News & Reviews

So what was French composer Georges Bizet up to before he staked his claim to immortality on "Carmen" shortly before he died in 1875? A dozen years before, the 25-year-old Bizet was warming up to scale the "Carmen" heights with another opera, "The Pearl Fishers," a...

Considering the popularity of "Carmen," you’d think that Georges Bizet’s other major opera, "The Pearl Fishers," would be at least vaguely familiar. Not really. Many longtime operagoers in this country have never heard, let alone seen, a production. Others know the...

On Oct. 19, Virginia Opera begins its 35th consecutive season performing in downtown Richmond. From 1978-1983, Virginia Opera was sponsored by Richmond Friends of Opera, led by Anna Garner and a group of opera devotees from across the greater Richmond community. The...

When tenor Chad A. Johnson found out he'd be performing in Virginia Opera's production of island fantasy "The Pearl Fishers," he acknowledges having some misgivings. "Many times when they perform 'Pearl Fishers,' it's about showing off a bunch of hunky leading male...

The Virginia Opera’s current production of Georges Bizet’s early opera, Les pêcheurs de perles (The Pearl Fishers) at GMU’s Center for the arts this weekend was a delightful surprise. Spare, yet colorful, active without seeming too busy, the production was given a...

This past Sunday I attended a performance of the Virginia Opera’s The Pearl Fishers at the Harrison Opera House in Norfolk, Virginia. The Virginia Opera is in town for this weekend only, performing Georges Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers at GMU.   Most known for his...

"A world where the erotic, the indulgent, the uninhibited dance boldly with rituals, taboos and superstitions that dare not be transgressed; a dreamland where the fantastical, the ecstatic, the rhapsodic co-exist recklessly. It is a veritable feast for eye and ear...

One really can't claim that Georges Bizet's infrequently staged opera "The Pearl Fishers" is a spectacular jewel whose beauties have been hidden too long. But one also can't deny that, with the help of a strong cast and production, it can be a quite satisfying and...

These days, it's so easy to collect "friends." As simple as clicking a button on a Facebook page. In Georges Bizet's opera "The Pearl Fishers," with its island setting that appears timeless, friendship means much more. "There are several themes in the story," said...

NORFOLK, Va. (August 21, 2012) – Virginia Opera, The Official Opera Company of the Commonwealth of Virginia, is excited to announce the 4th Annual Opera in the Park will take place at Town Point Park in Norfolk, Va., on Sept. 15. This year's Opera in the Park is a...