Carmen’s allure is inescapable. This fiery femme fatale inspires passion, shatters hearts… and for over a century, has never ceased to satisfy. Once Corporal Don Jose falls under her spell, his desire transforms him from a noble soldier into a common criminal… and ultimately, a murderer.

This all-new production evokes a sand-swept, lusty Seville – where honor is betrayed and temptation is awakened over the most casual of cigarettes. Carmen will be the first starring role at Opera Theatre for St. Louis’s own Kendall Gladen, whose blazing talent first emerged in OTSL’s Artist-in-Training program when she was only 16 years old. Corinne Winters returns as Micaëla, with significant debuts by Adam Diegel as Don Jose and Aleksey Bogdanov as the bullfighter Escamillo. Stephen Barlow and Carlos Izcaray make St. Louis debuts as director and conductor.