Main Cast - Highlight | Tacoma Opera

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Meet Don José,
tenor Brendan Tuohy

What does Carmen mean to you? Have you performed in it before?

I sang in Carmen as a member of the children's chorus when I was ten years old, here at the Pantages with Tacoma Opera. It feels like a full-circle experience to perform in the same opera again. I have played the role of Remendado with other companies and covered the role of Don Jose with Portland Opera, but I have never actually sung the role for a live audience. I am thrilled to have an opportunity to share this moment of my journey with my hometown.

If you have previously performed with Tacoma Opera, how do you feel about returning, especially as Tacoma Opera enters into a refreshed, new era of bringing grand opera back to the south Puget Sound region?

I am excited to perform as a principal artist in my fifth show with Tacoma Opera. My most recent role was Nemorino in L'elisir d'amore. It will be interesting for audiences to see me as Don José, a very different character from Nemorino. In both operas, the tenor falls in love with the heroine, but the stories are opposite after that. I strive to deliver committed and genuine performances for Tacoma Opera audiences, always singing my best. However, the characters and their stories genuinely captivate me about opera. Ultimately, my goal is to give the audience an unforgettable experience, and this interpretation of Carmen is a grand opera in every sense of the phrase.

The show explores empowerment but also negative aspects like domestic violence and marginalization, where the character Carmen's strength leads to her tragic end. How can these themes be made relatable to today's audience?

Carmen embodies strength and serves as a role model for women, which explains why José quickly falls for her; she is unique and unlike anyone he has ever encountered. José is fearful and inexperienced and attempts to act like someone he is not. However, instead of walking away from confrontations, he lashes out and reacts with hostility. Sadly, this is also our society's reality, where individuals employ aggression and violence to hide their insecurities, doubts, and isolation. José is isolated, and it results in his emotional downfall.

What else do you want audiences to know?

Carmen is a brilliant opera, and I am so excited to sing it in the Pantages, where grand opera in Tacoma belongs. Don José was always a dream role and singing it with Laurel couldn’t be any better because she will light up this city as Carmen. I want to dedicate this performance to my parents for always supporting me and encouraging my career, my wife Kristin for being my rock, and to the city of Tacoma my hometown and the place that has made me who I am.

Brendan Tuohy
Don José

Meet Micaela,
soprano Ksenia Popova

What does Carmen mean to you? Have you performed in it before?

Carmen is undeniably one of the top ten operas of all time, and for good reason. The music is thrilling, tantalizing, and sublime - I'm a bit of a Bizet fan girl. Despite Carmen's powerful and straightforward story, it's an excellent choice for first-time operagoers. I'm excited to sing the role of Micaela for the first time and bring her character to life alongside Carmen’s.

Tacoma Opera holds a special place in my heart because it's where I developed my skills as a leading lady. I'm grateful for the many opportunities I've had there, starting as a young artist in 2011/12 and performing in five productions with Tacoma Opera over the years. (Most recently, I played the role of Lucia di Lammermoor, and while rehearsing for this production, I adopted a cat and named her Lucy di Meowermoor, aka. Lu Cat). Tacoma Opera has a rich history, and I'm excited to see how it continues to grow within the community. I'm proud to be a part of it.

I have always viewed Carmen as a beloved and traditional opera that offers a unique opportunity to shift the narrative surrounding women's characters in opera. I'm a soprano, so it’s unlikely that I'll ever play the role of Carmen. However, I've played a host of "troubled/hysterical/crazy" characters like Lucia, Marguerite, and even The Queen of the Night (back in the day). When we try to comprehend the situations these characters face in the period the piece is set or written, and it doesn't suffice to attribute madness merely to love. We need to delve into the WHY and examine the other characters around her and their treatment and manipulation of her. I'm thrilled to be part of an interpretation of this production that offers a fresh perspective relatable to what women encounter today.

What else do you want audiences to know?

Carmen has always held a special significance for me. My mother, a nine-time champion ballroom dancer, used the suite's music in one of her most famous routines. Throughout my life, I have been surrounded by powerful women, and this piece is dedicated to all of them.

Ksenia Popova
Micaela

Meet Escamillo,
baritone Suchan Kim

What does Carmen mean to you? Have you performed in it before?

I'm really excited about this performance of Carmen for a few reasons. I've had the pleasure of singing the famous Toreador Song many times in concerts, and I've even played the role of Dancaïro. But this time, I'm making my debut as Escamillo. It's always special to do something for the first time, and singing this role has been a dream of mine for a long time. In operas, baritone roles are usually the bad guys, but as Escamillo, I finally get to be one of the good guys! I can't wait to share this amazing opera with everyone in Tacoma this fall.

What do you hope to bring to Tacoma Opera audiences that is different or unexpected?

Last spring, I performed as Mr. May in the world premiere of Tacoma Method, making this my second appearance at Tacoma Opera. I'm excited for the audience to experience Carmen because it truly is grand opera with a big orchestra, chorus, dancers, stage sets, costumes, and more. Additionally, this opera features well-known music, all of which is beautiful. The audience will enjoy every second of the familiar music and grand stage, getting a complete experience and art form.

What else do you want audiences to know?

If life is an opera, we need to do our best in our roles, and if we do that, we will shine on stage. Also, in real life, everyone has their role and shines the most when we do our best. I would love to dedicate this production to my mother, who always shines. Because she is in South Korea, she won’t be able to be in the audience, but I will do my best to shine on stage for her.

Suchan Kim
Escamillo

Meet Carmen, mezzo-soprano Laurel Semerdjian

What does playing Carmen mean to you?

Carmen is a bucket list role for many mezzo-sopranos, and I am on that list too! I covered the role during my time with the Pittsburgh Opera, where I was fortunate to step in for many rehearsals. Before Covid hit in 2020, I sang Carmen in Peter Brooks' abridgment of The Tragedy of Carmen with Milwaukee's Florentine Opera. I was so excited to sing the role; we got one performance and were sent home as the world forever changed. It is a dream come true now that I can sing the role again in my hometown! Carmen is fierce, strong, and incredibly complex, and I'm honored to join the ranks of mezzos who bring her to life.

What do you hope to bring to Tacoma Opera audiences that is different or unexpected?

The last time I performed with Tacoma Opera, I was Lucretia in The Rape of Lucretia, which was super intimate in the Theater on the Square. While it was a strong character, it was completely different. I'm excited to bring grand opera back to Tacoma because, while I love the intimacy of particular pieces, one of the things that makes opera so wonderful and different from other art forms is the grandeur and scale! It's lovely to be here at Tacoma Opera's new beginning. The cast assembled for Carmen is incredible, and I know that audiences will be deeply moved, entertained, and inspired.

Our season explores empowerment and the other side, manifesting as acts of violence, diminishment, and marginalization. Carmen is strong, yet her power seals her tragic fate. How do you interpret these themes and make them relevant to audiences today?

One thing I believe that makes operas classic is that the stories are timeless. Though Carmen was written in the 1800s, our human nature hasn't changed for better or worse. Carmen is fierce and powerful, and Jose is profoundly insecure and jealous.

What else do you want audiences to know?

Carmen is globally performed because the music is stunning and the characters are relatable. I'm lucky to be surrounded by badass women, from friends juggling kids and stressful careers to my grandmother, who left everything she knew to accompany her husband to Ellis Island and then move across the country to make a better life. My mother always blazed her trail and fiercely protected and supported my dreams. I hope to channel all this "badassery" into Carmen as I carry these women with me. I'm so excited to perform in this show!