Inside 'Carmen': Reflections from our Stage Director

The opera Carmen has been a part of my life since I sang in the children’s chorus of New York City’s very tiny Amato Opera and very large Metropolitan Opera. I will never forget the thrill of the opening music: the cymbal crashes transitioning to the confident "Toreador Song," and ending, unresolved, with the haunting "fate" theme. And that was all before the singing started! I didn’t understand all the passionate love stuff until I was older, but it didn’t matter: the story was exciting, I could sing all the tunes, and there was dancing, fighting, and a very dramatic and tragic ending!

After my own personal tragedy (my voice changed), I got to experience the opera from different angles. I sang in the adult chorus, performed the roles of Zuniga and Escamillo, and eventually directed it.

Mark Freiman in the Carmen children's chorus at The Metropolitan Opera



Carmen was not initially a success. Composer Georges Bizet died at age 36, just two months after the premiere at the Opéra-Comique, where spoken dialogue was standard between musical numbers. Bizet had asked his friend Ernest Guiraud to compose sung dialogue (recitatives) so that it could be performed in a grand opera house format. We are performing this version, which has become the standard.

There is no doubt as to why Carmen is still an audience favorite, 150 years after its premiere: it has a beautiful and alluring heroine, a soldier who sacrifices everything for love, and a charismatic bullfighter; marching soldiers, dancing gypsies, smugglers, and mischievous street urchins; love, passion, and death; drama and humor; but best of all, unforgettable music!

Even if you have never been to an opera, you will still recognize many of Bizet’s melodies. They are deeply ingrained in our pop culture, from movies like The Bad News Bears to the video game Five Nights at Freddy’s to countless commercials. But there is nothing like hearing the music in its original context.

Producing Carmen is no small undertaking; many opera companies do not have the resources to mount it. First Coast Opera brings in talented artists from around the country but also relies on local talent not only for some principal roles, but for its chorus, children’s chorus, and orchestra. It’s a privilege to work with such skilled and dedicated artists from the St. Augustine area!

Reserve your seat for CARMEN

Mark Freiman working with the Carmen children's chorus