Gulfshore Opera is opening its season with a full-scale grand opera in December. Gulfshore Opera General Director Steffanie Pearce breaks the news.
“It's one of the greatest operas and most popular ever written, Bizet's ‘Carmen,’" she said. “And that will be at the Barbara Mann on December 2 and Artist-Naples December 7. In between, we're going to Charlotte County at the CPAC Auditorium on December 4.”
Pearce describes the storyline as “fiery.”
“You have this great sexy gypsy lady, this gorgeous rock star of a matador and a nice soldier boy who falls in love with her, and she convinces him to quit the army and become a smuggler,” Pearce said. “At the end he's pretty much driven crazy by his obsession with her.”
Beyond the great story is the music.
“There's very much of a Spanish flavor, a flamenco flavor to a lot of the melodies, and everybody can hum the 'Toreador' song and the arias that Carmen sings that are based on real Spanish dances,” Pearce noted.
The Gulfshore Opera production will have one scene that’s omitted by most other companies.
“There's a big procession with the picadors, the matadors, and then finally the toreador, and of course the mayor and his wife and village dignitaries, all filling this parade. The children wave flags and run behind them, and it's a great moment. And we're going to do it.”
The Naples and Florida Philharmonic orchestras will be in the pit.

MORE INFORMATION:
Gulfshore Opera historically produces its full-scale grand opera in April, but it decided to open the 2025-2026 season with a bang.
“Carmen” is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet, with a French libretto written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy. It is a comedic opera (opéra comique) with musical numbers separated by dialogue.
At the heart of the drama is Carmen—a woman who refuses to be possessed, enchanting all who cross her path. When her independence clashes with Don José’s obsessive love, passion spirals into jealousy, leading to inevitable tragedy. Through unforgettable melodies such as the “Habanera” and the “Toreador Song,” Carmen explores the intoxicating power of desire and the perilous cost of freedom.
With soaring vocals, thrilling choreography, and a cast of dynamic artists, Gulfshore Opera’s "Carmen" immerses audiences in a world where the visceral thrill of live opera and dynamic storytelling come alive. Witness the opera where every glance pulses with life, and freedom burns brightest just before it is lost.

The opera was first performed by the Opéra-Comique in Paris in 1875. Its first audience was scandalized because the opera broke so many established conventions, not the least of which was presenting a heroine who was capricious, fearless and uncompromising rather than kind and innocent. Preliminary reviews panned the production. The public was, for the most part, unimpressed. Bizet died suddenly after the 33rd performance, unaware that the work would ultimately achieve repute as one of the finest comedic operas ever written.
Commentators have asserted that “Carmen” forms the bridge between the tradition of opéra comique and the realism or verismo that characterized late 19th-century Italian opera. The opera’s music is widely acclaimed for its brilliant melody, harmony, atmosphere, and orchestration, along with the skill with which the emotions and suffering of the characters are represented.
“Carmen” is now one of the most popular and frequently performed operas in the classical canon; the “Habanera” from act one and the “Toreador Song” from act two are among the best known of all operatic arias.
“We’re very excited to perform this opera,” Pearce said.
“I'm very excited about the cast and the chorus, the big sets and costumes and having them perform onstage with an orchestra in the pit.”
Set in 1830 amid the sun-drenched streets and bustling plazas of Seville, this production honors Bizet’s original spirit with traditional Spanish scenery, richly hued costumes, and bold, dramatic visuals that capture the opera’s fiery soul.
In addition to the sets, Gulfshore Opera will utilize painted backdrops to create the look and feel of 19th century Seville.
“So those will be giving us a lot of the perspective, especially in the first scene, where the gypsy girls that work in the cigarette factory come out into the town square, and the final scene, which is so famous,” said Pearce. “There's a great big bull ring in the background. So, audiences will see what Seville probably looked like in 1830.”
The opera, which demands a large chorus of adults and children, features big group scenes contrasted with intimate, intensely dramatic scenes between Carmen and Don José.
“So, the development of that story and the intense intimacy between the two of them is in contrast to these larger group scenes, where you have all these great famous melodies that audiences will recognize.”

Tickets are already on sale and can be purchased at the Barbara Mann, Artis-Naples and Charlotte Performing Arts Center box offices, as well as at gulfshoreopera.org.
Support for WGCU’s arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.