CARMEN
Grand Opera House York
Saturday 26 February 2022
Starring the critically-acclaimed Russian Mezzo Soprano
Maria Davydova and the international Romanian Mezzo soprano Ramona Bolojan*
The award-winning producer Ellen Kent returns in Spring 2022 with the International
Opera Festival tour.
Vasyl Vasylenko, artistic director and conductor for the National Municipal Opera and Ballet
Theatre, Kiev, returns. Also returning is the guest conductor and artistic director of the National Opera of Moldova, Nicolae Dohotaru with 30 members of the National Ukrainian Orchestra, Kiev.
Bizet’s masterpiece, Carmen, is an evening of passion, sexual jealousy, death and unforgettable arias. Carmen is the story of the bewitching gypsy girl whose tantalising beauty lures a soldier to desertion and leads to her own murder. The opera includes some of the most evocative and best-loved melodies in opera –The Habanera, The Seguidilla, The Flower Song, The Chanson Bohème and perhaps the best-known baritone aria of all The Toreador’s Song.
The stunning new set reflects the magnificent architecture of Seville with its Roman and
Moorish influences, which includes the main square, the bull ring and the famous tobacco
factory. The set was built for Ellen Kent in England by Setup Scenery, who also build sets for
the Royal Opera Covent Garden.
Maria Davydova*, a young and talented Russian Mezzo Soprano, will be singing Carmen
and Suzuki in Madama Butterfly on the Opera Festival International Ellen Kent tour in the
UK and Ireland. She lives in Rostov Russia and sings with the Rostov State Musical Theater,
Rostov State Philharmonic.
Ramona Bolojan* the international Romanian Mezzo Soprano will be sharing the roles of
Carmen and Suzuki in Madama Butterfly on the UK and Ireland international Ellen Kent tour.
Ramona lives in Munich and has sung in the major opera houses in Europe.
The Ukrainian tenor Vitalii Liskovetskyi* from the Kiev National Opera originally trained
as a military pilot and made his debut on an Ellen Kent tour in 2015 in Carmen and Tosca,
followed by subsequent successes in Aida, La Boheme and Nabucco, Rigoletto, La Traviata & Madama Butterfly.
Welcoming back the celebrated Romanian International tenor Sorin Lupu*, who will be
singing Don Jose in Carmen.
Petru Racovitae* the celebrated Moldovan baritone, returns to sing Escamillo in Carmen,
Sharpless, the American consul in Madama Butterfly and Scarpia in Tosca. He has sung many
roles on Ellen Kent’s tours and excelled in Scarpia.
Introducing Vitalii Cebotari* as Escamillo. Vitalii is a young and talented Baritone. He was
invited to join the National Opera and Ballet Theatre in Moldova.