present a concert version of Georges Bizet’s Carmen.  Members of Kentucky Opera’s Studio Artists Program will join the 60 professional musicians of Orchestra Kentucky and the twenty-five members of the Orchestra Kentucky Chorale for the production. The opera will be sung in French and English supertitles will be projected above the stage.

“Carmen is one of the top ten most performed operas in music history,” said Jeffrey Reed, Music Director of Orchestra Kentucky. “Its popularity is because of all the great tunes, like The Toreador’s Song and the Habanera, and because the story is timeless. It has all the themes of a modern day soap opera: jealousy, revenge, murder. In short, it is a great evening’s entertainment,” said Reed. “Kentucky Opera’s production sold out several performances in Louisville. This is an opportunity to see a professional production of an operatic masterpiece, right here in our own community.”

Kentucky Opera was founded in 1952 by Moritz von Bomhard and designated the State Opera of Kentucky in 1982. Operas were presented in the Columbia Auditorium until 1964 when they moved to the Brown Theatre. The company began performing selected works at Whitney Hall in the Kentucky Center for the Arts in 1984 and moved all mainstage performances to the Whitney in 2000. The opera returned to the Brown in 2009.

Under Bomhard’s direction, Kentucky Opera grew from a small organization, one of the first regional opera companies in America, to become a strong, innovative and respectable company that presented quality productions for appreciative audiences. The Bomhard Theater at the Kentucky Center for the Arts is named in his honor. After 30 years of tenure, Bomhard retired in 1982.

In January 2006, David Roth was announced as the new general director of Kentucky Opera. During his tenure with Kentucky Opera, Roth has continuously strived to push the artistic levels of the company with debut productions and artists.

From its humble beginnings in 1952, when the budget of $10,000 produced three operas, Kentucky Opera has grown to a respected regional company with an annual budget in excess of $2.4 million. With the addition of Kentucky Opera Studio Artists Program and other growing outreach programs, the company is well positioned to take its place as a leader in the region and the nation in the dynamic field of opera.

Carmen will be presented on Monday, October 17, 2011 at Van Meter Hall on the campus of Western Kentucky University. Maestro Jeffrey Reed presents a pre-concert talk about the music to be performed at 6:45. The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. Free shuttle busses will run from 6:00 until concert time from Mariah’s and The Brickyard Café. After the concert, they will return patrons to the same locations.

Tickets start at just $10 and are available online at www.OrchestraKentucky.com or by phone, (270) 846-2426 or, toll free, (855) 232-1452. Subscribers to the entire VIP Series get priority seating and receive a discount off of single ticket prices. Visit www.OrchestraKentucky.com for more information on the series.

Carmen is sponsored by the Baker Arboretum and Dr. Patricia Mercer and is co-sponsored by English, Lucas, Priest & Owsley, LLP. The VIP Series is sponsored by the Haskins Foundation.

About Orchestra Kentucky

Orchestra Kentucky is South Central Kentucky’s only fully professional orchestra. It presents over 15-20 concerts per season. The Retro Series features music of the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s, performed by vocalists, rock band, and orchestra. The VIP Series combines the best in classical and popular music, often on the same program. Orchestra Kentucky distributes concert tickets to the underserved in the community through its Arts Access for All program and educates future generations through the Bowling Green String Academy and Bowling Green Youth Orchestras.