Bizet’s opera returns to Les Arts after 16 years of absence in this co-production with the Grand Théâtre de Genève, which receives its premiere in València. Michele Spotti conducts the work, starring Vasilisa Berzhanskaya, one of the most captivating performers of Carmen.

Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía opens its 2026–2027 Season in October with ‘Carmen’, one of the most cherished works in the operatic repertoire, in a new production by Ted Huffman, who offers a contemporary interpretation of the myth: vibrant and theatrical, it explores the conflict between social order and individual freedom.

Jesús Iglesias Noriega, Artistic Director of Les Arts, presented the production to the media today alongside stage director Ted Huffman and Music Director Michele Spotti.

Iglesias Noriega welcomed the return of Bizet’s opera to the Main Auditorium 16 years after its last performance, in an ambitious production co-produced with the Grand Théâtre de Genève. He also highlighted the artistic and technical challenge this represents for the Valencian opera house, as “Les Arts will be the only major opera house in Spain to open its season with the world premiere of a new production”.

Following his sensational debut with his imaginative and frenetic Les mamelles de Tirésias by Poulenc in 2019, Ted Huffman presents his fourth production for Les Arts, and his first in the Main Auditorium. The American director has brought some of the most innovative productions of recent seasons to the Turia capital, among which Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea stands out, earning Les Arts its first nomination for an International Opera Award for Best Production.

His meticulous approach to acting, attention to gesture and ability to explore human relationships are the defining features of the New York-born artist, who, since January this year, has served as director of the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, widely recognised as a leading barometer of new trends in opera and theatre direction.

In his stage interpretation, Huffman champions a theatrical aesthetic that speaks to the present. He therefore conceives Carmen as “an open act of theatre”: a stage that does not conceal its machinery, where changes to the set and costumes take place in full view of the audience, offering a contemporary reading of the work. For, as the artist himself observes, “Carmen is a radically contemporary character”.

The American director moves away from the clichés and stock portrayals traditionally associated with Prosper Mérimée’s cigar-maker to create a character who is “real and vibrant, in a macho and violent environment”. As he explains, “Carmen is a woman who shuns traditional romantic relationships, refuses to be controlled and understands what it means to be free, and what freedom costs”.

Ted Huffman’s production features set design by Nadja Sofie Eller, costumes by Astrid Klein, lighting by Urs Schönebaum and choreography by Pim Veulings.

Michele Spotti takes the baton for Carmen, returning to the podium at Les Arts as musical director. The young Milanese maestro, one of Italy’s most promising conductors, made his Valencia debut with Verdi’s Ernani in 2023, before impressing audiences with his interpretation of French opera in Ravel’s L’heure espagnole, which Les Arts paired with Gianni Schicchi in 2025.

Since the 2023–2024 Season, he has been Music Director of the Marseille Opera and Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as Principal Guest Conductor of the Deutsche Oper Berlin from the current season.

Les Arts brings together a first-class cast led by Vasilisa Berzhanskaya, one of today’s most fascinating voices, renowned for her seductive timbre, impressive range and outstanding technique. The Russian mezzo-soprano, named Best Young Singer at the 2021 International Opera Awards, is a familiar presence at the world’s leading opera houses, from the Metropolitan Opera in New York to La Scala in Milan. She is also one of the most sought-after performers of Carmen, following her successful debut in the role in London in 2024.

Tenor Charles Castronovo also returns to Les Arts. A leading name in casts at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, La Scala, the Metropolitan Opera and the opera houses of Vienna, Paris and Berlin, the American singer takes on the role of Don José in his reunion with Valencian audiences, who still remember his Des Grieux in Manon, alongside Lisette Oropesa, which opened the 2024–2025 Season.

Bizet’s opera also marks the return to the Valencian stage of Ruth Iniesta, one of Les Arts’ best-loved artists, who sings the role of Micaëla. This is her seventh role in València, following her acclaimed portrayal of Marguerite in Faust, the production with which the opera house celebrated its 20th anniversary.

Italian baritone Davide Luciano completes the quartet of leading performers as the bullfighter Escamillo, in his fourth appearance in the Main Auditorium, following acclaimed performances in Mozart’s Don Giovanni and Così fan tutte, as well as Verdi’s Falstaff.

Cristòfol Romaguera (Le Dancaïre), Matías Sebastián Herrera (Le Remendado), Isaac Galán (Moralès), Manuel Fuentes (Zuniga), Aitana Sanz (Frasquita) and Lora Grigorieva (Mercédès) complete the cast.

Alongside the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana and the Cor de la Generalitat Valenciana, this production also features the Escolania de la Mare de Déu dels Desemparats and the Escola Coral Veus Juntes.

Bizet’s Carmen will be performed on 2, 4, 7, 10, 12 and 15 October. Tickets are available from the theatre box office, by calling the ticket hotline on 96 197 59 00, and via the Les Arts website.

Italian baritone Davide Luciano completes the quartet of leading performers as the bullfighter Escamillo, in his fourth appearance in the Main Auditorium, following acclaimed performances in Mozart’s Don Giovanni and Così fan tutte, as well as Verdi’s Falstaff.

Cristòfol Romaguera (Le Dancaïre), Matías Sebastián Herrera (Le Remendado), Isaac Galán (Moralès), Manuel Fuentes (Zuniga), Aitana Sanz (Frasquita) and Lora Grigorieva (Mercédès) complete the cast.

Alongside the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana and the Cor de la Generalitat Valenciana, this production also features the Escolania de la Mare de Déu dels Desemparats and the Escola Coral Veus Juntes.

Bizet’s Carmen will be performed on 2, 4, 7, 10, 12 and 15 October. Tickets are available from the theatre box office, by calling the ticket hotline on 96 197 59 00, and via the Les Arts website.