L.A. Opera will kick off its 2019–2020 season with a new staging of Giacomo Puccini's La Bohème, starring Marina Costa-Jackson as Mimì in her L.A. Opera debut alongside Saimir Pirgu returning to the company as Rodolfo.
The production, which runs September 14–October 6, is conducted by James Conlon and helmed by Barrie Kosky, who debuted the staging at Berlin’s Komische Oper earlier this year. Kosky directed L.A. Opera’s animation-laden The Magic Flute in 2013 and 2016, which returns later this season in November. Directly following La Bohème will be Renée Fleming alongside Dove Cameron in The Light in the Piazza.
READ: L.A. Opera Sets Renée Fleming, The Magic Flute, and More for 2019–2020 Season
Notable among the La Bohème performers are alumni and current members of L.A. Opera’s Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program. Alums Kihun Yoon as Marcello and Nicholas Brownlee as Colline join current young artists Erica Petrocelli as Musetta, Michael J. Hawk as Schaunard, and Robert Stahley as Parpignol. Patrick Blackwell also features as Alcindoro.
The production features set design by Rufus Didwiszus, costumes designed by Victoria Behr, and lighting design by Marco Philipp. On September 28, La Bohème will be broadcast live and for free in Columbia Regional Park in Torrance, California, and the Santa Monica Pier.
