April 27, 2016 — Las Vegas, Nev. — Opera Las Vegas, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing high quality opera productions to the Las Vegas valley, announces tickets for the production of Carmen are now available for purchase through UNLV’s Performing Arts Center Box Office, http://www.unlv.edu/event/opera-las-vegas-carmen or by calling 702-895-ARTS (2787). Coming to the Judy Bayley Theatre in the Performing Arts Center at UNLV on Friday, June 10th at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, June 12^th at 2 p.m., tickets are priced at $95, $75 and $55.

Carmen will be conducted by Metropolitan Opera Maestro Gregory Buchalter and star Maya Lahyani as Carmen, Viktor Antipenko as Don Jose, Suzanne Vinnik, a Las Vegas native and graduate of the Las Vegas Academy, as Micaela, and Trevor Scheunemann as Escamillo. The director, Henry Price, is a former internationally renowned tenor who now leads the Pepperdine University’s Flora L. Thornton Opera Program.

Supporting roles feature talent from the Las Vegas community and include: Eugene Richards from Henderson; Brian James Myer, a Las Vegas native and UNLV graduate; Emily Botts a graduate student at UNLV, and Kylee Slee from Las Vegas. The chorus is drawn exclusively from the Las Vegas valley and includes current and former students from the Las Vegas Academy and UNLV, as well as well-known singers such as Marco Valera from Las Vegas, who sings professionally. The orchestra is comprised of top musicians from the area including many from the Las Vegas Philharmonic.

Since 2011, Opera Las Vegas has worked with multinational opera singers from The Metropolitan Opera in New York and brought them to the Valley to perform alongside up and coming talent from the Las Vegas community. Opera Las Vegas nurtures local talent and provides them the only opportunity possible in Las Vegas to work alongside top professionals in the opera community, including renowned vocal stars, leading conductors and acclaimed directors. For more information about Opera Las Vegas and how to support the nonprofit organization visit www.OperaLasVegas.com.

Opera Synopsis:

Carmen , a four-act French opera by Georges Bizet, is one of the most popular and often performed operas in the repertoire. It boasts one of the most tuneful and memorable scores of all time, with such world famous melodies as the title character's sinuous “Habanera,” and the immediately recognizable “Toreador Song.”

Set in the heady, highly charged atmosphere of Seville in southern Spain, Carmen tells the story of Don José, a naïve soldier who is first seduced by the calculated wiles of the fiery gypsy Carmen, and then succumbs to a slow and inexorable descent into passion, obsession, and despair. José rejects his devoted village sweetheart Micaela and abandons his military duties, yet he ultimately loses Carmen's love to the charismatic 'rock-star' toreador Escamillo.

The depictions of peasant life, immorality and lawlessness, and the explosive intensity of the final scene broke new ground in French opera. While Carmen was initially highly controversial, it rapidly gained enduring celebrity in all of the world's opera houses.

For more information about the opera Carmen, its performers or Opera Las Vegas, email info@OperaLasVegas.com . To request photos, in studio live performances, credentials to the event or access to rehearsals, contact Alana@AdvisorPR.com.

About Opera Las Vegas:

Opera Las Vegas is a Nevada nonprofit corporation, which is dedicated to producing quality operatic performances for opera lovers. The organization is dedicated to promoting and encouraging interest in operatic music. In addition to offering familiar works from traditional opera repertoire, Opera Las Vegas also seeks lesser-known operas and encourages the creation of new works. Opera Las Vegas works in partnership with other fine arts organizations, educational institutions and entertainment corporations to nurture development of professional skills in students and young artists through apprentice programs. Recognizing the significance of art as communication, Opera Las Vegas strives to offer the community performing arts of the highest caliber. Opera Las Vegas was established in 1999 by Mr. Mark Thomsen, Tenor; Dr. Paul Krieder, UNLV Faculty; and Ms. Gloria Marinacci Allen, a world renown opera singer; as well as several other like-minded individuals who wanted to bring this art form to Southern Nevada. Opera Las Vegas is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation with a staff comprised solely of volunteers skilled in management, planning and marketing, as well as the musical and theatrical arts. For more information about Opera Las Vegas and how to support the organization visit http://www.OperaLasVegas.com.